Let's start with the more positive of the two, motivation. I've found that while there are many different people in the world, most fit within two camps: internal motivators and external motivators. I am more of an internal motivator. I feel this need to be the best at everything I do, this inner push that I give myself is not generated by external factors, it is essentially all in my head. Obviously I do not need to be the best at what I do nor am I, but that push; that motivation still whispers in the back of my mind. Fear is also a kind of internal motivator. If a person is afraid of the consequences if they do not preform, they are much more likely to put the effort in to make sure they do preform. But, not everyone seeks internal motivation. On the other side of the spectrum is the external motivator. An external motivator is someone who seeks motivation outside of their own thoughts and ideas. An example of this may be motivation through bribing (money, clothes, etc) or motivation from others (team sports, parents, teachers, etc) Now, as I stated earlier, most fall within these two groups. No one relies completely on internal or external motivation. The key is a healthy balance of the two. Support from others is vital, but too much pressure from peers or superiors can be detrimental and leads to extremely stressful situations. Self-motivation is the most important aspect of motivation, but too much pressure on yourself can create disappointment and stress that otherwise may not be there at all. I am definitely guilty of putting too much pressure on myself and others around me. In the end, the key that unlocks the secrets of staying motivated and on top of your game lies in the balance of the two types of motivation.
What goes hand-in-hand with motivation? Stress. Stress is essentially a type of internal motivation. I like to look at stress as a tool. As, I said earlier, no two people are the same and therefore no two people will react to stress in the same way. I work best under pressure, I love writing exams because the exhilaration and stress I feel allows me to hone my focus and unleash my knowledge. But, I can only handle stress to an extent. Last year during competition season I would come home with pages of homework and test prep and there was a point where it got to me, I was overwhelmed. That is one of the many negative examples of stress. But, stress can be a shield if wielded properly. If no one felt stress nothing would ever get done, it is almost a type of mental safeguard that keeps one on their toes when they may otherwise slip into carelessness. Stress is a vital, primal instinct, that without, the cavemen would have felt no pressure to gather food before the winter or protect their families from danger. And while stress can have many drawbacks, it is a basic human trait that saves us in so many situations. It is not stress itself that is inherently evil, it is the way you choose to interpret it. Let's look at a situation I know all of us have been in at one point. 3 big tests end up all being scheduled on one day, you have no time (or will) to study and you put it off cursing the world for every evil thing it has ever done to you. Now it's 2 days before test day and you are freaked. "Why did I leave it to the last minute?" and "I am so screwed" are two very common phrases in my (and I think many student's) vocabulary. There are two ways to look at this situation: stress and stress and never actually get any work done, or, accept the situation and the stress and work through what you can. By working towards the latter and accepting stress as a part of life, finding true motivation and contentment will become so much easier. I'm going to let you guys go with a quote by Marilu Henner that I feel really summarizes learning to deal with stress and how it can effect your life:
"Being in control of your life and having realistic expectations about your day-to-day challenges are the keys to stress management, which is perhaps the most important ingredient to living a happy, healthy and rewarding life."
I hope this mini-essay of sorts helped shed some light on motivation and stress and how that can be both beneficial and detrimental depending on how you process them.
And as always, thanks for reading!
This post is amazing. You are such a gifted writer! The thing I really love about this post is that I can relate to it so much! It's so nice to know that I'm not alone- and that other people get stressed out just like I do sometimes;)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Alicia, I just felt like sitting down and writing my piece, I'm so glad you enjoyed and related to it!
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