| MOTIVATION IS THE KEY | Devin M. Patterson | Professor Caryn P RakovApril 28, 2011 | | |

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Motivation is the Key
What is Motivation? How would someone describe it? Quite frankly it cannot be explained by complicated equations or extravagant explanations. Motivation in itself is whatever the person at hand needs it to be. “Motivation is an internal state that arouses someone, steers them in particular directions, and keeps them engaged in certain activities” (Lei, 2010). Finding a source of motivation and a method of applying that motivation is the key to accomplishing a challenging task that could be present in someone’s life. Motivation can come from just for the pure joy of learning; it may also come in the form of increasing ones chances of finding a better job or outperforming a peer. “All of these motives have an approach quality to them: a desire to achieve certain outcomes” (Lei, 2010).Then there is false motivation. False motivation is simply displacing modern motivation with sarcasm or over the top enthusiasm to get through an otherwise boring or difficult situation. The implementation of this can be simply to complete an assignment as quickly and painlessly as possible, or getting up in the morning to go workout before attending to daily duties. Forcing one’s self to manufacture motivation when none is present can turn into a positive when the task is completed and possibly was more enjoyable than first perceived.
Generating motivation isn’t as difficult as some may convince themselves it is. To generate motivation specific to the individual all that is required is the presence of mind of what the goal is of accomplishing the task. "Motivators can be vast in nature, such as aspiring to expand one's education through college, technical schools, apprenticeship programs, the military, and other opportunities to make themselves and the world a better place” (Targeted New Service, 2011) The most influential motivation comes from within, no one event or person can motivate someone to accomplish something more than that person themselves. “There is evidence showing that intrinsic motivation is positively correlated with learning, achievement, perception of competence and self-efficacy, and is negatively correlated with anxiety, depression, and frustration” (Lei, 2010). Not to diminish the value of having a strong support channel because a support channel is very important. A support channel can provide that extra push when someone may be ready to just turn in the towel and give up on a task and also help lift up a broken spirit. Family and spouses tend to be the most common of support channels but are not limited to such. For example take someone who is in the military; they may not be afforded the opportunity to be around family to have their support so most often their chain of command and peers can serve as a support channel. The most common cause for not completing a task is the loss of focus and motivation. “Rather than focusing on our goals, we are distracted by our worries and fears. But when you focus on what you want, it will come into your life” (Chandler, 2001). There will be more than enough things that will happen in life to distract someone from their goals, the trick to it all is to stay focused and put on blinders to help. Think of a race horse with blinders on, all that they see is what is directly in front of them and where they are headed. Apply this method mentally to maintain focus when things get hectic and doubts start to arise. “When you focus on being a happy and motivated person, that is who you will be” (Chandler, 2001).
Motivation has numerous benefits ranging depending on what task is at hand. Being motivated can lead to self confidence and experience a sense of self-efficacy that one may not have had before. When someone is motivated to accomplish a task time can seem to fly without even noticing it and could influence creativity in performance due to the