Importance of Motivation

Author: Victor Ghebre

A successful leader knows how to motivate his or her underlings. If you strive to become a manager or leader of people either in or out of the workplace do not underestimate the importance of motivation. The right amount of motivation can mean a tremendous success while lack of motivation can lead to a dismal failure.Motivation at WorkStatistics show that an employee that leaves a job can cost a company around $110M to replace. As a supervisor it is your job to keep your employees happy and motivated to prevent attrition due to boredom or apathy. It is your job as a manager of a group of people to get to know each person and find out what makes each one happy. Some employees may stay motivated for that simple pat on the back at the end of the workday. Another employee might need a more physical reward such as an extra ½ hour for lunch or a commendation in their file. By knowing what motivates each employee your team cannot fail to achieve success.Maslows Hierarchy of NeedsAbraham Maslow studied psych ology and developed a series of needs or motivations. Once a person met one need they would climb the ladder to the next need and try and meet it. The ladder would continue to be climbed until the final need, self-actualization was met. You would be wise to study these needs, as they are a vital component to the importance of motivation. The first need is the basics of life, food, shelter and warmth. Next an individual seeks to feel safe and secure at home and at work. The next rung up the ladder is a desire to feel like you belong to a group. This is especially important in the work place. Once an individual feels accepted by a group their next motivator is to achieve status and recognition from that group of peers. The final step is self-actualization. As a manager you want to be sure your employees feel accepted by their co-workers and are recognized for their achievements.Goal Setting Theory Goal setting theory focuses on the importance of motivation in achieving your goals. This theory is a w ay to help employees meet their goals by motivating themselves. As a supervisor it is your job to sit with each employee and establish a set of goals for the employee to achieve. Once the goals have been set your role becomes the coach and mentor gently guiding the employee towards their goals.Motivating through Communication Some of the most successful companies are run using self-guided teams. The principal of motivation in this situation is the communication between the team members that drives the group to succeed. As a part of this team it is vital to express your thoughts and ideas to help motivate the group. As a manager it is your job to sit and listen to what everyone has to say and refrain from reacting negatively during the group meetings. By staying upbeat and receptive to all ideas your are in essence motivating your employees.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/motivational-articles/importance-of-motivation-893038.html

About the AuthorVictor Ghebre is the editor of http://www.settinggoals101.com where you get practical tips and information on goal setting, motivation, leadership and more. Visit http://www.settinggoals101.com/goal-setting-activities.html to learn how to set yourself up for success and get free tips on how to effectively motivate yourself. Don't miss your FREE set of goal setting forms at: http://www.settinggoals101.com/GoalSetting-Newsletter.html

How to Deal With Boredom and Lack of Motivation!

Author: Caroline Jalango

How do you keep boredom at bay? I recently had conversations with some women who shared a common problem—boredom.Its not that they didn’t like what they were doing or weren’t busy enough —they were. Their issue was that even as they were busy accomplishing important tasks, they all felt that they were merely going through the motions in a robotic /unfeeling mode. Their minds were tired, they felt restless, unchallenged, uncomfortable, “flat,” —almost like they had reached a plateau with nowhere else to go.Their actions had no “juice” or flavor and seemed almost meaningless—they were just plain bored on Boredom Island !Have you ever been there? Or even felt like you were bored out of your mind and didn’t know what to do?”What is boredom?My favorite definition is from oxford university Press:Boredom is a condition characterized by wandering attention, impaired physical and mental efficiency, and low levels of arousal. It is sometimes confused with physiological fatigue, but it’s usually the result of lack of st imulation, motivation, and interest. It is commonly caused by monotonous routines.Does this definition resonate with you as it does with me?Hmmm!So what keeps boredom at bay and provides meaning, worth and vitality to everyday life?Here’s my solution:Every unstoppable woman must have a have a SINGLE GOAL that’s worth ONE HOUR a day for the REST of her life! This single goal should pleasure you, provide meaning, energize and be something you are ready and willing to do because you love and enjoy it. It shouldn’t be borrowed or imposed upon you by someone else and you shouldn’t be pushed into fulfilling this goal. This goal must be one that you can fulfill every day for one hour or more for the rest of your life because it’s worth it. A single worthwhile goal can do wonders for you! It can make up for a “blah”/boring day! It makes you feel that you have accomplished something significant It ensures that you do something you enjoy everyday. Plus it makes you feel good about yourse lf…which is nice, very nice! Consider your life for a moment:What single goal is worth one hour a day for the rest of your life?Is it walking one hour a day? Writing one hour a day for the rest of your life? Engaging in a spiritual practice, one hour a day for the rest of your life? Is it mastering a specific topic? Talking to your kids, spending quality time with you mate one hour a day for the rest of your life? Volunteering one hour a day? What is it?(For the purposes of this exercise…narrow down your choices until you have the one single goal that’s worth one hour a day for the rest of your life.)Are you doing this one thing?If you aren’t doing it yet then you have not perceived its value and it maybe that it’s not worth it to you.Search through your goals and find one...just one goal that excites you enough to invest an hour of your life each day forever.This goal could be the one thing that keeps you holding on, moving forward, not giving up, making progress, looking forward to the next step —and of cou rse keeping boredom at bay!

