How to Motivate Anyone!

To be motivated is to be inspired, to be urged, to be driven, or to be encouraged. So what motivates us? Are we motivated individuals? Do we wake up every day with a desire to work hard, to give all we have, and to progress toward our goals? Do we feel our inner fire burning on a daily basis? Are we able to help others feel the same?

Since everyone is different we often make the assumption that different things motivate different people—and to a certain extent, this is true. However, many organizational development studies have shown that there are certain specific things that motivate just about everyone, regardless of who we are. So what are they?

Most people yearn for purpose; it is part of our human nature. Thus giving ourselves or others a purpose to live and work for will motivate us. Now this purpose does not need to be something grand or extraordinary. In fact, it can be very simple and basic as long as we understand how it is meaningful.

So how do we give ourselves or others purpose and meaning? In business we often try to do it by creating a mission and vision statement—and often this is effective if we truly believe in it, strive to live it, and frequently promote it. Likewise, in other areas of our lives we can create a personal mission and vision statement or even a family mission and vision statement. These statements will provide a clear purpose and meaning for what we do each day and motivate us and others to work toward something positive. Frequently reviewing and reminding ourselves of what the statements say and mean to us is an important and necessary step to helping us keep our motivation high.

Often a common mistake of leaders is they assume others don’t want to work or are not motivated. We must realize though that most people are in fact driven to contribute to something outside of themselves when given the opportunity. People want to help others because at some time they’ve felt the satisfaction that comes when they do so. Even if we are just helping one person—such as our boss—can still help us feel a sense of relevance and importance.

Realizing as leaders that most everyone is motivated to help others gives us the knowledge that motivation is not about the person but instead is often about how the person views his or her purpose and if they realize how they make the world a better place. People, whether at work, at home, in school, or wherever want to feel that the world is a little better place because of them and we can help them feel that way! By helping elevate the vision and the connection between what someone is doing and how it positively impacts another, will produce a significant amount of motivation. And this inspiration will encourage us to give more, to try harder, and to think smarter in order to reach our purpose. Doing this will cause anyone’s inner fire to burn and will help us reach our true potential!

So, we can motivate anyone by helping them have a purpose and helping them understand how that purpose makes the world a better place. If people make the connection between what they do and how it benefits others, they will be motivated!!