7 Motivation Styles to Get You Unstuck

Is motivation a problem for you? Do you feel stuck in some area of your life? Are you discouraged because motivation tips have not worked for you?

In this article we are going to explore your personal motivation style. Each of you has a way of motivating yourself that works for you. Why aren’t you already using your motivation style? For many of us, it is outside of our conscious awareness.

We are going to explore seven styles. Some of these may be more important to you than others. Use the ones that work for you.

Before we start, I want you to select two situations: one where motivation is almost effortless and one where you get stuck. It is best to select situations from the same area of your life, for example two work situations or two situations related to health.

You will be comparing these two situations to discover the key differences. Your motivation style is not good or bad. You simply need to understand what works for you.

1. What is your motivation direction?
Are you motivated to work toward a positive goal or outcome? Or do you want to avoid an unpleasant outcome? Most of us have a mixture of both, but you want to decide which is dominant.

2. Who motivates you?
Are you someone who needs to know “what’s in it for me”? Or are you motivated to work for the good of the team or to help others?

3. Are you a thinker or a feeler?
Do you need a logical reason to get started or does a project need to feel right?

4. What is important to you?
Here are five areas of focus: people, places, things, activities and information. Most of us find one or two areas are more interesting and desirable. For example, if you are motivated to call on customers (people) and you hate paperwork (information), you have identified a key difference.

5. What is your trigger to get started?
Are you a self starter (proactive)? Or do you wait for someone to tell you to get started (reactive)?

6. What is your work style?
Do you like competition or collaborating? Do you like being the leader or the follower?

7. How do you know when you’ve done a good job?
Do you rely on an internal sense to tell you that you have done a good job? Do you need external evidence or someone to tell you that you have done a good job?

You have probably noticed some key differences between your two situations. So, what do you do now?

For many people just understanding that a certain activity does not match their style is enough to get them unstuck. Others may need to take a few more steps.

Maybe you need to adjust your thinking. Perhaps you do not like being a follower. You can adjust your thinking to focus on how being a follower can lead to leadership or find other ways to demonstrate leadership.

Maybe you can find another way to satisfy a need. If you need someone to tell you that you did a good job, you can document your successes and share them with supportive family, friends or a life coach.

If you have explored your motivation style and are still stuck, here are two more questions.
1) Do you have a hidden payoff for not being motivated? For example, do you get more attention or special treatment when you are stuck?
2) Do you have negative emotions connected to your problem area? For example, do you hate exercise because you were embarrassed in gym class?

If either of these are an issue, you may want to dig deeper. Problem emotions can keep you stuck. Releasing problem emotions will get you unstuck and open up new possibilities for you.