Breaking Down Motive and Drive

Motivation is the driving force by which people accomplish anything in life. It can be as simple as cooking because you’re hungry or dieting because you want to fit into a certain pair of pants. Understanding what drives you to action will help you get better results. Here are a handful of the many motivation theories out there. Which sounds like it fits you?

• Radical motivation – In this scenario, people will eliminate anything and everything that could hold them back in a comfort zone. This usually involves burning bridges and starting from scratch, propelled forward by fear and adrenaline. This situation works for goals that are necessary for survival, like quitting a job without having another source of income lined up – you’ll be forced to give your all in order to succeed. While this is a drastic means of motivation, it can get some of the most effective results. However, the problem with this comes if people get scared partway through, getting sucked back in by the comfort zone.


• Goal setting – Possibly the most obvious path to achievement is setting goals and then making them a reality. In setting goals, the end is usually a clearly defined end state which serves as a reward in itself. Its efficiency is affected by the goal’s proximity, difficulty, and specificity. Ideal goals are neither too difficult nor too easy – they should present a challenge but still be attainable enough that they seem realistic to the one hoping to achieve it. Defined, intelligible objectives are necessary for measuring whether one’s achieved the goal as well as for setting the path leading to the goal (i.e. “getting a lot of sales” vs. “exceeding my previous maximum sales by 10 percent in the next quarter”).


• Punishment – Punishment as a motivation means that if a goal isn’t met, then a punishment must follow. An example would be if a child doesn’t score a certain grade on an exam, then he or she will be grounded for a week. This is most effective when the punishment involves natural consequences, such as not receiving dessert because a child did not eat a nutritional dinner, or being grounded for bad grades because the bad grades resulted from too much playing and not enough studying. While this is often used in a parenting scenario, it gets more difficult for adults who have to administer their own punishment. Consequently, it works only for highly disciplined people. Nevertheless, it is a powerful motivation – as long as you’re willing to set steep enough punishments and then follow through on them.


• Self-convincing – This motivation theory plays on the idea of “if you can believe it, you can achieve it.” By repeating daily affirmations, one would be able to override negative beliefs and instead grow more and more motivated to act on goals because of an increased belief in one’s ability to make them happen. In this case, the measurable goals come as a byproduct of a deeper changed belief. Sometimes you have to “fake it to make it” to maintain the affirmation, but with consistent application, positive affirmations really can make a difference. Positive affirmations can be used to improve health, happiness, finances, or empowerment.

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