Set Your Motivation On Fire
	How Can You Maintain Fiery Motivation Despite Insurmountable Obstacles And Challenges? <  Previous Contents Next  >

Based on the theories and states that influence and drive individuals toward particular goals, you can formulate a useful motivational plan. Initiate the right kind of motivation, control it according to the needed behavior and action when facing obstacles and challenges then fire it up to overcome the insurmountable. You can effectively achieve this in three simple steps.

Determine the conflict that causes you trouble or pressure. The stress can be identified when you sense a negative or opposite response with regards to your established thoughts, behavior, beliefs, attitude, actions and personality. You can enumerate accordingly if there is more than one. Be specific about the kind of stress as well as your feelings toward it. Determine if it is short or long-term as well as the degree and extent that it is affecting your performance and functionality.

Allow the stress to motivate you to do better.

Examples of specific identified stresses are:

• I can’t seem to quit smoking.

• My boss is asking me to make the 100-page report overnight.

• This flickering on my computer screen is hurting my eyes.

As discussed before, what maintains the stress are your feelings of being unable to control it. Some identified stressors are immediately eliminated once you realize that you have solved it before or you are capable of accomplishing the tasks demanded. The stress remains when you haven’t devised a satisfactory solution, which makes you lose motivation. Just as you identified the stress, control your environment specifically, focusing on one aspect at a time.

This will enable you to recognize the areas that still need adjusting as well as the methods that are already working for the problem. Your motivation will increase with each successful area.

Examples of specific environmental controls are:

• I’ll start smoking only two cigarettes a day.

• I’ll call my boss and ask for a two-day extension for the report.

• I’ll take the computer monitor to the shop tomorrow morning.

The controls you have made on the environment are in relation to your primary and secondary goal. The primary goal is the intrinsic motivation and the secondary goal is the extrinsic. Respond by doing the appropriate activities and modifying your behavior to best accomplish the goal. Once you internalize your goals and start performing because of passion, fiery motivation occurs.

For example, when trying to quit smoking your primary goal is to feel healthy and confident about being able to kick a bad habit. Your secondary goals are saving money and decreasing your chances of getting sick. Your response is a habit-breaking attitude and lifestyle. By experiencing both primary and secondary benefits, you’ll internalize the passion of a smoke-free life and keep your motivation fired up to stay that way.