Building A Learning Organisation

A learning organisation is an organisation that learns and encourages learning among its people. It promotes exchange of information between employees, hence creating a more knowledgeable workforce. This produces a very flexible organisation where people will accept and adapt to new ideas and change through shared vision.

It is said that the only constant in life is change and organisations are not spared. Change brings about not only uncertainty and risks but also opportunities for growth. Those organisations that can manipulate the information available have a bigger chance to succeed. It is therefore important for everyone to be more knowledgeable about the work environment they are in. Building a learning organisation is a means to a business goal. It is not a new theory but a concept that has become an increasingly widespread philosophy in modern companies, from the largest multinationals to the smallest enterprises. It is to be applied according to the circumstances of each business, which has to cater for it at strategic and operational levels.

‘Systems Thinking’ takes a holistic approach to learning whereby not only does the organisation learn but so do all its employees, irrespective of their role within the organisation. Information has to be disseminated to all levels and does not stop at top management, thus, facilitating learning through flexibility and open communication by removing barriers to communication and adopting flatter organisational structure and design.

Therefore the message is clear: any organisation that is committed to future success must become a learning organisation in order to compete and survive. Today continuous improvement is a must. “Any organisation is only as good as its people and continuous improvement in business is about the development of people and therefore creating a learning culture.” (Sheppard)

Systems Thinking
The idea behind the concept coined ‘Systems Thinking’ in the 1950’s was that enterprises need to be aware of both the company as a whole as well as the individuals within the company – taking a holistic approach to managing. Gould-Kreutzer Associates Inc. defined it as “a framework for seeing interrelationships rather than things; to see the forest and the trees.” System Thinking therefore tries to change the managerial view so that it includes the ambitions of the individual workers, not just the business goals.

However, it was only during the 1990’s that this concept started to be taken seriously by organisations. Systems Thinking nowadays is synonymous with Peter Senge, one of the modern day gurus, who in his book “The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of The Learning Organisation” popularised the concept of the learning organisation, and referred to ‘Systems Thinking’ as the Fifth Discipline. Since its publication in 1990, more than a million copies of this book have been sold and in 1997, Harvard Business Review identified his book as one of the seminal management books of the past 75 years.

According to Senge, learning organisations are “organisations where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning to see the whole together. ”
Senge posits that the dimension that distinguishes learning from more traditional organisations is the mastery of certain basic disciplines, which he regards as a series of principles and practices that we study, master and integrate into our lives. The five disciplines that he identifies are said to be common to all learning organisations.

They are:

1. PERSONAL MASTERY. This is the discipline of ‘continually clarifying and deepening our personal vision, of focusing our energies, of developing patience, and of seeing reality objectively.

People with a high level of personal mastery live in a continual learning mode, continually clarifying and deepening their personal vision. This takes place by assessing the gap between their current knowledge and the desired knowledge, and by practising and refining skills. This develops self-esteem and creates the confidence to tackle new challenges.

2. MENTAL MODELS. These are ‘deeply ingrained assumptions, generalisations, or even pictures and images that influence how we understand the world and how we take action. ‘

The discipline of mental models starts with turning the mirror inward; learning to unearth our internal pictures of the world, to bring them to the surface and hold them rigorously to scrutiny. Every individual has his own perception of the things around him. This happens consciously and unconsciously and therefore, if team members can, through positive, constructive criticism, challenge each others’ ideas and assumptions, they can begin to perceive their mental models, and to change these to create a shared mental model for the team. This is important as the individual’s mental model will control what can or cannot be done.

3. BUILDING SHARED VISION. Senge sees this as ‘the capacity to hold a shared picture of the future we seek to create. ‘When there is a genuine vision (as opposed to the all-to-familiar ‘vision statement’), people excel and learn. To create a shared vision, large numbers of people within the organisation must draft it, empowering them to create a single image of the future. With a shared vision, people will do things because they want to, not because they have to.

4. TEAM LEARNING. Such learning is viewed as ‘the process of aligning and developing the capacities of a team to create the results its members truly desire. ‘

It builds on personal mastery and shared vision, but these are not enough. People need to be able to act together, as virtually all important decisions occur in groups. Adults learn best from each other and with team learning, the learning ability of the group becomes greater than the learning ability of any individual in the group.

5. SYSTEMS THINKING. The cornerstone of any learning organisation is this fifth discipline. This is the ability to see the bigger picture, to look at the interrelationships of a system as opposed to simple cause-effect chains.

Systems thinking shows us that the essential properties of a system are not determined by the sum of its parts but by the process of interactions between those parts. This is the discipline used to implement the other disciplines. Without it each of the disciplines would be isolated and would fail to achieve its objective.

