What I Learned About Personal Motivation

The dominant function of the INTJ personality type is introverted intuition. This has played a crucial role in my (albeit rather short) professional life. Ever since I was a toddler, I wanted to become a veterinarian. All of my actions were carried out primarily with this goal in mind, to the point where it was obsessive. I never considered taking any other career path.

Somewhere in every person’s life, there is a moment. A life changing situation that turns their entire world upside down. It could happen at any point, during adolescence or adulthood, and the result is the same. When life changes and shifts into something new, something has got to give, and it isn’t always a pleasant feeling. However, these same situations are what gives people strength and motivation to do something that could better themselves if the motivation come from the right place. Motivation stems from strange situations. It can be from a song, a conversation with a friend or a family member, or a random quote that was found on the internet, through a meme search, to post of Facebook. Either way the result is the same. Webster’s

As you may have heard, Mr. Swift has made a very modest proposal about what to do with the situation of starvation among adults. Mr. Swift has proposed that after a year of a child's birth, they be eaten if the family wishes. I, being a mother of a baby, currently, could not approve of this proposal more. Me and my husband together, concur, this will allow us to not go hungry, but also fulfill our wish to have another baby. We've always wanted more kids, but we only desire a baby. We don't want them after they have grown older. We already have an older son. Now, with this proposal, we won't go hungry and we can stay full for months on end and all I must do is push out a baby. No big deal.

The MBTI assessment was an extremely useful tool in helping me to understand my inner world, assessing the way I think and behave. Dr. Robert Prescott in OB often emphasizes that we judge ourselves by our intentions, but others judge us by our behaviors. My personality type is reported as INFJ. The information provided in the assessment was a little overwhelming at first and has applications that reach well beyond the topic of change. I have learned that effectively managing change in the business world requires that I understand and manage change personally first; the MBTI is a start in that direction. I have begun to pay attention to my external behaviors, and realize that I can manage those behaviors to facilitate change. Change is often generated in business via external drivers, and to survive that change it becomes necessary to adapt my behaviors successfully to the changing environment.

They suggest that measuring one’s characteristics such as sociability, drive, self-determination and demeanor can aid one to better interpret and discern them introspectively. By taking the Myers-Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI) I am able to compare my personality traits to careers in which I may enjoy, will fit my individual personality and enable me to be successful say Drummond, Jones & Sheperis (2016). The results of my self-administered inventory are as follows; Introvert (I) 55%, Intuitive (N) 76%, Feeling (F) 86% and Perceiving (P) 67%. The four dimensions of the inventory seem to be very accurate for the manner in which I view myself. The result of INFP suggests that my personality shows a predominant association with being in a career in which I am able to care for others, such as a healer. This is a correlate with my first career as a firefighter and

Human motivation is a physiological drive that we all have inside ourselves. There is no way to completely avoid it. Some drives we have are for basic necessities of survival, like the feelings of thirst and hunger. Obviously we must give into the drive that our body is signaling to us we must have because food and water are essential for us to live. When our behavior is directed by means of survival this is something known as homeostasis. “According to drive theory, the body maintains a condition of homeostasis, in which any particular system is in balance or equilibrium (C.L. Hull, 1951). Any departure from homeostasis, such as depletion of nutrients or a drop in temperature, produces an aroused condition, or drive, which impels the individual to engage in appropriate action such as eating, drinking, or seeking warmth. As the body’s need is met, the drive and associated arousal subside.” (Garrett, pg. 161)

In the Myers Briggs test, I received the letter combination “INTJ”. This is someone who is an introverted, intuitive, thinker, and a judger. The careers suggested for this sequence was a nurse, counselor, and a manager. This allows me to work with my own ideas and philosophies. When I must work with people, they will be intelligent people who can work at my level. I can be very inflexible and single-minded.

