Motivation - 5 Different Types Of Motivation To Drive You Towards Your Goals

Have you ever asked yourself what motivation is? It could be defined as the driving force that leads to an action. There is probably no better definition. It is the encouraging feeling that helps you to work towards your goals. Some of us consciously work towards motivating the self towards working better, while others simply do this automatically.

Some of us make an effort to justify our existence while others do this subconsciously. All of us have different factors that motivate us, so we need to understand that our unique personalities require unique kinds of motivation. Some of the kinds of motivation are as follows:

A. Achievement motivation: All of us have an in built desire to achieve something in life, and what we feel we need to achieve is relative to who we are as persons. What is easy for one to achieve could be difficult to another, but achievement is rarely looked upon as a motivation factor. However, when you have this desire to achieve, and when you recognize it as a driving force, nothing is impossible once you put your mind to it.

B. Motivation from society: Some of us are motivated to do better in life simply because we want to move up the social ladder. Others may be motivated to do something so that they can remain in their peer group. School kids are often motivated to better at academics just so they do not lose their group of friends, out of the fear that they may be held back one year. This is a simple example of motivation from society.

C. Motivation from promised incentives: When you know that you are going to be rewarded for doing something right, you make sure you do it right. This is called incentive motivation. Companies throughout the world offer their employees rewards or bonuses for completing projects before the set deadline, and this encourages the workers to work harder towards the goal. This is an example of incentive motivation at work.

D. Motivation from fear: Companies often use fear of punishment to motivate their employees. This could be looked upon as the opposite of incentive motivation and companies often use both forms hand in hand. While you could be rewarded for doing something right, you could well be penalized for doing it wrong. This is not as negative as it may sound, and is an efficient way of keeping employees sharp, and on their toes.

E. Motivation for change: Some of us are motivated to work hard towards achieving our goals because we are not happy with our immediate surrounding, and would love to see a change here.

As must be evident by now, there are many kinds of motivation factors that you could use to bring about a positive change. What works best for you however, can only be decided by your own self.