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/motivational-articles/how-to-deal-with-boredom-and-lack-of-motivation-751725.html

About the AuthorCaroline Jalango coaches women, provides strategies and solutions, motivates and helps women who want to do better for themselves. She is the author of "Settle for Less No More" and "You Deserve to Feel Good" motivational books for women who want to succeed. For more topics like this, visit http://www.motivationzone.com to gain the momentum to do better for yourself and get the results you want!

Techniques to Build Self Motivation

Author: Mohd Fadzil Dolmani

Fear and reward are two most commonly used methods to build motivation in someone. But, these methods are temporary. The only lasting thing is self motivation. Motivation actually is the enthusiasm of doing something. It refers to inner feeling, strong desires, and expectation about something. You may sometimes loose the necessary level of the inner drive to get something done. Self motivation is what you need to boost the level of your inner drive to achieve your goals.

Self motivation is a form of self encouragement. You will say to yourself that you have the capacity to do better and eventually get whatever you want in your life. This inner enthusiasm will push you forward until you achieve your set goals. You may not even be aware of any reward in the beginning but you keep working on it. You work on it because your inner strength says that you can attain your goals. This is your will power - the driving force behind your self motivation. Self motivation is a combination of will power, goals and ability to continue attaining the highest level of your success.

You need self motivation to accomplish tasks you have now. Along the way, you may be facing with situations that are discouraging and can bring down your motivational level. You need to keep yourself really focused on your objectives to maintain the level of your self motivation. Here are techniques you can adopt to start acquiring higher motivational level and achieve greater success.

Writing Your Plan

Success does not come easy without any proper plan. Failing to plan is actually planning to fail. Therefore, you must give a greater emphasis on having well prepared plan to achieve your goals. You simply need to have your plan written on a piece of paper. Having your plan clearly written gives you more psychological inner drive to work toward achieving your goals. You create more enthusiasm and can see more clearly how you want to achieve your goals. Thus, your commitments will be much stronger.

When writing down your goals, state very specific terms. For example, if you want to accumulate certain amount of money, state exactly how much you want. You must also set a specific date to fulfill your goals and specific rewards for achieving your goals. Writing is not enough if you do not follow up with some reading. You have to make a point to read your written plan at least twice a day. Once in the morning before you start your day; and one at night just before you go to bed. This simple routine will keep you stay motivated.

Be realistic, things happen in life. Unforeseen circumstances may sometimes require you to make adjustments in your plan. Go ahead and make the necessary adjustments. But, try to maintain realistic limits. Do not make it too easy or too hard for you to achieve. Set it just right to maintain your motivation level.

Visualizing Your Goals

You need to simply make your goals as visual as possible to maintain your motivation at the highest level possible. If your goal is to own an apartment, find pictures of your desired apartment keep them in front of your eyes. Visualizing your goals creates a positive impact on your mind and keeps your motivation surging. When you feel very down, visuals will help you provide the necessary boost to surge your motivation level.

Like the written plan, you have to make a point to see the visuals at least twice a day. The images you see of yourself achieving the goals you desire will instill strong impact in your mind, which will control your actions to maintain your level of motivation.

