Everyday Canvas

On Motivation

“Of course motivation is not permanent. But then, neither is bathing; but it is something you should do on a regular basis.” ― Zig Ziglar,
Let this quote inspire your entry today. Maybe even share if you have some motivation hints.

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Motivation is a deeply personal and internal force, and yes, it is not permanent. Thank God for that! If it were to be permanent, we'd all die of heart attacks in our early ages. This is because with motivation, comes hard work and facing tough challenges depending on the subject or idea one is motivated about.

Yet, individuals--especially we writers--can take steps to nurture our own motivation by concentrating on our values, goals, and breaking them into manageable steps, so we can, at the end, celebrate our progress or the finished manuscript. Surely external factors play a role in the do-ability of a project, but if we can tap into our internal desires, we can easily find the drive for it.

This brings to mind the question if motivation can be forced. I think not, but it can be encouraged by internal and external factors. In an educational or professional setting, teachers, managers, and leaders can cultivate an atmosphere of encouragement, provide clarity of goals and expectations, recognize achievements by offering praise, prizes, and constructive feedback.

Also, we ourselves can find motivation and inspirations from our role models, from engaging in activities that are fun for us, from cultivating a mindset that values challenges, and from setbacks we may deem as learning and improvement opportunities. Then, at the end when we find a sense of purpose and satisfaction in our work, we may surprise ourselves by having an even stronger motivation.

I have to add that it is difficult to find motivation for anything if one is not quite healthy or is going through a trauma or a grief period. In that case, finding the smallest of goals to achieve and trying to enjoy what little fun we can find around us would help. I certainly wish none of us has to face such a dilemma ever, and if we do, I hope we can find in ourselves the strength and the drive to seek for motivation to help us feel better again.




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