by Eugene Pitout

Created on: August 18, 2011   Last Updated: August 21, 2011

How can one get motivated in spite of oneself? Wouldn’t we just love to have a blanket statement or formula that works for everyone? As convenient as that may be in reality motivation is unique to the individual and thus there are as many forms of motivation as there are people. We have so many tricks and cunning to get around inertia into motivated movement but which one will work for you and which one for me?

There are also many levels of society to consider. Some people are living in survival mode on the lowest level of Carl Jung’s ladder of social levels while to others survival is a given and simply has no motivational value. On other levels habitual pleasures, addictions and comforts that we got used to are the greater motivators. ”I will do anything but leave me the DSTV.”

There are of course negative extrinsic motivations as well that can give one the short term results but they only work while the tyrant is around to enforce it. These are those simple threats where one does not want to live with the consequences. They may vary from something as dramatic as blackmail or threat to something as simple as having ones services suspended for not paying a bill. Those are relatively self evident and therefore not in need of much elaboration.  

For ourselves we want intrinsic motivations that work period. Something positive that inspires us into movement from a deep desire within. Those are the positive life enhancing ones that puts a jump in ones step while following ones bliss.

The most basic broad spectrum formula for positive motivation is the dangling carrot formula: A strong desire for something is a good start. Couple to that a way or a means to get that desire and make it a reality for oneself. Now it seems a little better but what if one cannot do what it takes? So then we would have to ad that one too. We can say the desire will inspire the willingness to do what is needed to get one to the outcome one desires.

So the broad statement then is having a dream that one is willing to work for, and then a way that can actually be done by one to get one  to one’s dream. That should be sufficient providing one is not depressed in any way. This would be the most effective long term motivators because it is extrinsic and intrinsic combined.

It is a known fact in psychology that people with good self esteem are more daring and willing than people with low self esteem. Its obvious really that people who believe in themselves

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