Why Motivation Matters and the Benefits You Can Reap From It

Motivation is, for lack of a better definition, the spark that drives people to work hard. Some of the most successful people wouldn’t be where they are today if they weren’t motivated. Motivation matters because you can’t hope to achieve your goals without it. Think about new year’s resolutions. You’re motivated to want to better yourself at the start of each new year. But you feel motivated more than once a year.

Why it is important to learn about motivation? Because understanding it gives us insights into human nature. Many things are linked to motivation such as goal setting, achievement, and power. [1] You feel motivated at least once a day, even if that motivation is getting out of bed in the morning. But motivation matters to many areas of our lives.

Let’s look at 4 ways motivation matters and how it can help

#1 — Motivation helps you set goals

Motivation matters in goal setting. You would never feel compelled to put in the effort if you didn’t care about your aspirations. Think about goals you have now or have had in the past. I’m sure you were excited about them, right? Well, that excitement is linked to motivation. You’re motivated to work on these goals. You're doing them to improve your life, career, family, etc. Imagine if you weren’t motivated. You’d be pretty unhappy while working on them.

When you have goals, motivation is key to helping you move forward with them. Consider an Olympic athlete for example. Their goal/dream is to make it to the Olympics, but getting there requires a lot of hard work and commitment. If they’re motivated to see this goal through, they will do whatever it takes to make it happen. They train for hours. They win competitions. They put their minds and bodies through all kinds of obstacles. Some make it. Others don’t. But that doesn’t mean their motivation was any less vital.

So when you’re planning your goals, always have motivation at the back of your mind. It’s going to keep you moving forward even when things seem tough and hopeless.

#2 — Motivation boosts your engagement

They say you take out of things what you put in. There’s no better example of this than in school or the workplace. My school district wasn’t the best, but I was always motivated to learn. So I applied myself by engaging the best I could. I took assignments seriously. I studied for tests. I participated in class. Were there subjects I struggled in? Of course, but I still worked hard despite not being interested. All because of motivation.

If you teach your children to be motivated in school, it’ll change their entire perspective. This isn’t to say you want them to burn themselves out by being a straight-A student. But motivation matters in school because it’s a great setting to learn how to be responsible for your own actions. This can later be used when you enter the workplace.

No matter your job, use motivation to boost your engagement. This allows you to make stronger connections and prove yourself a worthy professional. Even if you’re not always happy in your job, be motivated enough to do the best you can while you search for something better. And know that most employers are always on the hunt for motivated people. Don’t tell them you’re motivated. Show them!

#3 — Motivation allows you to be creative

Have you ever had a goal that left you scratching your head? Meaning, you really want to work on it, but you’re not sure how. I have. Motivation is key here because it allows you to think outside of the box. You have no other choice. Depending on the goal, creativity will be the driving force and motivation can be the guide to get you there.

Creativity isn’t only for artists. Anyone can use creativity to see an outcome to fruition. And this is where motivation matters. Because if you want to see results, you’re going to use whatever methods are at your disposal. Don’t be afraid to let motivation push you to new heights. If you didn’t think yourself capable, you never would have thought of it.

#4 — Motivation improves your relationships

Last but not least, motivation matters in relationships. It seems like an odd combination, but bear with me as I explain. Imagine you started seeing someone new. If you're not motivated by their presence, why are you going to go on more dates? If you want a relationship to last, any relationship, you need motivation. The best relationships — platonic or romantic — are those where the people involved motivate each other. You feel capable of anything with them by your side.

Think of your current relationships. It could be your relationship with a parent, sibling, best friend, or co-worker. Picture the ones you’re super close to. How do you feel when you’re with them? If you feel excited and confident then you feel motivated. Those are the people to stick around.

The best relationships motivate you to deepen the connection. Motivation matters in relationships because without it you wouldn’t want to hang out with that person. And deep connections do exactly that: they inspire us to be better. The best part? You can feel motivated by more than one person. When you feel motivated by your relationships, you’re going to transfer that to other areas of your life.

In the end, motivation matters because without it you can’t hope to follow through with goals or plans. Even if motivation wanes, all you need to do is remind yourself of your why and it can spark the fire that started it all. Or you seek guidance from those important relationships. Don’t think that if motivation vanishes, it’s gone forever. Sometimes you just need a little distance.

I’ve had many projects where my motivation faded mid-way through. All I did was take a step back, allow myself a bit of distance, and it came back in no time. You’re only human. You’re going to have unmotivating days. That’s okay! Use that time to recharge. Pick things up again the next day. Unmotivated doesn’t mean instant failure. It means you need a little extra time to get pumped.

Why do you think motivation matters in different areas of your life? When was the last time you felt super motivated about a goal or a dream? How do you get motivation back? Comment below.

Resources

[1] https://positivepsychology.com/benefits-motivation/