Controlling Your Feeling

This one is not quite straight forward action. It has to do with your feeling in your mind. You need to control what you feel. Your feeling will reflect your mental attitude and moods. If you feel upset and depressed, you will feel as if everything crashes on you. This feeling reflects on your physical self. You will lose concentration and everything you do will be full of mistakes. You have to learn to start controlling your feeling.

The simplest way will be to start your day with a smile. No doubt this can be fake at times due to things that happen around you, but you have got to master this simple task to ensure that things around you will be pleasant and enjoyable for the rest of the day. You can feel the enthusiasm and energy level soaring. You will be able to stay motivated and spread positive energy around you.

Your mental and physical attitudes work closely. Hence, to stay motivated, learn to develop cheerful and confident characters by simply walking with your face up and smile on it. You will realize that your confidence and self motivation developing. It is probably kind of hard to maintain the action, but with time, once it naturally becomes your way of life, you are able to motivate yourself even during difficult times.

Giving Your Effort A Reward

You need to give yourself a reward for what you have achieved. This one simply acts as an appreciation to yourself in achieving your goals. You have to credit yourself for what you have gone through, your determination and your hard work in ensuring your success.

Earlier I said reward is a temporary method to motivate someone. In this case, a reward is not what keeps you motivated. It is just an element to add flavor to your self motivation exercise. You may want to think of a simple reward that sounds reasonable with what you have achieved. Do not get over excited about this. Meaning, the reward has to be at par with your level of achievement. Take this positively to further enhance your level of self motivation.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/motivational-articles/techniques-to-build-self-motivation-137296.html

About the AuthorFadzil is an entrepreneur, writer, and web content developer. He enjoys helping individuals, who are excited about self improvement and attaining personal success, to learn the simple steps to achieve their goals. To learn more about such system, please go to: http://www.wisdomgateway.com/6wlmover/life_makeover.htm. He is also the founder of WisdomGateway which helps internet users to obtain knowledge in the area of Business Matters, Healthy Living, Hobbies & Activities, Internet Marketing, and Real Estate. To visit the site, please go to http://www.wisdomgateway.com.

5 Ways to Successfully Motivate Yourself

Learning how to motivate yourself is an asset that will serve you well throughout every aspect of your life. It is unrealistic to depend upon others to supply you with the drive you will need to accomplish great things in your life. Self motivation is something that can be learned if you do not already have it and can also be reinforced if it tends to weaken. Having a lack of motivation is the single biggest reason why many do not achieve their goals resulting in a feeling of emptiness.

There does exist ways to ensure that you do not suffer the same fate many do when they fail to reach goals they have set for themselves.

Here are 5 simple techniques you can use to help maintain your self motivation so that you can consistently accomplish any objectives you set for yourself.

Remember Your Reasons

It is important to continually remind yourself as to why it is you are pursuing any particular goal or objective. This is especially true with goals that may take longer to achieve than others. It is normal to lose motivation after investing a lot of effort and not seeing the desired results. Reminding yourself of the benefits 'reinvigorates' your motivation so that you can continue to move closer to accomplishing your objectives.

Daily Inspiration

Periodic reinforcement of the success of others is an effective way to strengthen your own self motivation. Knowing that others have endured the same or similar challenges and succeeded is both inspirational and proof that it can be done.

Associate with Like Minded People

Surrounding yourself with like minded people or those who at least are supportive of your actions will help you to maintain your motivation. Having a source of support and encouragement can help you through times of frustration and can also offer insight that may be helpful.

Monitor Your Progress

Chart your progress and especially if you expect that your efforts will take a long time before you see any results. By doing this you can seek and find encouragement as you see progress being made. Nothing will zap your motivation quicker than realizing your efforts are getting you nowhere.

Learn from Set Backs

Expect setbacks and mistakes to occur so that when they do you can identify what went 'wrong' so that it does not happen again. Every mistake should teach you something of value if you are observant and this will make you better at what it is you are trying to accomplish. This feeling of 'empowerment' is a great source of confidence and self motivation.

