Imagine waking up full of energy and enthusiasm for the day ahead. Imagine feeling truly driven to take massive action and get stuff done. Well guess what, many people do feel that way! But my guess is that you don't. Why? Because you're reading this article! The answer for you may well lie in understanding "if then" motivation, why everyone uses it, and why it doesn't really work.
"If then" is a motivational tool. The tool tells us that "if" you do something, "then" something will happen as a result. Such as, if you clean the dishes, then you can watch TV before bed. It's a very simple concept and it can certainly be used to motivate in some situations. However, the problem is that "if then" has somehow become the major motivating strategy in society.
Unfortunately, motivation 101 ("if then" motivation) doesn't always work. It also creates harmful long term problems. Why? Well how on earth do you become self-motivated and inspired by life when all you are doing is responding to threats of punishment or the delights of rewards? Your motivation levels are just being manipulated. In fact, it's not really addressing motivation at all it's just seeking to change behavior.
"If-then" rewards also encourage unethical behaviour (like achieving the desired objectives using questionable actions such as stealing or cheating), create addictions (like believing that if I do something I should be rewarded at all times otherwise I'm not going to do it) and foster short term thinking (like I'm just aiming for this goal alone and not worrying about any other consequences of achieving this target).
Motivation is not about manipulating behavior. Motivation is something that comes from within and dictates your entire way of being. If you feel compelled to act and then you do act - you are motivated. If you think you "should" act, you are not motivated. Something is missing.
Behavioral scientists Harry Harlow and Edward Deci have found what's missing for those that don't feel motivated. They found that real motivation is as simple as AMP - autonomy, mastery and purpose.
Harlow and Deci found that if you want to be high performer you need to be in an environment that promotes all three elements (or be striving to achieve it). The desire to be in charge and decide what you do and how you do it (autonomy), the desire to constantly improve our skills, abilities and knowledge (mastery), and the desire to act towards a project bigger than our own basic needs (purpose) are what gives us the feeling of true motivation. This is the environment where real motivation occurs.
These three elements are extremely important to being a motivated person and are extremely important to understand as a student. In order to become far more motivated from within, you must take control of how you spend your time, take control of how you study, take control of who you study with, discover and understand why what you are doing is meaningful to you and something you want to master (e.g. good grades, please parents, self-satisfaction, to show everyone you're awesome etc) and to actually spend time doing something that creates a positive impact in the world (you don't have to always be doing school work you know). Do that and you will have found your motivation.
"If then" is a motivational tool. The tool tells us that "if" you do something, "then" something will happen as a result. Such as, if you clean the dishes, then you can watch TV before bed. It's a very simple concept and it can certainly be used to motivate in some situations. However, the problem is that "if then" has somehow become the major motivating strategy in society.
Unfortunately, motivation 101 ("if then" motivation) doesn't always work. It also creates harmful long term problems. Why? Well how on earth do you become self-motivated and inspired by life when all you are doing is responding to threats of punishment or the delights of rewards? Your motivation levels are just being manipulated. In fact, it's not really addressing motivation at all it's just seeking to change behavior.
"If-then" rewards also encourage unethical behaviour (like achieving the desired objectives using questionable actions such as stealing or cheating), create addictions (like believing that if I do something I should be rewarded at all times otherwise I'm not going to do it) and foster short term thinking (like I'm just aiming for this goal alone and not worrying about any other consequences of achieving this target).
Motivation is not about manipulating behavior. Motivation is something that comes from within and dictates your entire way of being. If you feel compelled to act and then you do act - you are motivated. If you think you "should" act, you are not motivated. Something is missing.
Behavioral scientists Harry Harlow and Edward Deci have found what's missing for those that don't feel motivated. They found that real motivation is as simple as AMP - autonomy, mastery and purpose.
Harlow and Deci found that if you want to be high performer you need to be in an environment that promotes all three elements (or be striving to achieve it). The desire to be in charge and decide what you do and how you do it (autonomy), the desire to constantly improve our skills, abilities and knowledge (mastery), and the desire to act towards a project bigger than our own basic needs (purpose) are what gives us the feeling of true motivation. This is the environment where real motivation occurs.
These three elements are extremely important to being a motivated person and are extremely important to understand as a student. In order to become far more motivated from within, you must take control of how you spend your time, take control of how you study, take control of who you study with, discover and understand why what you are doing is meaningful to you and something you want to master (e.g. good grades, please parents, self-satisfaction, to show everyone you're awesome etc) and to actually spend time doing something that creates a positive impact in the world (you don't have to always be doing school work you know). Do that and you will have found your motivation.
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