Finding Your Motivation

In the dictionary, motivation is a noun and means, “the reason or reasons one had for acting or behaving in a particular way.” Every one had different forms of motivations and things that motivate them. In college, it is easy for someone to slack off and loose that motivation due to the new free time and different opportunities. Internal and external are the two different forms of motivators. My external motivators are my grades, G.P.A, my family’s approval, internship opportunities, and my future career. Internal motivators focus more of the way you feel. Mine are knowing I accomplished something successfully, the sense of satisfaction and feeling less stressed. As one can see in my “Reason for Motivation” chart below, I am motivated for my future.

(Reasons For Motivation Chart Shown Above)

Some of the motivation strategies Dr. Blumin provides in It’s All About Choices are academic fears, motivation questionnaire, weighing consequences, all-important carrot, and five quick and dirty strategies. Yet the one that works best for me in exploring rewards. This system is broken down into three types of rewards: no-cost reward, low-cost rewards, and high-cost rewards. The obvious high-cost rewards are the ones I focus on the most. Those are the ones that involve my future such as my career, my opportunities, and my chances to succeed. Yet, I adapted this plan to give myself physical rewards now that would help me in the future.I adapted the strategy to give myself gifts now to complete tasks that will help for the future. For example, I set a goal that if I received a 90 or higher on my last calculus exam that I would be able to buy myself this new Essie nail polish at J. Michaels. The polish came out two weeks before my exam, yet I did not go and purchase it. I waited another three weeks and in the end I received a 96. I have a slight obsession with nail polish so it did give me extra motivation to sit down and study rather than just going to sleep. My changing the motivation strategy and allowing myself to get a small present now, it is much more satisfying when I receive that item. It would have been easy three weeks ago to go to the store and spend eight dollars, but by waiting and feeling like I deserve it, makes it much more special. Yet, this is also a high-cost reward because it is enhancing my G.P.A thus allowing me to further have more opportunities.

Another reason why this strategy works is because you can adapt it to things other than schoolwork. For example, I used it to clean my room. During a busy week when the only free time you receive is taken up by work, it is easy to let your room get messy. This was my problem and my room became a tornado.

(The "Before" of my room shown above)

As seen in the pictures, my bed was unmade and piled with clothes, my floor was dirty, and my desk was unorganized. That was Wednesday night and I was leaving Thursday to go home. I did not want to leave my room an unorganized mess. My reward if I cleaned my room was that I would be able to relax in bed and read my magazine. If I folded my laundry, I would be able to relax this weekend and go shopping with my mom rather than do the work that I could accomplish on the plane ride home. I was able to clean my room and do my laundry as seen in the pictures below. Not only was it rewarding having a clean room, but it was it was a great feeling knowing I could lay in bed, relax, and relax and shop all weekend with my family.

(The "After" of my room shown above)

Another form of motivation was making a chart of my academic fears. I completed this chart for my philosophy 107 course, my most challenging class of the semester. There are only four major assignments all worth between 20 and 25 percent of my grade. Since I have a hard time understanding the material, I am relying mostly on memorizing it. For the final, I will need to know the arguments (the basis of this course) in exact format.

(Academic Fears Shown Above)

This is a good chart to keep on my desk as motivation. The only reason why I feel this strategy is not effective is because it only motivated me while I was completing it. Yet, if I keep it on my desk I will continuosly see it while I am doing my work. Yet, this shows both sides to if I do well or poorly. If I see how well I can do it will effect my long term goal of having a successful career and life. This is also good because I am a visual learner and this has everything laid out. The reason why I do not like this also if because it gives me no immediate benefits. Waiting four years is a long time! On the contrary, it shows many options as to what to do if I need help and how to get the good grade.

In the end, it is all about finding what motivates you. Everyone is different and just like strategies to learn, personalities affect what is best. For me, I like to see instant results. Since my career is not until a minimum of four years, rewarding myself small presents that affect it is a good motivation strategy. I will continue to do this with small things such as allowing myself desert at night if I receive a good grade or finish a task when I say I will. I need to continue to find what motivates me, and continue to work on it.