Types of motivation in your life
There are different motivators that occur in your life to help you get going. Some motivators are big, like quitting a job or moving from one city to another. These motivators get you on your feet for change almost immediately. You’re going to need a job, so you have to work for one as soon as possible.
A smaller motivator could be getting a limited-time, two-for-one deal at the mall. You may not realize it, but at that very moment you’ve been motivated to take that deal and buy the product. It may be the typical market scam but it’s the ideal example of motivation for it gets you to act quickly by setting a time limit on the deal.
Other than big and small motivators there are positive and negative motivators.
Positive motivators are those that inspire you to do something because you know the end result is good. An example could be putting together a baby crib.
It might be a lot of work, especially if this is your first attempt. But you’re still ready to do so because you know you’re going to need a bed to place your child in. That proves motivating enough for parents and they willingly assemble the crib for their child.
Being your own boss may mean working 80 hours a week but spares you the hassle of working 40 hours a week for someone else. In other words, it gives you the freedom to make your own decisions and work with a feeling of self-worth. These are what positive motivators are.
Negative motivators are those things in life that encourage you to do something, because you know if you don’t do them, you’ll end up with a bad aftertaste. This doesn’t make negative motivators the alternative of a positive motivators though.
With a positive motivator, you act upon it out of free will. However, negative motivators are very much needed, but you don’t do it entirely out of free will.
Deadlines are the best examples for this case. When you’re given a deadline, it means you have to hand in work, or face consequences you don’t want to.
So, the motivator that makes you finish your work on time is to avoid the possible adverse result, making it a negative motivator. They can be pesky, but sometimes the only way to get things done.
While all of these things motivate, there can also be situations in which they de-motivate you. Like the third law of Newton, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