When you learn how to motivate yourself you no longer fear those unexpected obstacles life often presents that may not allow you to reach goals you have set. Self motivation is a very empowering feeling since you do not have to rely upon others to maintain your ambition. Having the ability to call upon your own 'inner means' to either overcome a lack of motivation or to strengthen what you already have is a liberating sensation. The 5 techniques discussed above will help you maintain your self motivation for whatever reasons you may have. The end result will be more successes and less failures making for a happier and fuller life for you.

TJ Philpott is an author and Internet entrepreneur based out of North Carolina. For more tips about how to motivate yourself and to receive a free instructional manual that teaches valuable niche research techniques visit: http://affiliatequickstart.com/

Why Many Motivational Articles and Speakers May Have the Opposite Effect on You

The problem with a lot of motivational quotes, articles and speakers is that they make it sound like you could be immortal, all powerful and rule the world. In their quest to be a great motivator, they try to empower you to "be anything you want to be" and will quote you anything and everything they need to tell you to make you feel like you could take on the world.

If you're feeling even the slightest bit of self doubt, that's probably not what you need. Your sarcasm mode kicks in and starts translating all of those grandiose promises into a "that's fine for everyone else but not for me" lashing that you give to yourself long after you're done reading/listening.

You know what? Most people can't be anything they want to be, most people can't take over the world and when it comes to being immortal or all powerful, let's be thankful that most people won't ever get that.

Let's be realistic. Even if all the cards fell perfectly into place and you had nothing but driver, determination and motivation... you still likely wouldn't be hitting the top 10 list in Forbes magazine any time soon.

The thing to remember is that no one goes from 0 to 10 without taking a lot of steps in between. For you to feel self doubt and be promised the world is skipping a lot of steps.

You have to push those aside and come back to them when you're a 9.5 and not sure how to be a 10. Learn to recognize when that sarcasm mode kicks in and either take it for what it is, humour, or shut it up.

The more you keep telling yourself that you don't fit into what they're telling you, the more you start to believe yourself and then it becomes true. Maybe it was true before, maybe it wasn't... you'll never know because you make it true.

So stop it, skip it, find something else that is more on your level and read that. Maybe an article on beginner goal setting is better suited to you if you feel like you're never achieving anything. Once you get that out of the way, improve some more areas and continue upwards on that ladder. Maybe the articles promising world domination will be better suited to you after that.

But until then, don't beat yourself up because of what someone you don't know thinks you might be capable of.

-- The AntiMotivator is a kick in the teeth approach to motivation. No feel good fluffy inspirational words, it's called reality. http://antimotivator.blogspot.com

The Top 10 Motivational Training Videos and DVDs on the Market

These are tough times and a good old fashioned motivational video can be a great way to start a meeting, event or to get ramped up for a new organizational goal. Try one of these new or classic motivational videos to rev up your workplace.

I. Celebrate What's Right with the World - The Dewitt Jones classic may be the best-selling motivational DVD of all time and it's worthy of this position. No one is more passionate than Dewitt and his enthusiasm will rub off on any audience. Innovation, Creativity and Inspiration are the main points hit on in this program.

2. Do Right: The Plan - Lou Holtz shines in this latest of the Do Right series. Lou is funny, poignant and motivational throughout as he exposes his main points - be passionate, have a positive attitude, have focus and be a dreamer.

3. Everest - Climbing Mt. Everest is a remarkable accomplishment for anyone, but for Erik Weihenmayer it's even more difficult - because he's blind! Follow Erik's amazing journey up Everest. It's an inspirational story of teamwork and will motivate any workplace to achieve beyond what they thought was possible.

4. Get on the Right Bus with Mike "Coach K" Krzyzewski - Legendary Duke Coach K Shares his Philosophy of the power of words, explores the powerful words that have motivated and inspired so many individuals and teams, and encourages you to find the specific worlds that will change your life and give your team the winning edge.

5. Attitude: Radiating Possibility with Ben Zander - World-renowned conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, Ben Zander encourages all of us to confront our fears and embrace the world of possibilities. Zander is vibrant and enthusiastic as we watch him work with his music students and speak to a corporate audience.

6. Give em the Pickle! - Even though Give em the Pickle is primarily a customer service video, I've included it on this list simply because so many employees work with customers in some capacity and Bob Farrell's classic program is just so darn motivational. If your audience works with customers in any capacity, this program is a must have.

