If you Google™ the word “motivation” over 1.4 BILLION results show up. Looks like there has been a myriad of articles, websites, curriculums, etc.… based around this concept of motivation. So, we ask ourselves is there a need for another article on motivation. Yes! There are three reasons why.
- With so many different people and differing perspectives, finding one that you resonate with and can grab a hold of is huge.
- We are always evolving and growing, therefore an article on motivation written in, well, now last year may provide a different perspective from which to grow.
- This isn’t your typical motivation article
Before we move into what makes this different, let’s examine what makes this similar. The general definition around motivation is a reason for thinking, saying, behaving or acting in a certain way. It is a desire or a willingness to accomplish something. Yes, there are thousands of articles written too about business motivation (which is the theme of this article), however I want to explore three main factors that creates a platform for motivation inside of your business.
Motivation Is Forward Thinking
No business or movement can survive or thrive by doing the same things the same way year after year after year. Motivated people will look for better ways to complete tasks. Efficiency experts continue to push society towards becoming better at efficiency. A quick glance inside our own homes and we can see energy efficient lighting, appliances, right down to efficient charging capabilities on our phones and other devices. Why then, would we not want to become more efficient at business, especially when everyone else is. Not looing towards how to do business better will leave you behind sooner rather than later. We used to laugh when we heard that technology replaced itself every six months. Recently, I was watching a documentary that said the fashion industry wants you to replace your wardrobe every week!
So then, if we are needing to become better at forward thinking for our business to thrive, yet aligning ourselves with ethics and morals to do it right, what is the solution? I believe there are many ways to combat this and stay aligned. One way is to ensure you have a focused mission, vision, and legacy strategy in place. The second, is the next factor.
Motivation Is Quality Driven
For anyone over the age of 30, you may remember an old Ford commercial with the tagline saying, “quality is job 1.” Ford capitalized on what everyone wants when they get something… quality. We talk about it in our fast-paced lives… if you can’t spend a quantity of time with your family make sure that the time you do spend is quality. Then there is “you get what you pay for” as an incentive to say that the higher something costs, the more quality it has, which translates to retaining whatever it is longer. There is a lot of truth in this. The higher the cost, and it is not just monetary costs. It is also time costs, energy costs, mental costs, etc. When we are motivated to deliver a higher quality good or service to our, customers and clients, we become motivated to continue that path.
Motivation Increases Productivity
This almost goes without saying, yet it is the key to all motivation. Productivity is more about balance than it is a numbers game. Absolutely, numbers are essential, it helps us see efficiency. Productivity also includes a balance of work, play, relaxation, and learning. When you find your productivity is high, quality rises, the future becomes clearer, and you have more time to do the things that are not work related (I hesitate to say ‘things that matter” because for many of us, work matters… it is a source of identity).
By staying motivated, we stay in the game. Motivation becomes the driving factor towards other areas of life. We become motivated to finish that project, that content, that book that results in more freedom. Freedom really is our ability to do what we want, when we want, with who we want… not selfishly, but sustainably.
Share your favorite motivation in the comments below.