Welcome to Motivational Mondays with Mark Kent your weekly Proactive Empowerment Performance (PEP) talk with Mark Kent.
Last week we discussed the vital role perception plays in motivation. How we perceive an event or task greatly determines our level of motivation in completing that task. The example of preparing for a vacation can be inherently more stressful than the demands of your job, nevertheless we will maintain a high level of sustained behaviour to create that outcome because our perception is the vacation is a good thing and we look forward to the welcomed break. However more fundamental to motivation and perception is the value base from which those perceptions are formed.
Really it comes down to what we value more than anything else.. Just as perceptions are strong drive determinants to behaviour, values play a significant role in the perception process. Essentially people tend to do what they value over time,so it is reasonable to to associate motivation and actions which are inherently linked back to our value base. For example if you place high value upon education and or physical fitness you will likely seek out goals and put effort in acquiring more knowledge as well as physical wellness. Consequently one way to to improve motivation is to determine your value base and perhaps acquire or shift towards new values that are consistent with the goals you have set out to achieve.
However it is often easier to to initially adopt a new set of behaviours than to internalize a new value which can take much longer. Simply put the Nike commercial JUST DO IT capitalizes this concept and essentially says shift your behaviours first and usually the universe will reward you immediately which will in turn help shift the values which are consistent with the behaviours already in action. Regardless of which one comes first ultimately your values will direct our behaviours on an unconscious level,so to improve motivation we must realize reevaluate and reinitiate values in our lives that are consistent with the goals and behaviours necessary to to achieve those goals.
So to improve motivation it's important to understand these concepts.
1) your values will ultimately define your behaviours, life style and subsequent habits.
2) values are often unconscious therefore to improve motivation it's imperative to identify your core values and try to determine why there may be conflicted between what you want to achieve and behaviours that may be inconsistent with those aspirations.
3) For long term motivation to be established the behaviours,tasks, and goals must be synergistic with established values or the values must be changed.
4) To improve motivation it's sometimes necessary to acquire a new set of values which in turn improve perception which can have a great impact upon drive and sustained determination.
5) Initially it may be easier to change behaviour to meet a short term goal but in the long run the behaviours necessary to reach long term goals must be bolstered by an intrinsic value base which is consistent with that particular goal.
Thanks for reading this excerpt on Motivational Mondays you will also be receiving a free monthly news letter in a couple of days. To your empowerment Mark
