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Self-Motivation Index INFORMATION However, the word self-motivation usually means something more. It usually implies that some people can "motivate" ourselves even in situations that don't appear very condusive to motivation. These situations may lack the external incentives and/or rewards or punishments that usually help motivate people. Perhaps these rewards are very delayed or uncertain. Some people are good at working hard toward delayed or uncertain consequences and others aren't so good at it. Early philosophers called this quality "will power" or "self-discipline." Freud called it "ego strength." Some now call it "internal control." Whatever it is called, it is a quality that research has shown to be a very important component of mental health, success in almost every area of life, and in personal happiness. What is the cause of it? It is clear from research that children who grow up in environments where they are frequently challenged and must gradually learn to work for more and more delayed and uncertain rewards are much more likely to develop good self-motivation. Also, their learning is increased by having good role-models of adults or peers who talk and act with good self-motivation. They will emphasize characteristics like thinking of delayed consequences before acting, saving, rationing resources prudently, and planning for long term goals. Ironically, many people who developed high degrees of self-motivation had parents who didn't care well for them. They learned how to struggle and overcome barriers and problems. They learned how to overcome fears, make decisions, plan, and work hard toward achieving uncertain goals. They learned how to take good care of themselves and how to be successful despite the negative comments or influences from others. They learned how to have good internal control and self-management skills (see below). What if instead of that type of childhood, you had one where parents overly pampered or overprotected you. What if they never challenged you or had you work hard with little reward for delayed consequences? What if they let you get away with having no self-discipline? Then how do you develop it now? You may be more externally motivated by immediate external consequences such as others' approval, feeling good right now, paying the rent this month, etc. then by long term goals such as completing a college degree or saving to buy a house five years from now. Fortunately, most people lead pretty good lives without having a great deal of self-motivation. If they have enough to get up in the morning and go to a job they aren't crazy about, go to the doctor when needed, do their chores, and do the other main things that are needed in life, then that is good enough to lead a pretty good life. This is the way most people are, and it works out just fine for most people. However, if you want to reach more difficult goals such as achieving a great deal of success, living life according to your own inner direction instead of being so dependent upon others, or doing anything else that goes against the grain of what is normally supported by your immediate environment, then you need to develop more self-motivation and internal control. I suggest that you start by going to the special section on Internal Control. If assertiveness is part of the problem, go to the section on assertion training. If low self-esteem is part of the problem, go to that section. These sections will provide more help on these underlying causes of poor self-motivation. For many people improving self-management/time-management habits can help, click here to go to that section. So can overcoming procrastination, click here to go to that section. ADVICE INTERNET
LINKS CSULB=> Get Control of Your Time and Yourself GO TO: book_sites.htm Counseling and
Psychological Services (CAPS) Other student services and
student organizations may also be helpful
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