What Kind of Positive Motivation Do You Need?

When you think of the problems in your life, you may be disappointed that you haven’t made the changes that you could have. Most of us know that we could do more – we could work out, we could eat better, we could get educated and find a better job – but getting motivated is very difficult to do. But, instead of using negative motivation as a means to get something done, sometimes positive motivation works much better.

For instance, if you are a smoker, then you know you need to step – no one needs to tell you that anymore. You have a lot of negative motivation working to help you stop smoking. You know that smoking is expensive, that it is dangerous for your health, that it is socially acceptable, and could even be endangering other people in your household. But that type of motivation doesn’t work for most people.

The type of positive motivation that might work is telling yourself that if you stop smoking, you will save all the money you would have spent in just one year and take yourself on the vacation of a lifetime. That sounds a lot more fun than just thinking about how bad smoking is, right?

A reward system is a way of positive motivation that has been used in schools to help children learn since time began. By giving a child a “star” for being good or doing their homework, they are more motivated than by threatening them with expulsion.

So, no matter what it is that you want to change about your life – your weight, your habits, your career, your relationships – keep in mind that motivating yourself, or others for that matter, in a more positive way usually generates much better results. And, you might end up with exactly whatever it is that you want.