Types of Motivation to Achieve your Goals

Motivation is the key to everything, and that’s something almost no one tells you when you first begin working towards your dreams.

Using motivation to achieve goals and complete tasks is most impactful when you can identify the type that works for you the best. Most types of motivation fall into one of these categories: intrinsic and extrinsic.

Everything that makes you feel good within yourself is fueled by intrinsic motivation—for example, learning to play guitar or going to the gym.

Extrinsic motivation comes from someone or something else outside of the person being motivated, for example, an employee that gets fairly paid after doing a good job. At the same time, he comes to work on time because he knows he will lose money or even be fired if he comes late.

Now, let’s learn about 6 types of motivation that can definitely help you to reach your goals.

1- Attitude Motivation

A problem with our attitude, perspectives, and beliefs is an issue that many of us face. It can become a problem regarding how we flow through life, to the point that we begin to lose our happiness and miss out on our dreams.

Attitude-motivated people seek to enhance their interactions with others by improving social engagements. It focuses on making people around you feel better about you and themselves.

This type of motivation is based on the willingness to change the world, make something good, or help people. Of course, it also comes from culture, education, and other aspects of one’s personality.

An example of the aforementioned is helping an older woman to carry her shop bags way back home regardless of the day’s stress and tiredness. There is no tangible reward to it, but an attitude motivation sponsors the feeling of helping someone.

2- Incentive motivation

People who are incentive-motivated typically don’t focus on the process of achieving a goal so long as they get the reward. In other words, they are motivated to perform a task because of the potential reward.

For example, you want a raise. Why? Because you want a higher living standard that you can acquire with the extra pay. So, thinking about the desired pay raise can energize you to meet your production or sales quotas. 

3- Achievement motivation

This motivation entails performing tasks to achieve specific objectives, just for personal development.

In other words, those who use achievement-based motivation focus on reaching a goal for the sake of the achievement and the feeling of accomplishment attached to it —and they likely care more about committing themselves to a vision and accomplishing an objective than attaining awards. Also, this motivation propels the motivated person to feel worthy when the feat is achieved.

The best example of achievement motivation is found in sports. The Olympic athletes are passionate about what they do. They want to be the best and write their names in history.

For a scientist whose work is to create a vaccine, his fulfillment is in creating a life-saving product rather than the potential commercial value of the discovery. 

In an organization, it can be a desire to be the best in the department. It is often used in sales departments, like a leaderboard or the wall of fame. Also, a fair bonus is usually included.

Another common example is certification. An employee wants to get a certificate to prove their skills.

4- Power-based motivation

Those who find happiness in becoming more powerful or creating massive change will definitely be fueled by power-based motivation.

If you’re looking to make changes, power-based motivation may just be the way to go. It can be a positive way of developing your career, but it can also lead to challenges.

For example, you would like to advance to a more senior managerial position in your company to be in charge of a team. A great leader will inspire people to overcome challenges and will help them organize their work. He will take this responsibility for them and will lead. So, to make yourself more eligible for a promotion, you complete a management training course and apply for an open position in your company.

5- Fear-based motivation

It is a motivational type that drives people to achieve something they otherwise won’t have been able to. It is not based on any monetary reward but on the fear of pain or loss.

When you become accountable either to someone you care about or to the general public, you create a motivation for yourself rooted in fear of failure or disappointing others. This fear helps you carry out your vision so that you do not fail in front of those aware of your goal.

A good example is trying to be at work on time because your manager has promised that anybody that comes late more than once will not just be fined but fired. To avoid this, you wake up early every morning to beat traffic and be at work. This sudden change will be fear-based, not because of the love of the work.

6- Competence motivation

This type of motivation is beneficial for learning new skills and figuring out ways around obstacles that one faces within different areas of life. 

This competence pushes people to become highly proficient at what they do, becoming subject matter specialists in critical aspects of their jobs. Such professionals include neurosurgeons, aeronautics engineers, and other specialists who use their problem-solving skills to respond to unique problems. For this set of people, their motivation comes from using their competence, where it will make the most significant difference.

WEEKLY VOCABULARY 🗣

Motivation: the general desire or willingness of someone to do something.

Ambition: desire and determination to achieve success.

Objective: (of a person or their judgment) not influenced by personal feelings or opinions in considering and representing facts.

Determination: firmness of purpose; resoluteness.

Willpower: control exerted to do something or restrain impulses.

PHRASAL VERBS ✍

Make it

“Keep putting in the work, and you’re going to make it to the pros.”

Make out

“How are you making out with the new job?”

Catch on

“I didn’t catch on to what was going on.”

Get there

“Edward wants to be an Olympic athlete and is prepared to change himself to get there.”

Get on

“You’ve got to put it behind you and get on with your life.”

IDIOMS 📒

A dream come true: making something you really wanted has come true.

To turn over a new leaf: to start behaving in a better way.

The sky’s the limit: nothing is impossible.

Blood, sweat, and tears: extremely hard work.

Move heaven and earth: to do everything you can.

Want to practice even more?…