Motivation
Motivation is the experience of desire or aversion... You want something, or want to avoid or escape something.
As such, the motivation has both an objective side – a goal or thing you aspire to – and an internal or subjective aspect: it is you that wants the thing (or wants it to go away). Wikipedia
I consider motivation as the sum of purpose, reason, and desire, which makes us work in a particular direction. In the absence or lack of any of these factors, we cannot work properly.
Ups and downs are part of life. Sometimes we lack motivation or get demotivated. This can happen because of a failure, lack of purpose and/or lack of energy. We should identify the reason and try to deal with it. If we do not know the purpose of doing a job we cannot do it with interest. Failure can also dishearten us and render simple tasks difficult for us. In such conditions, we can take the help of external means to cause and boost motivation within us. We can read motivational books or listen to motivational speeches or apply any other method, which suits us.
EXAMPLES.
When we go for a job, our primary motivation can be remunerated., However, after a few days, a few months or a few years remuneration only may not remain the only motivator to continue the job. We may feel the need for job satisfaction which we may find lacking. Sometimes we are not clear about the end product of a task and the task seems to be drudgery. In this case, if someone could guide us and tell the purpose and importance of the task at hand we will do it with interest.
Take the example of a postman. The letters, he delivers may include an appointment letter of a job for an unemployed man, a proposal for somebody's daughter's marriage or some other important matter. If he realizes this, he will perform his duty with more pride and sincerity.
So it is important to find the purpose or aim of the work we are supposed to do. This is true for life itself. We should have some purpose to advance in life.
Success and failure
UPS AND DOWNS, SUCCESS and failures are part of life. Winston Churchill has said, "success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." This courage comes from motivation. Let us not be overwhelmed by failure. The two most widely quoted examples of endurance and succeeding after multiple failures are those of Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Alva Edition.
Abraham Lincoln faced countless failures before being elected as a president of America. He is considered the best president of America.
Edison is the inventor of the electric light bulb. He failed 1000 times before finally making the electric bulb. I know a few persons, who failed in the test for lower jobs and later qualified for a higher job.
I know an IAS officer, who had failed in several competitive examinations of lower levels before cracking the UPSC civil services.
For some people Success is comparative. They weigh their success against their peers. This tendency may be disappointing.
Healthy competition or getting inspired is good but always comparing yourself with others can be disadvantageous.“failure can never overtake me if my definition to succeed is strong enough.” APJ Abdul Kalam
Importance of selfconfidence
If you think you can do a certain thing you can do that. The story of colonel Ashok Tara is quite inspiring in this regard. During the war of 1971, between India and Pakistan Colonel Tara was told to rescue Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's wife and family, which included his 24yearold daughter Sheikh Hasina (current prime minister of Bangladesh) and her child.
The family was held hostage by a dozen triggerhappy, heavily armed Pakistani troops at a fortified house in the Dhanmondi area in East Pakistan (now, Bangladesh).
Tara, then a 29yearold Major, managed to rescue the Bangabandhu family, in a doordie situation as he himself narrated in a TV interview
"During this operation, I had to face triggerhappy, heavilyarmed Pakistani forces, who just killed a media person who had tried to reach to them. I was alone. And unarmed. I took this bold decision to win over them psychologically because asking an extra force would have taken a lot of time. I knew chances were very bleak, but I went ahead, in what can be known as 'The Battle of Guts and Wits',"
He added, "Reaching the house where Sheikh Mujibur Rehman's family was under house arrest, they threatened to kill me. Their commander even ordered his men to load the weapon and was ready to shoot, but I stood my ground and repeatedly told them to surrender. However, I gave them an assurance of safe passage, so that they could go to their HQ. And from there to Pakistan to meet their families waiting for them. I finally got them surrendered and rescued the family. This was a doordie situation."
Colonel Tara, who retired in 1994, was awarded the Vir Chakra in the Battle of Gangasagar. in 2012 Bangaladesh conferred the 'Friend of Bangladesh' Award to him.
Selfconfidence and a sense of power are parts of one’s personality. Some people have these qualities inherently and others should acquire them. These have not much to do with your status or position in society.
I got inspired to write this piece by a grass cutter, who was employed as casual labor to cut the wild growth of the grass in our residential compound.
The builder and the early occupants of my residential colony did not think that the occupants of this middleclass colony would ever buy a car. Therefore no house had a car parking facility. However now with increased income and plenty of loan facilities, every household has a small or big car. Most of the people have made makeshift car shades to park their cars and save them from sun and rain. A few residents kept their cars on one side of the road outside their houses. I have made a tin shade to keep my car.
One fine morning somebody rang my doorbell. When I opened the door I found a man with a handheld mechanical grass cutter. Before I could ask anything from him he said, “Please remove your car I am going to clean the area. The way he told me conveyed I had to follow his instructions. Every six months the grass is cut in our colony. Nobody disturbed us like this. The grasscutter would do his job and go, we only heard the sound of his grass cutting machine. But this man was different. I came out and saw all the cars lined up outside of the colony. I followed suit. I felt a little irritated and did not feel the necessity of removing the car. But he cut the grass and cleaned the area so thoroughly that I could not help but appreciate his methodical approach to his work and the pride he took in his work. this pride must have given him the confidence he showed.
We are always told to think positive. It is not easy, particularly when you are facing a difficult situation. But you need to think positive more when you are having problems.
To think positive is to be optimistic and see the positive side of a thing.
