To me, motivation can be defined as giving someone or something a meaningful purpose.
Motivation also involves encouragement, hope, love, support and, most importantly, acknowledgement.
You might wonder what I mean by acknowledgement. Well, what I mean is this: Effort requires acknowledgement.
When people put in time and effort in order to reach some sort of goal or create something they believe may be wonderful, they want some recognition for their accomplishments.
They want people to notice how much time was spent on a project and the amount of thought that went into it.
People want others to express how proud they are of them. Many people take these things for granted. It seems like very basic information or common knowledge, but people forget how truly powerful encouragement is.
Ultimately, acknowledgement is the key to motivation. People need reassurance.
They look to get some sort of confirmation, which usually comes from people whom they perceive to be superior.
People search for this corroboration from different groups like friends, parents, older siblings, other family members or any role models they admire.
So, why do people desperately seek this confirmation? People have so many insecurities, and many of them are subconscious.
You might read this and say to yourself you’ve never felt the need for confirmation from someone, but that is probably not true.
At first, I felt the same way. I was the type of person who put up a front in order to seem as though nothing bothered me, and I didn’t care what people thought.
But, I’ve learned it’s okay to sometimes care what others think, and it’s okay to have someone guide you toward a specific path.
However, you shouldn't seek confirmation because you don’t feel confident enough to trust yourself.
That’s what I’m trying to work on myself. Sometimes, it’s very difficult to trust yourself, and that’s really why we want the opinions of others.
We think getting the approval from others is going to bring us success. But, is that really going to help us feel like we accomplished something? Ultimately, it probably won’t.
You need to be able to believe in yourself before seeking that confirmation from others. Trust your gut because chances are, it will end up leading you in the right direction.
I’ll let you in on a little secret: Everyone on this planet has some sort of insecurity about something. All of those people who seem put together might be the ones with the least amount of confidence.
There are many levels of insecurity. In my opinion, there is no way to fully eliminate them. But, you can become stronger by altering your perception of what success really means.
Success isn’t necessarily about how much money you make, the college you went to or even what your career might be.
Real success is the amount of effort you put in to accomplish your goals. Your success will come from your proactive nature.
You need to ask yourself if you really understand what it means to be proactive. It enables people to develop specific passions.
When you are passionate about something, you are more inclined to accomplish what you want. You may even find what you are looking for in life.
Success can also be helping someone else understand new concepts or ideas. Success can be encouraging someone and motivating that person toward a better future.
Success isn’t always about the prize at the end. It is about the journey you take and what you conquer on the way to get to that prize.
Even if you don’t win the prize, you had the experience. You chose a direction, you acted on a passion that turned into an idea and you tried to make something incredible happen to yourself.
We all know we can be our own toughest critics. Yes, it is important to always ask yourself, "How can I do better?" But most of all, it is important not to obsess over our faults.
Rather, we need to focus on our accomplishments.
For every fault or mistake, try to name at least two accomplishments. This will allow you to realize your greatest potential.
We strive for success, and sometimes we fail in the process. However, success usually doesn’t come easy.
We need to fall a few times before we accomplish something. Success isn’t just the end result; it's the way you are able to get back up when you fall.
