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MOTIVATION, WHAT IS IT?
Motivation is the motor of our actions. From the moment our alarm wakes us up in the morning until we turn off the light to sleep in the evening. Without motivation, we wouldn’t go too far. But what is behind the term “motivation”, and how does it work?
Motivation can be defined as the complex process involving the definition of a goal based on personal aspiration, a selection of a course of action leading to goal attainment, and the execution of the chosen course of action (Geen, 1995).
There are three principal aspects of motivation:
- the initiation
- the intensity and,
- the persistence of the behavior
Of course, in our daily life, we do not over think what makes us finishing a project on time or be able to go for a run after a long day at the office. We just do it.
But, why are we often not being able to finish this book we started to read months ago, or go regularly to the gym as we planned when we subscribed to this annual membership?
So we make excuses…”I don’t have the time right now”, “It’s not the good moment for this” etc…. And so we never reach our goals.
Why do we feel this lack of motivation? What if I tell you that there are efficient and easy strategies to help you attain your goals?
Since decades, researchers investigated motivation in its different aspects for a better understanding of how motivation works and what are the efficient ways to attain our goals. They developed theories describing the evolution of intensity of effort we mobilize to attain a goal, or why we select a goal pursuit strategy more than another one.
Motivation as it is largely used today is maybe to obscure but it doesn’t make your goal to difficult to reach. You only need to set up the right attainable goal and use the appropriate strategy!
Meet Laure Freydefont, our consultant in motivation & goal strategies, with a Ph.D in psychology of motivation from the University of Geneva. Laure investigated during 10 years motivation and goal pursuit at New York University and ETH Zurich, putting knowledge and scientific experience to your service through workshops and face-to-face consulting. She loves bouldering and rock climbing in the Swiss Alps
