What Keeps a Person Motivated? 9 Reasons
There are times that we become unmotivated to do new things or do our regular job, but we need to keep on working and achieve our goals.
Some people manage to keep on working without showing a decline in motivation.
This unusual habit makes you wonder what keeps a person motivated?
Being unmotivated to do something after some time is a part of humans. Everyone, after some time, will have a decline in their motivation.
What separates those who show no drop in their motivation from those who become simply unmotivated is that others manage to learn how to stay motivated, get back their motivation, and have strong reasons to keep working.
After completing my job, sometimes I get unmotivated to write new articles. Every time the signs of motivation drop appear, I manage to fix it.
Motivation is a positive state of mind filled with positive energy, and the opposite is correct. That’s what people who can stay motivated know.
Here are the things that keep a person motivated:
1. No options
This is the top reason that keeps a person motivated. People who have no option can work so hard every day without showing a drop in motivation. It’s similar to fighting to survive.
If you don’t work hard and succeed, the life you will live is full of desperation.
People change their views of options, which are success and failure to success and success.
They may fail throughout the journey, but they learn from failures and overcome difficulties. This reason keeps people motivated for a long period.
2. Responsibilities
Parents, elder brothers, and those who are responsible for their lives are great examples of how responsibility can push a person to work hard without stopping and having no drop in motivation.
Parents are responsible for their lives and the lives of the family. It’s their responsibility to find a way to provide a life for the family.
No matter how unmotivated they feel, or how bad their mood is. They find ways to get back their motivation and keep on.
Kids who lose their father and mother at an early age, where the elder brother or sister becomes the father, the mother, and the head of the family. This is a heavy type of responsibility.
It’s at this time where most of the relatives and the people you know leave.
Options are too limited in such situations and the only option for the elder brother is “I have to do it, my younger siblings depend on me”.
Parents and people who have heavy responsibilities stay motivated because of the responsibilities they have.
3. Seeking a better life
One of the reasons that keep a person motivated is the desire for a better life.
It’s one of the common reasons why people work hard, stay disciplined, and are motivated.
When you are uncomfortable with the life you have or have the feeling of discomfort every time you think about your current situation.
You work hard and stay motivated throughout the journey.
Everyone wants a better life (the life that satisfies them), but not all are willing to put in the work. You have an option to either settle for the life you have or go for the life you want.
Luckily, some people are satisfied with the life they have. He who has a happy family, a good house, and loves his partner and his job, is satisfied with his life and has no reason to seek another type of life.
4. Competition
It’s one of the things that keeps a person motivated because people don’t want to lose.
When you compete with others, you always give the best you have for the sake of winning.
People are intrinsically motivated and stay motivated throughout the journey because they want to prove what they are capable of and that they are the best.
The two smart kids in high school are always in competition and manage to stay motivated to read for a long time while others don’t.
The biggest football clubs are always in competition and give their best in every match.
There’s also constant competition between big tech companies and big car companies.
Competition is a great way for a person to stay motivated, though it comes with its downsides.
When your opponent beats you, you will have a hard time getting back your energy to get back into the competition.
Some people manage to get back their energy faster after defeat because their competition is with themselves. That’s how they don’t feel defeated.
5. The desire for more
People hardly find satisfaction. The desire for more keeps a person motivated as long as he doesn’t find satisfaction in what he achieves or gains. It comes with two sides:
- When you start seeing results for the things you’ve been working on for a long time, makes you stay motivated throughout the journey and work more to see more good results. It pushes you to become the better version of yourself and gives you a sign about the direction you are taking.
- When you achieve what you wanted, and it doesn’t satisfy you, it keeps you motivated toward working for more and more that you don’t find the time to enjoy what you have achieved.
Desires are a great way to keep yourself motivated, but when you have control over your desires, instead of your desires controlling you.
6. Getting approval
Another reason that keeps a person motivated is approval. When you are asked to prove yourself to earn what you want, you work so hard and stay motivated.
Everyone has something they are better at and wants to prove it to others, or wants to prove themselves as worthy.
In job interviews or projects, people put in too much effort and stay motivated to get approval for that job interview or their project approved by the company.
The motivation is different here because when you seek approval from a company, your crush, or anything you want, you are extrinsically motivated and stay motivated until you get the approval.
7. You stay motivated when you love what you do
When you love your job, you will stay motivated. When you love helping people, no matter what you face, you will stay motivated and keep on helping people.
The motivation that comes out of the things you love is the purest. Sometimes it turns into a habit and becomes a part of your personality.
8. Reward
A person is highly motivated and is kept motivated when he’s promised a reward after getting something done. It’s the most common technique used by companies to motivate employees. Parents do use this technique to let their kids get a hard job done.
Tangible rewards like money, vacation, and material objects naturally drive people to work and keep them motivated.
Also, read: Neurobehavioural mechanisms of reward and motivation
9. Better themselves
A person works hard and stays motivated for many reasons, and one of the best reasons is to become better. The intrinsic motivation is strong in this situation because you want to upgrade mentally, physically, or emotionally.
That’s one of the reasons that keeps a person motivated toward hitting the gym every week, finishing two self-help books every month, and meditating every day.
It’s the amazing feeling you want to feel when you reach the destination you’ve set that keeps you motivated.
Conclusion
Motivation is very important. Knowing what keeps a person motivated, then applying that to your life will put you ahead in life and prevent the problems that come with the lack of motivation.
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