How to Find Daily Motivation

Your passion is your motivation

"I am so motivated!" says one writer, excitedly. "I jump out of bed every morning and I can hardly wait to start writing!"

Writers need daily motivation, but so does everyone else, whether they realize it or not.

What is your particular passion in life? Is it writing or something else? If you can figure out what that is, you will more than likely discover what gives you your daily personal motivation. Understanding what motivation is will assist you to find daily motivation for yourself and others.

What is motivation?

The word motive dates back to 1502 AD and depicts something that moves one to do something or tends to move one to action. The word motivation is the act or process of motivating or the condition of being motivated. A motivating force is something that causes one to act or to do something. (1)

There are many different kinds of motivating forces and factors that relate to motivation.

Stimulus: A stimulus, like one's will or emotions, can cause one to move or act in some way. "I am determined to do that! I will do that! It makes me happy!"

Influence: One can be moved to act or do something because of the influence of family, friends or work associates. "My father expects me to do that. So does my boss."

Inducement: One can be induced to act by a reward or bonus, like the promise of prestige and a promotion. "If I do this, I know that I am going to be well rewarded."

Goad: A goad is something that will cause one to act or keep going, even against one's own will. "I know that they will make fun of me if I don't succeed."

Incentive: Money or love can be used as incentives to cause one to act or move in a certain way. "I am doing this because I know that I am loved."

Drive: Many times people are driven by anger, frustration or even a quest for peace and that gives them the incentive to act or do something. "I do this to keep the peace."

Spur: A spur tends to stimulate one's facilities and gives increased energy with respect to causing one to act or to move in a certain direction. "That is like a thorn in the side, but at least it keeps me going."

There are other factors that affect one's motivation.

One's state of health is important, as a healthy person is more likely to be motivated than an unhealthy person.

Freedom from pain will allow one to act upon motivation, while ongoing pain might be a hindrance.

Not being depressed is also an important factor, because when one is depressed, even strong motivation may not be sufficient to cause one to act.

Not feeling lonely or isolated can be a primary factor, because someone who feels alone is not well motivated, because it seems that no one cares.

Not having to deal with a loss can be important, as sudden loss can trigger loss of motivation. Not being lost in a state of grieving, allows one the freedom to be motivated. Grieving causes different emotions like anger, bitterness and frustration that can block motivation.

There is external motivation and internal motivation. One's relation to God, or his or her belief system, may be important factors to consider, in terms of daily motivation. So may one's relation to others and even how one feels about himself or herself.

Take a moment and think seriously about what your true passion in life is at the moment or has been in the past. It may be money or work related. It may have more to do with people, including family and friends or perhaps interests, hobbies or recreation. Motivation can be entertainment related.

Define what you think motivates you and ask yourself these questions:

What makes me excited about getting out of bed in the morning?

What makes me want to do the work that I do?

What excites me more than anything in the entire world?

What makes me exceptionally happy?

If you find that you are having problems related to motivation, you might want to consider taking motivational training. Find a course that focuses on personal or group motivation. Read literature on motivation or do some research on the Internet.

The bottom line is this. When you know what your passion is, you will also know how to find daily motivation.

(1) Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Inc., Springfield, MA, 1983