7. The Star Thrower Story - Joel Barker's most classic story is now a 6 minute motivational video. The program reminds us that we all have the ability to make a difference. As individuals, we can choose to take action and participate in the world around us. Together, we can shape the future.

8. Lessons From Geese - You wouldn't think a 2 minute video of flying geese would be so motivational and inspiring but somehow it is. In just 2 minutes it teaches five key lessons about being a team player and winning as a team. It will lift the mood and help you develop commitment to peak performance, both within individuals and throughout teams.

9. Extraordinary - This new 3 minute meeting opener has quickly become one of the best-selling meeting openers on the market. The program asks the questions. Why not have passion in everything you do? Why not be courageous? Why not have a positive attitude? Why not find beauty in everything? Why not be a leader? A coach? A mentor? Why not do something you've never done before? Why not dream big? Why not have conviction, character, value? Why not attack every problem with determination? Why not believe in yourself?

10. The Great Minds Series - Inspiring quotes from some of history's greatest minds set to dramatic music and coupled with classic footage. Let the likes of Winston Churchill, John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King inspire you, motivate you and teach you through their own words, pictures and video.

There are so many great programs on the market that it's tough to pick just 10. If you have any other suggestions or comments, please let me know!

Robert Sullivan is a writer and producer of motivational training videos for TrainingABC. TrainingABC is a distributor of motivational programs such as Celebrate What's Right withthe World and Give em the Pickle.

How to Get Motivated - 3 Tips to Get You Going

There is a difference between being inspired to motivation, and using mental reasoning, logic, and self knowledge. The former has an element of creativity, whereas thinking that you have all the knowledge needed to get motivated on a project, has an element of potential boredom and fatigue. We are assuming that you have already set your goals or desired outcomes, so goal setting is not the issue. It may be more of volition, or goal pursuit. It may be useful to firstly consider what may cause a lack of motivation, to get some insight into how inspiration is best to achieve motivation.

Let's use a case study for this first illustration. ( A true story, but I have changed my client's name ). Joe Blow has set his desired outcome to be a successful professional golfer. Joe had a fairly balanced lifestyle, socially, work, and support from his parents, even at the age of twenty seven. His passion, skill, and dedication saw him through all the years of practice and golf coaching. He was now a pro golfer. All the trappings went with it, such as the new $900 putter he showed me.

I met Joe not long after he started playing tournaments. He played well, but suddenly realised that occasionally he would lose it mentally, on an occasional hole. He didn't know why, so couldn't see a solution. How could he be so confident and motivated for the whole game, and yet still have occasional lapses. He was desperate, because he could see himself never winning a tournament.

No amount of additional coaching seemed to make any difference. He had the skills, knowledge, and motivation, so what was missing? It was quite simple, I told him. He had diverted, at times, from enjoying the euphoria of his skills and passion, to letting emotional stress take control. He might be in a tight situation, and instead of taking it in his stride, he let his mental thoughts create an emotional state that was tensing him up. How Does Inspiration Help With Motivation?

Joe realised that playing at a higher level of competition required more than just fitness and golfing skills. So how was he to get motivated to believe he could win in this new environment? He wasn't lacking any skills or desire, and so didn't think it was just a matter of more years of practice.

I gave him some brief instructions, and kept in touch by phone, as I was moving interstate. I told him to do this just before he went to bed, and as soon as he woke up. He had to visualise in detail, exactly how he would play each type of hole - the feel of the swing, his breathing, his confidence, his calm control all through a tournament. It was nothing new, but what he was doing, was reinforcing all this detail into his deep memory while he was very relaxed. So when he was in a tournament, he didn't need to stress, because he had already programmed into his own deep unconscious mind, his inspirational attitude. It just came naturally and effortlessly. He rang me about three weeks later to tell me he had won his first pro tournament, and even got an albatross.

This is part two of a series of motivation articles, soon to be available as a free PDF download

Motivation

Learning how to have motivation and stay motivated is important to achieving your full potential and happiness. Without motivation you will miss out on riches of life.

To help you be more motivated I will be posting 1 -2 times a week articles and videos to help you stay motived