Former track athlete and politician Jim Ryun once said the following: “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what gets you going.” Maybe he was right, maybe he was wrong: motivation is a tricky concept that scientists have been studying for decades, elaborating complex theories without being able to reach a universal law that could help people finish the projects they undertake… when they do undertake them in the first place!
One of the most influential theories developed about motivation, namely, the expectancy-value theory, asserts that the amount of energy people are willing to put into something is dependent upon the degree to which people expect to succeed at the task and the degree to which they value the task and value success on the task. Scientists such as Atkinson and Eccles have been working extensively on these notions.
If motivational tips do not necessarily work out for everyone – each individual ultimately has to find out what works best for him or her – there are some general guidelines that most people have some interest in following whenever they want to achieve something. Although the idea here is not to explain the nuts and bolts of the expectancy-value theory of motivation, the tips listed below mostly derive from it.
1. Work on projects that are important to you
According to Feather’s work (1982), value and expectancy are two variables that do not add: they multiply. In other words, if you do not value the task you are about to work on at all, chances are that you will never finish it: multiplying huge expectancy by null valuation of the task is always equal to zero!
Therefore, if you hate writing stories but think that publishing a book would bring you fame and money, the very fact that you dislike the task itself should be a red flag. Before you undertake something, take some time to ask yourself whether you truly value the activity that you will have to perform. The results from seeing yourself giving up on a project can be significant: experiencing too many personal disappointments can lead you to hold yourself in low esteem. And that certainly won’t help you begin new tasks you realistically could finish…
2. Work on projects that you expect will bring you something
Once again, the idea that value and expectancy multiply instead of adding is crucial here: you could love writing stories, but if you see no real point in writing them, it is quite likely that you will start them but seldom write the last sentence. You need to value the potential success that will result from carrying out the task. Your ultimate goal should not necessarily be material: there is no need to accomplish something for money. The expected value of the task does not need to lead to fame either.
In fact, writing stories for the mere reason that you truly enjoy the process and expect satisfaction from rereading them can suffice. Publishing them on your personal blog and receiving positive comments from your readers can be pleasing too. But you ought to determine whether this kind of success is valuable enough to you. If you initially believe that such an accomplishment is banal or insignificant, you may end up quitting along the process. Therefore, before you even begin your project, you should evaluate if the success that lies ahead is something you will consider satisfying at the other end of the road.
3. Work on something you think you can be successful at
If value and expectancy multiply, you need to have faith in your personal capacities: if you think of yourself as a bad entrepreneur, starting your own business is not likely to be a successful venture. From the minute you decide to take action, it should be clear in your mind that your project has a fairly good chance to thrive under your drive! Opening a café or a restaurant calls for a lot of resilience: if you don’t even believe that you’re the right man or woman for this, who will?
Of course, doubt is allowed. In fact, it probably is a positive thing not to go out there and do things blindly as if there were no obstacles. Questioning your approach and your philosophy and asking for help or for advice are great ways to ensure that you constantly adjust in order to be as successful as you possibly can be. But remember: before you do whatever that is related to your project, you need to expect – to a certain degree – that your chances of doing well are good.
4. Have some plan and deadline in mind
Now that you know that you (1) value your project and the potential success deriving from it and (2) expect to succeed with your project, it is important to build a certain structure. Identify which stages are necessary. Think about them, plan them, write them down. If you want to become a yoga teacher, you ought to buy the apparel, take lessons, get certified… and ultimately find a way to teach lessons yourself, whether it is by joining a school or founding one on your own.
Depending on your project and your lifestyle, you can decide to plan short-term or long-term. In both situations, however, you should find a way to establish some kind of discipline. A good start would be to determine a deadline. Obviously, not everyone can say “I will finish this project on MM/DD/YYYY; it’s do or die.” The idea, however, is to have some sense of the moment you would like the project to be finished. For example, you could decide that you want to be a yoga master by 2015, with a one-year margin of error. This provides some sense of duty while giving you the necessary leeway in case your project does not exactly unfold the way you though it would.
5. Create some kind of habit
Following Jim Ryun’s quote cannot hurt: “Habit is what gets you going.” Worst case scenario is that you will eventually find out that routine is not your thing and you somehow work better when you leave it just a little bit in the hands of randomness. If you can’t stand forcing yourself to sit down on your chair and write a little bit of your book every Sunday morning from 9 to 12 a.m., then maybe you should consider adopting a more flexible schedule.
Finding enjoyable ways to work on your project does help. If you find that you work best when you listen to jazz , then please do that. If you realize that going to a café and ordering a macchiato does the trick, why would you refrain from doing it? Habit does not need to be boring: on the contrary, it ought to be something you enjoy, something that makes you feel good, something you would want to reproduce every time you have the opportunity to do so.
Conclusion
Although there is no infallible recipe for finishing the projects you undertake, it is essential to put the odds on your side. You cannot afford seeing everything you start end up falling apart: the price to pay is too high in terms of self-esteem. Motivation is a slippery concept, but putting into practice the aforementioned tips, most of them linked directly with the expectancy-value theory, should help you select the right projects for yourself and see them through to their successful conclusion.
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Guest Author Bio
Alexandre Duval
Alexandre Duval is a blogger for Honda Blainville, a Quebec-based car dealer offering the latest Honda CRV 2013. He has lived in and visited the United States, English Canada as well as Europe, and he is currently completing his master’s degree in political science at the University of Quebec in Montreal.
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