Have you noticed how motivation is part of our everyday life? Everybody talks about motivation. We want to know how to get motivated to do something. Managers want to know how to motivate their team. Teachers want to get their students motivated. The list is long and it’s like, this concept has been part of the human lives forever. But, you know what? This is just not true!
I. A little bit of history!
The concept of motivation is something quite new in the human history. Researchers in psychology fields think that this concept started when people stopped to be just part of social groups and they became individuals with their own will and ability to decide if they wanted to do something or not. Before that time, people were part of different groups that told them exactly what to do. It could be their family or their church or any other social group. There were so many social rules that people just followed them and they didn’t have to decide what they really wanted to do.
It looks like motivation started to become a thing at the end of 19th century and the beginning of 20th century. In fact, at the end of 19th century researchers started to make a list of, not what motivated people (there was still not the time to talk about motivation), but about instincts.
Individuals were supposed to have some specific behaviors because of their instincts. So researchers started to make a list of them and to study them. And there were many of them! The list included fear, anger, sexual drive, and many more. And one of the most famous of them was the maternal instinct. And this is something we still use nowadays! Nobody talks about what motivates a mother to take care of her baby, but about maternal instinct.
Later other theories replaced the theory about instincts. The next theories were behavioral theories. You may have heard about the experience of Pavlov. This researcher performed an experience with a dog. A few minutes ahead of feeding the dog, he made a bell ring. And he saw that after a while, the sound of the bell alone made the dog salivate. His point was to show that out of habit, we have always the same kind of reaction to certain situations. This theory and many others had a great impact on the way the researchers worked on the way we act in front of different situations. In 1950’s behavioral theories were replaced by cognitive theories which introduced the concept of motivation… The point here is not to go deep inside different theories because there have been lots of them. Let’s just mention one of the most known of them: Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
You may have heard of Maslow. Maslow’s hierarchy is most often displayed as a pyramid. The lowest levels of the pyramid are made up of the most basic needs (such as need for food, water, slepp, etc.), while the most complex needs are at the top of the pyramid. Once the lower-level needs have been met, people can move on to the next level of needs. The highest level of the pyramid is about social needs and self-esteem needs.
II. What are the most common tips about motivation and why they work?
Now that we have looked at different theories, let’s talk about the tips about how staying focused and motivated. When you look around (or online) about how to stay motivated, it looks like everyone talks about the same old pieces of advice. The most important ones can be sum up like this:
- Keep track of your progress
- Surround yourself with people who have already done what you want to perform
- Talk about your goal with friends and family
- Break down your goal into smaller action items
Do you wonder if these tips are effective and why they work? Actually, they are all good tips! But the question is why and how do they work?
It turns out they all come from one of the most important theories about motivation, which is, to reach a new goal, you need to be self aware about your capacity to accomplish that goal. Let me explain: we all know that what matters most is not to set goals! It’s easy to set new goals. The problem is to stick with them, to stay motivated and to get into the finish line. And research has shown that if you want to stay motivated, you need to believe in yourself! It may sound simple, but it is not! Have you noticed how you feel lighter and powerful when you know deep inside that you are capable of achieving your desired goal? Believing in yourself and your capacity is the key! And it’s backed with the science!
So think about it: all the tips I mentioned above are meant to make you believe in your own ability to reach your goal. When you break down your goal into smaller steps, when you talk about your goal with people who can encourage you, when you keep track of your progress, or when you surround yourself with people who have already done what you want to accomplish, you just push yourself into believing that your goal is achievable!
III. Conclusion: The most important tip to stay motivated
It’s not enough to want something really badly to be able to accomplish it. The secret to achieving your most desired goal? You need to believe in your own ability to accomplish and to reach that goal! So keep track of your progress, it will help you see how far you have come. Surround yourself with people who have already done what you want to achieve, it will help you to see it is doable. Talk about your goal with loved ones, so that they can encourage you and assure you that you are capable of accomplishing that goal. And break the goal into smaller steps, so that you are convinced that you can do it. Each one of these tips is good, because it helps you to believe in yourself and your ability to accomplish your goal!
And if you want to surround yourself with people who have already reached their weightloss goals, join our Facebook group dedicated to weightloss and Selfcare! We would love to see you there 😉