Motivation - Six Key Elements and How to Keep Them

We act out of motivation, and we are motivated by our acts. When this cycle is in momentum things can get done. We can grow, move and change.

When we are well-motivated we feel we can make positive changes in the world. Witnessing our own ability to create change motivates us to do more of what we love.

How can we keep a balanced momentum going? What can we do when we start to grind to a halt? Ziglar identified the six key elements to success. Let’s take a look at how to maintain each one:

Honesty

Are you being true to your Essential Self? Or, are you trying to please or appease others through your Social Self?

Try examining your goals. As you look at each one in turn, acknowledge your body’s response to considering what you intend to do. If you experience discomfort and constriction, you can be pretty sure your goals will be unsuitable for you. Drop those goals.

Think of things in life and things you do that give you a sense of pleasure, spontaneity or timelessness. Consider setting goals around these things instead.

Character

We all need to be able to act characteristically. We need to make decisions for ourselves. When we are robbed of choice and decision, we lose our creativity and drive – we become more characterless.

If you are an employer, consider giving members of your team more autonomy. Let them make decisions for themselves such as timing, technique, or who to complete tasks with.

Consider for yourself how much autonomy you have versus constriction. Do you have enough autonomy in order to express your skills and creativity? If not, what changes can you make?

Integrity

We all have a set of values that have meaning for us. Ideally, we would like to live by our values all of the time. Sometimes, though, we find our values in conflict. This can affect our motivation and ability to do what we want to do.

When this happens, we have to mediate between the conflicting values within us. If we persist in inquiring what each of our values wants, we will ultimately come to some agreement. This is the thing we really want – our values are part of our one whole, after all.

Faith

Fear can be one of the biggest demotivators we experience. It can stop us in our tracks, or even stop us making a start on things. There is always a part of us that will try to avoid moving forward, changing or making progress. This is natural, we need some caution in life. However, this can easily grow into a fear that can be paralysing and debilitating.

Faith is the opposite to fear. When we act in faith we are empowered by the values and beliefs we have faith in. When you are experiencing fear, you need to name your fears to bring them out in the open. Then look to what you have faith in to discern what particular actions you must take to address and remove that fear.

Remember, fear means you are getting in your own way. This is a sure sign you need to look to your faith to put yourself and your problem in perspective.

Love

We all need love to function in life. We need a love of ourselves, one another, and of what we do. Sometimes that love can be hard to find or keep in touch with. This is particularly difficult at times of change and upheaval when we have to let go of old things and welcome the new.

Managing change – and there is always change going on – can seem tricky. Essentially, it all comes down to love. These times are key times when we need to nurture ourselves and reflect on things past and present. We also need to keep in touch with our loved ones and with Nature itself. If you are going through changes at work, make sure your personal life helps you as both an anchor and soothing place to go.

Loyalty

Having a loyal band of friends or colleagues can be a very motivating factor in our lives. It can enliven and enrich our lives and leave us ready to carry on.

Sometimes, though, loneliness strikes. It happens to us all – even the most popular person you know. At these times, it can be tough to stay motivated and keep going. Part of us may want to retreat from them world and curl up somewhere quite.

The best way to counteract loneliness is to be with a trusted friend. Spend some time maybe playing a sport or a game, go for a meal together or simply just hang out. Friendship inspires many positive feelings, including loyalty. The more positive effect we have in one another’s lives, the more likely we are to be loyal to those people. Make sure you have a good circle of friends and colleagues you can trust and turn to. Remember, they may ask the same things of you.

So, we’ve looked at Ziglar’s six foundations for success and how they can affect our motivation. I hope you’ve found some of the suggestions here helpful and useful.

Wendy had a successful 20 year career in education focusing on the Secondary sector, in particular raising achievement in mathematics and supporting new staff. She developed her coaching skills whilst working and motivating both staff and pupils. Wendy is based in Doncaster, although she works with schools all over the country. Improving teaching and learning, delivering intervention programmes and coaching teachers are just some of the services her company Wendy's Coaching and Consultancy Limited provides.

She is also on the management committee for The Three Shires Coaching Group.

Find her on Twitter - @WendyGore8 If you would like to see one of your articles feature here, send this to qualifications@the-coaching-academy.com for us to consider and potentially schedule.