What motivation means?

Motivation is defined as the reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a certain way.  It is also known as the general desire or willingness of someone to do something.

Motivation is a process that initiates, guides and sets, and maintains goal-oriented behaviors.  Motivation is what causes a person to act, whether it comes to eating for hunger or exercising, to lose weight.  Basically, motivation is often used to describe why a person does something and can be described as the driving force behind human actions.  According to Verywellmind.org, motivation involves biological, emotional, social, and cognitive forces that activate behavior.  Motivation is not tangible or easily observed, so often, we have to infer why people do the things they do.

There are two kinds of motivation:  extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation.  Extrinsic motivation comes from outside of a person and usually involves some reward that could be a prize, money, trophy, recognition, or praise.  Intrinsic motivation comes from within the individual.  It is an internal motivation that comes from personal gratification.

Motivation can be used to help people work towards their goals, help people take action, help people engage in healthy behaviors, help people feel more in control of their lives, and improve overall wellness and happiness, along with many other things.

There are several components of motivation, and they include activation, persistence, and intensity.  That means motivation requires a decision to start or change a behavior, continued effort towards a goal despite struggles or obstacles, and concentration and vigor that goes into pursuing and achieving that goal.

Sometimes people may find that their motivation waxes and wanes as they work towards their goal.  That can be natural, but it is also important to find ways to keep one’s motivation elevated to accomplish or achieve the goal.  One way to do that is to adjust the goal if need be, break the goal into smaller, more manageable goals, and remind oneself of all of the things that have been achieved in the past and what can be achieved in the present and the future.