The standard way of thinking about motivation has it that the only way to get people to be driven is to reward them extrinsically. In other words, the way we generally try to motivate people is by dangling a carrot in front of their face, or pushing them with a poke to the ribs with stick. Many people assume that if you want someone to do something, you incentivize them with external compensation. For example, if you want a student to work harder in class, offer them extra credits. If you want your basketball team to be better, make them run more suicides as punishment. However, in this book, Drive: ’’The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us’’ by Daniel Pink challenges this conventional, preconceived notion of motivation of carrot and stick mentality. Pink divided motivation into three categories that evolved over time: motivation 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0.

The results of my Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) assessment revealed that I am an Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking and Perceiving (INTP) person. I don’t believe to have done this test in the past, so coming to find out that for the most part I fit the description was quite interesting. I am not necessarily everything an INTP is but it is the description that fits best. My current position at the company I work for has and will allow me to experiment with some of the materials we are sharing during this term and create my own conclusions on what works best for the type of employees that work under my direction.

Another time I was extrinsically motived was when I would have to lift weight for cross country and track. I hated lifting weights and only did it because my coach said we had to lift to be on the team. While most of the time motivations can fall under one of the two types, it can also change over time. From my example of lifting, for me it started out that I was extrinsically motivated to lift but as time went on, I now lift because I like it and how healthy it makes me feel when I am done. Over time my feelings towards lifting changed so the type of motivation I had for this action also changed.

In “The Surprising Science of Motivation”, Dan Pink explained how the 21st century is requiring people to become more creative and think outside of the box. Allowing yourself to view all the possibilities instead of restricting solutions can provide more positive rewards. As a result, I find myself understanding the concept that external rewards like money are not the best way to motivate ourselves or others. Therefore, motivation lies within everyone by giving them the power to examine three elements of motivation which include autonomy, mastery, and purpose. Those that follow this motivation are not receiving cash reward but a reward of accomplishing their own task. In summary, I know understand that a person can be motivated by their

The article I chose talks about motivation in the business world. As It goes in depth of ways to help employees by simply motivating them and how that could be the biggest difference of how they perform in their job. It also talks about the significance of understanding your employee as an individual and human being and what abilities work best for them. As opposed to just focusing on work related tasks and not understanding an employee’s mental approach. The way the article tries to explain it, is by emphasising on 6 factors. Which is communication, professionalism, management style, training, recognition, and fun. Each factor is thoroughly detailed and explains how to effectively use it to help the employee be more successful and how that will ultimately help with the business as a whole. As well touches on that being a good person is the main objective and everything comes after. As creating a friendly work environment where everyone feels included is the root of a successful company.

You are welcome! Although your evals are a "little" problem for you now, your positive motivation will be the key and driving force to your success. I have no doubt that you will do just fine in everything you decide to do. I get the feeling that you really want to succeed and that you have a positive outlook in life. Do not lose that spirit! You have a long road ahead of you and there will be many exits along the way. Do not take any exit unless it is your intention to abandon your journey. Motivation is like a roller coaster. We accelerate and lose momentum during our course. Stay physically fit and mentally sharp. The opportunities in the Navy are unlimited and it will be up to you to exploit these opportunities. Find yourself "one" (best case) or "two" (worst case) mentor for your

Motivation is the “why” behind our behaviors. Behavior that is usually goal-oriented. The forces that lie beneath motivation can be biological, social, emotional or cognitive in nature. There are, indeed, a plethora of inducements that cause us to act the way we act and do the things we do. They include things like quenching our thirst, reading to gain knowledge, studying to ace an exam, surpassing quotas and meeting deadlines for a promotion, etc. According to Kendra Cherry’s article on “WHAT IS MOTIVATION”, there are three components of motivation: activation, persistence and intensity. Activation is the decision to initiate a behavior. Persistence is the continued effort toward a goal even though obstacles may exist. Intensity is the

Motivation is one of the most discussed topics in the present era’s organisations, especially since renowned psychologists like Maslow and Herzberg are dedicating their efforts to understanding it. Companies are investing a significant amount of resources in improving productivity in order to maximise profits. One of these important resources is of human nature. In order to get the very best out of employees, some motivational approaches need to be used. But what is motivation and how do I successfully motivate? I will try to relate one of my personal experiences with a friend to some of the most influential motivational theories. After introducing my story and making a definition of motivation I will address the ideas of Taylor,