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I had just finished reviewing the syllabus with my Masters level leadership class, and asked my typical follow-up question. “What else would you like to cover?” Lin raised her hand and asked sincerely, “Professor, you are so passionate about what you do, it’s oozing out of you. How do we motivate ourselves to feel like that?”
Oh boy, a challenge.
You see this is the debate my husband, Marcus, and I have been having for the last 12 years. He swears that kind of motivation is genetic, and therefore, unteachable. If you met my family, you’d see where his gene theory comes from. But still, I’m passionate about proving him wrong. Yes, the irony is not lost on me.
I do know one thing, you can’t give someone 5 steps to figuring it out. It involves miring in the muck of what drives you, what you value and why.
From Motivation Theory to Real Life
So last night, I told them to buckle their seat belts and took them on a tour of motivation theory. We started with the classics: content theories (what motivates), process theories (how to motivate) and of course good old reinforcement theory. We then moved to more current thinking like Sinek and Pink . I told them to take good notes because it would be on the exam (that’s always a motivator.)
Then the real work began. I asked them to break into small groups and come up with five ways to help someone motivate themselves (all of which had to be grounded in at least one of the theories).
They started miring in the muck. I overheard deep conversation about where they get stuck and why: Childhood memories of reinforcement motivation for which they blame their bad habits, frustration of sending out so many resumes they have a hard time mustering up the gumption to send one more, questions of how they had let themselves turn from an athlete to a couch potato.
And so today I bring you five ways to motivate yourself, courtesy of BUMO 796.
5 Ways to Motivate Yourself
1. Love (my personal favorite)
Connect with the feelings of love and sacrifice others have made for you. Acknowledge that support. Go get more if you need it. And then, turn that love into something spectacular. (P.S. this might not be unrelated to gene theory).
2. Focus on Your Basic Needs First
Work your way up Maslow’s hierarchy. If you need sleep and food, get that first. It’s hard to be motivated to change the world if you’re exhausted.
3. Set Achieveable Goals
Expectancy theory seemed to resonate.
4. Create a Support Network
Don’t try to do this alone. Articulate your goals, and surround yourself with people who will help to keep you on track.
5. Reward Yourself
Give yourself something to look forward to at each milestone.
If you’re feeling stuck, perhaps a good mire in motivation theory muck will help.