About the things, which have happened and are of irreversible nature it is useless to bother. If they were good, enjoy their memory and draw strength from them. If they were bad, learn a lesson from them. It is useless to cry over spilled milk.
For the future try to develop the habit of thinking positive. The practicality of this idea can be understood by the following
If you cannot think that you can perform a task, either you will not try to do it or will do it halfheartedly leading to failure. This may look like confirming that your idea was right that you could not perform this talk.
This confidence can be gained through hard work and practice. However, some people get nervous despite being good at a task.
Sunil was a student of BSc. He was sharp at study. He took two examinations and absented himself from the rest of the examinations. He dropped the BSc examinations for a session. He told the reason for this action that he did not do well in the first two papers so fearing that he might not get first division he decided to study the same class for one more year and then again appear for the examination.
When the result came, it was known that he had got very good marks in the papers, for which he took examinations.
This is an example of low selfconfidence and negative thinking
A motivator provides with a motive or a cause or reason to act; incite; impel. One can be motivated in numerous ways. In reality, there is no fixed set of motivators. One can be motivated by watching a movie, reading a book, talking with a family member or friend. One has to know what is helpful for him.
The purpose of this essay is to provide ways of selfmotivation so it is suggested that we should know the things, which can inspire and motivate us.
People like motivational quotes to boost their motivational levels. All ideas and quotations are meant for the man's balance. If you read scriptures you may find ideas canceling one another.
So here also I suggest caution. To boost the morale of a person some people quote, "A man can do everything. Some of us take it verbatim and suffer inferiority complex and depression. Thinking hard why we cannot do our work properly. We consider ourselves inefficient.
Let me explain it to avoid all the above problems. When it is said, "A man can do everything, that man is not necessarily you. This statement is meant for the humanity. When we understand this it becomes easy to appreciate that the man can do everything. It simply means someone can perform some tasks better and some other fellows may be experts in another field They together cando wonderful things. In this way man has landed on the mood. invented many useful things for humanity.
I like the message of Bhagvat Geeta that says, "You have the right to do karma, You have no power over the result so just perform your duty well and don't bother about the result.
If we start worrying about the results before doing a job we may not be able to give our best to it.
It's better to perform our duty to the best of our ability and should not be distracted by the advance thoughts about the results. By this way we have better chance of getting success.
Everyone feels low sometimes, but if the condition persists for a longer period. We should check if we were depressed. Let us talk about the nonclinical type of depression, which can be taken care of by our self.One may have the problem of anxiety. The best way to deal with anxiety is to take action. If you are feeling sick and are worried about it you can take action by visiting a doctor for consultation. The doctor will clear your doubts and you will be saved from unnecessary worries. If you worry about the examination. The required action is to study. If you study well, your anxiety will get diminished. If you fear rain carry an umbrella. If you fear Sun then also you can carry an umbrella and if suited you, you can apply sun cream.Anxiety in a small measure is good. it makes you work.
Fight procrastination
Many of us have the problem of procrastination. A procrastinator can find one thousand excuses to postpone the work. We can see so many cases around us or even we can be having this problem.
People procrastinate for different reasons. Someone wants to avoid the unpleasant feelings he fears that he may have to face when he takes a certain action.
There was a young man in my neighbourhood, who procrastinated opening his post. A few times he had problems because of this habit. He could not take timely actions in certain financial matters and lost sufficient money. Lack of motivation can also be a cause for postponement. In such cases, we have to remember our motivating factor and prod ourselves forward to take action.
Addressing Fear
Fear is also useful. It keeps us alert and makes us take action to avoid any danger or failure. But this fear should not overpower us. If fear rules us our senses may fail and we may not be able to do anything for providing us safety.
Ideally, "Fear is not necessary, caution is."
If we could be cautious without fear, that could be the best condition.
There are many types of fears. Here I will restrict our discussion to fear of failure and a fear of unknown and imaginary fear.
If you have a fear of failure, I think you belong to the majority. Most people have this fear, some of the time. Even the superstar Amitabh Bachchan says he still gets nervous before a shoot.
Remedy for fear is to know and accept our fears.
What do we fear?
Why do we fear that?
What is our fear of that?
Suppose a student is afraid of examination.
The student may be afraid because he has not prepared well for the examination or despite good preparation he is not confident of doing well in the examination.
He or she may be afraid of failure or getting fewer marks.
In this case, also action will give relief.
Study well, do your best. This is the best you can do and this is your duty. Nothing more than this.
Think that in the worst case if you fail what will happen.
Will the sky fall? No.
Continue to study in small measures during the full term.
Then you will have less fear, which will be normal.
The fear of the unknown is the most widely felt fear by us. One simple example of this is the fear of darkness. Many of the adult persons and most of the children fear the darkness. When they enter a dark room they feel fear, the moment the room is lit the fear goes away.
Ralf Waldo Emerson said, "Knowledge is an antidote to fear.” The Indian philosophy puts knowledge at the highest pedestal. Knowledge is thought to liberate us.
“Don’t take rest after your first victory because if you fail in second, more lips are waiting to say that your first victory was just luck.” APJ Abdul Kalam
I will suggest celebrating the success in a small measure and continue the good work.
Conclusion
I hope this small book will benefit the mature readers by reminding them of the things, which they may be knowing already. And the young readers, particularly students will be benefitted by knowing and understand the motivation and how to motivate themselves for success in any field
