BrigitteSmith.com

Motivation is defined as that set of principles or things that determine one to perform something and achieve success in what he or she has undertaken. They say that without it we would all be but a bunch of passive, lazy people that seem to have no goal in life. And indeed, ever since we came to understand the world around us, at a very young age, we have keptgetting involved in experiences filled with many motivating factors. Do you want the candy? You have to work for it just a little bit and listen to mammy. This is how it all starts. Therefore, without even becoming aware of what we undergo, we are taught the very basics of responding to motivation.

Motivation seems to appear when, after performing a certain action, there is some kind of reward that creates pleasure or satisfaction to the individual who receives it. The reward in itself can be of an intrinsic nature, meaning that the feeling of achievement or satisfaction is sufficient to repeat the action later; it can also be extrinsic, according to studies; and that means that money or praise coming from others is the key to making you repeat the performance. As a result, motivation is also of two kinds ? intrinsic, or inner, and extrinsic, or outer. As it may be obvious to you already, intrinsic motivation has to do with your own person and what you want whereas the extrinsic type has to do with external factors or people. The intrinsic type of motivation is also divided into two more subcategories. One is the intrinsic motivation that relies on enjoyment (let us take a hobby for example) while the other is the one that is based on obligation (like performing a task at work that we want to carry out very well only for our own sake and not for anyone else?s).

As previously mentioned, motivation is one of the most important things that guides us through life. This is the thing that has made us take our first steps, that has helped us in learning how to pronounce certain words correctly, that has guided us in school years and university studies perhaps, that has made us get a job, get married, have children, provide the best for our children and want to grow old within a home full of peace and warmth. Motivation can take many forms and can be related to many things.