- giving of reason to act: the act of giving somebody a reason or incentive to do something
- enthusiasm: a feeling of enthusiasm, interest, or commitment that makes somebody want to do something, or something that causes such a feeling
- reason: a reason for doing something or behaving in a particular way
In order to meet the goals that you set for this new year, you must know what motivates you and why. Otherwise, you will start strong but soon fizzle out with the rest of the people who lack motivation. An accountability partner can really help in this area to help keep your enthusiasm alive.
Besides the three major components to motivation: activation, persistence and intensity, motivation can also be externally or internally driven.
Activation
Activation is the action that makes you set a goal in the first place. This could be an emotional trigger or a wanting to better your situation. Activation is the decision to start the behavior. Many times the New Year brings on the feelings of a fresh start or the need to change. It is important to keep this activation strong, which brings us to persistence.
Persistence
Persistence is your continued effort towards your goal or dream, even when there are obstacles to overcome. In the case of personal finance, you may have wandered into debt by not paying attention to your spending, but it will take work and persistence to get out of debt. The most important factor in motivation is intensity.
Intensity
How badly do you want it? Are you willing to give up things for a period of time while you reach your goal? Intensity is best seen in your attitude. It is the tiger inside of you that will pursue the prey relentlessly.
Extrinsic or Intrinsic
This takes us back to personality types. Some of us are rewards and praise driven and some of us are internally driven for the personal satisfaction that it brings. When speaking of motivation we call these extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic motivations are those that arise from outside of the individual and often involve rewards. Intrinsic motivations are those that arise from within the individual, purely for the personal gratification of solving a problem. It is important to know whether you are extrinsic or intrinsic and what your spouse is, so that you can work together and help each other stay motivated.
By taking a while to think about what motivates you as you make your plan, you will be well situated to get pointed in the right direction to achieve your goals for 2012.
Tim and Kathryn Gerken are Financial Coaches in Newcastle, WA. They serve their community in the greater Seattle area.
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