What Is Motivation?
7 Reliable Tricks to Stay
Constantly Motivated

Everyone has something that motivates them. It could be money, love, recognition, power, or fame. Whatever it is that motivates you, understanding and tapping into it can set you on your path to success. This article contains the most helpful and up-to-date information about what motivation is and how to stay constantly motivated.

Ask 10 people what motivation is, and you will hear 10 different definitions. But, at its very core, it is a tricky beast! It can be present one minute, where you're all wrapped up in a whirlwind of excitement, whistling as you execute every single task with gusto, but gone the next, where you're back to snail-speed task execution and procrastination.

We all have our reasons for getting out of bed every morning to do the things we have to do every day. However, on some days, as you may have noticed, getting up can be challenging to the point where we result in procrastinating. This is simply a lack of motivation.

If you would like to change at least one thing in your life or do something you find really challenging, you will need to understand what motivation means and why it is important. Let's explore the definitions of motivation, and also look at why motivation is important.

Motivation is defined by psychologists as a process that kick-starts, directs, and sustains goal-oriented behaviors to enable individuals to meet their goals. Psychologists see it as a force that causes individuals to act, whether it be doing activities as simple as reading a book or as complex as starting a business. While that makes a lot of sense, we can come up with a simpler and actionable definition of motivation with examples.


Motivation is best defined as a driving force that arouses a person to work toward achieving the desired needs or goals. That force could be words, stories from others, or even a deadline. People feel motivated and work better with deadlines because meeting them always comes with a distinct feeling. For example, completing a task in the nick of time almost always provides a feeling that is second to none.

Having established what motivation means, it is crucial to explore its importance as it will help you to understand and tap into it to improve your performance. But before that, let's explore the different types of motivation.

Based on motivation theories in psychology, there are two types of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.

Intrinsic motivation

This is characterized by a desire to execute a task or achieve a goal for the fun or love of it. When you're intrinsically motivated, you do things because they are personally rewarding to you and not as a result of an external influence. Examples of intrinsic motivation may include:

• Studying a subject simply because you're interested in it
  
• Exercising because you want to keep fit
  
• Cleaning your room because you love to stay organized
  
• Running a half-marathon as you want to beat your personal record.
  

If you read Habio articles out of curiosity or because you enjoy learning new tips to improve your life, then you are intrinsically motivated.

Extrinsic motivation

This is characterized by the desire to accomplish a goal or execute a task for the purpose of earning a reward or avoiding a penalty. If you act or are motivated to do something not because you find it interesting, but because you intend to reap a benefit, you are extrinsically motivated. Examples of extrinsic motivation are as follows:

• Studying a subject because you need to get good grades
  
• Exercising to look good for other people
  
• Cleaning your room to avoid criticism from friends
  
• Trying to complete a project at the office quickly because you seek praise from your boss
  

It is natural to assume that intrinsic motivation is better, and while it may seem so, it is not always the case. Extrinsic motivation may come in handy in situations where you have no interest whatsoever in a task at hand but need to do it. Setting up small rewards for yourself may be useful in such cases. Understanding both types of motivation and the scenarios where they are useful can help you perform better at tasks you set out to do.

When you search for the importance of motivation on Google or other search engines, most of the initial search results are business- and employee-related. You'll find phrases like "motivated employees can lead to increased productivity," "importance of employee motivation," and the like. But there is more to it than just business productivity. Understanding why motivation is important helps you to be more mindful and conscious and ultimately improve the quality of your life.

Motivation is important because it:

• helps you to change old and unhelpful habits
  
• builds self-confidence
  
• helps you overcome setbacks
  
• helps you inspire other people
  

Motivation is a feeling. You become motivated to take action when you "feel" that you're in control of your goals, desires, and values. Understanding what type of motivation comes into play is important, whether intrinsic or extrinsic motivation, and putting it to good use will take you far up the ladder of success.

It is not enough to know only what motivation is, as learning how to stay constantly motivated is key to a steady and upward growth. Here are seven tricks that will help you push through the whirlwind of procrastination and stay motivated in even the toughest situations.

"For those who dare to dream, there is a whole world to win," Dhirubhai Ambani rightly said. But it doesn't all end in dreaming; making that dream a reality is the important part.

Strat with small measurable actions. If you're dreaming of running a marathon, start with running for 15 minutes every day and gradually increase running time and distance.

Don't wait till you have things all set; you will never be ready, so act anyway. Start from where you are, with the little you have!

Who you surround yourself with can influence your attitude toward life. Join supportive communities and stick with people who motivate and bring out the best in you. Knowing that you have people behind you can boost your confidence and keep you motivated.

Rewarding yourself is putting extrinsic motivation into play. If you find that you lack interest in a task that must be completed, setting a prize for yourself to be redeemed only after completion can be a great way to motivate yourself.

Setting goals helps you trigger new habits, stay focused on what you're looking to achieve, and stay on course. Many people struggle to make change in their lives because they don't set goals and fail to plan. For your journey to success, draw out a plan and work toward it. It might be challenging at first, but like a habit, you can get used to it by staying positive.

Our subconscious mind cannot differentiate an imagined event from a real one, and it becomes programmed by what we see. It causes us to behave in ways that align with what we visualize. If you visualize anything repeatedly, your subconscious mind will become convinced that it is important, and you will be motivated to do it.

Find an accountability partner — it could be a friend, family member, or co-worker. Tell them about the goals you've set for yourself to achieve, and have them ensure you're true to your word. You are more likely to pursue ambitions or goals when you're held accountable. Making such a deal with a friend will also help you avoid procrastination.

You can't manage what you don't measure! Tracking your habits and activities will help you determine your motivation-building progress and where to make adjustments to stay on course. You can start tracking your habits right away with a paper and pencil (maybe in a bullet journal), on a spreadsheet, or on an app on your mobile phone.

A habit assistant like the Habio App would be an excellent choice if you always have your phone on you. It makes tracking easy and gets you excited about forming new habits. Gain more insight into why and how to track your habits here.

Motivation is the foundation of success, and it may just be your greatest untapped resource. However, know that there will be times where you won't find it nor be able to sustain it long enough to complete your tasks and achieve your goals. In times like those, remember these seven reliable tricks, and use them to stay constantly motivated.

Now you know what motivation means and how to sustain it — go out and take control of your life!

1. https://www.parentingforbrain.com/difference-between-intrinsic-and-extrinsic-motivation/
2. https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/psychologists/how-do-psychologists-define-motivation/