Mastering Motivation

Motivation is defined as the general desire or willingness of someone to take action. Generally, motivation comes in two forms, Intrinsic or "from within" or Extrinsic, "from the outside."

Many of our work motivations are extrinsic, such as a paycheck, rewards for success or bonuses, promotions etc. Sometimes, there are intrinsic motivations, such as the desire for acceptance, the desire to know that we are influential, that we matter and that we are respected that affect our careers. For example, you may decide that you do not like your current job, that you are unhappy with the environment or the work. That may create an intrinsic motivation to quit. However, the paycheck or benefits that you receive from that job may motivate you to stay and try to find a way to like that job. Our motivations are complicated and often make decisions difficult.

Being motivated about your health and well-being is not any different. Many people “want” to get healthy. They have intrinsic motivations such as wanting to "feel better on the inside and out" or wanting to feel a sense of honor or pride knowing that they are working toward overall well-being. There are also extrinsic motivations such as getting an award for accomplishing a physical challenge such as a 5k or marathon.

Whatever the motivation, achieving or working toward being healthy is important. Sometimes, keeping the motivation going is just a matter of simply staying connected to your goals. Therefore, having regular reminders helps maintain your motivation to move forward toward your goals. This is where someone like me, a trained and certified health coach can help. I am here to help you focus on those motivations and help you keep sight of goals during this journey.

One thing that I like to offer my clients is a short, simple bi-weekly motivational text to help them stay focused on the positive. I would like to invite you to join my motivational texts. This is a completely FREE service for you to try. Simply submit your name and number to register.