How to build a learning organisation
The challenges facing managers in applying these five disciplines at the workplace are the following:
. Building a sound base
. Apply the Golden Rules

BUILDING A SOUND BASE
Before a Learning Organisation can be achieved, a solid foundation has to be in place. This can be implemented by taking into account the following points.

~ Awareness. Awareness of the benefits of a learning organisation must permeate to all levels not just the management level. A learning culture must be fostered among the employees that survival of the fittest depends on having a knowledgeable workforce. Change should start and be supported from top management and this ‘new’ culture should be manifested in the commitment to learning, personal development of the individual as well as valuing people and their divergent views.

~ The Environment. The right environment must be in place so that learning can take place. Centralised, mechanistic structures do not create a good environment. Organisations having organic structures are well positioned to develop into a learning organisation. An organic structure places less emphasis on giving and taking orders and more on encouraging managers and subordinates to work together in teams and to communicate openly with each other. Authority, responsibility and accountability flow to employees with the expertise required to solve problems. In a nutshell, a flat organisation, whereby communication can flow in all directions and foster innovation amongst its employees.

~ Leadership. Managers must adopt open communication management styles so that employees will be able to question and come forward with ideas. Understand that mistakes and errors are part of this process and therefore employees should not be in fear of reprimands. Managers must also provide commitment for long-term learning in the form of resources (money, personnel and time). The amount of these resources determines the quantity and quality of learning.

~ Empowerment. Employees should be empowered to take decisions and actions. Let them own the process whilst monitoring all that is happening. Only through motivation and innovation will the employees grow and learn, equal participation should be encouraged so that employees can learn from each other simultaneously. The benefits are for themselves and the organisation.

~ Learning. Company-wide training is to be made available. This may take the form of simulation case studies where brainstorming sessions will be beneficial to all participants.
APPLY THE GOLDEN RULES
The following practices and approaches can be used while managing the learning process.

1. Thrive on change. Management must not be afraid of change. There should be commitment to and focus on the things that matter most. Change is necessary and therefore clear objectives and plans must be in place. Change will translate itself into a learning opportunity.

2. Encourage experimentation. Change will bring along uncertainty and risks. Experimentation is a necessary risk. Accept mistakes as a normal process and encourage employees to come forward with ideas. Learning from mistakes is often more powerful than learning from success. The most important thing is to ‘fail intelligently’ to learn something from mistakes. Apply reviews of the whole change process and reward individual effort.

3. Communicate success and failure. Let there be a communication system of disseminating information and knowledge that reaches everyone efficiently, for example, through company journals, website, job rotation programs etc.

4. Facilitate learning from the surrounding environment. Learn from internal factors such as processes and procedures at work and find ways of how to improve learning from competitors. Avoid their mistakes and copy their well-achieved results. Can also form alliances to have a cross fertilisation of ideas. Build a relationship with customers. Apply an outside-in policy to strategies. Customers provide free advice through their complaints, suggestions and surveys. After all, the organisation survives through satisfying customers. Theirs might be the best advice.

5. Facilitate learning from employees. Offer continuous learning and multi-skilling opportunities. Remove hierarchies and empower people to experiment and take decisions. The people at the lower ranks in an organisation are the ones who know most of the problems within the business. This means that more often than not, the employees themselves know what needs to be done to improve the business.

6. Reward learning. Have a proper performance appraisal system to reward those employees who are embracing the learning culture to boost morale. Remember that everybody wants their work to be appreciated. Make sure therefore that individual performance is linked with organisational performance.

7. Intentionally retrieve and retain company memory. It is important to keep a record of processes and achievements so that learning will not be lost; it can be passed on to those coming later on into the company and also the company can refer back to information held. The learning process must be planned and objectives for it set. It must be monitored and reviewed all the time.

Through the learning organisation process people will develop, the brains of all employees are switched on, not just those of the few, and a feel good factor is created through greater motivation. A more flexible workforce evolves by building organisations fit for human beings. People will become more creative and social interaction will improve. Teams and groups will work better through knowledge sharing, becoming more interdependent, increasing responsibility at all levels and developing an entrepreneurial spirit. The company will benefit from better customer relations, the breaking down of traditional communication barriers, and from the increased creativity and innovation of its people that should give it a competitive edge.

Employee Motivation - The VERY Easy Way!

We all like to be acknowledged, but for thousands, even millions of employees, such recognision never happens.

From one day to the next, there are no positive messages for their contribution - yet as their boss, you can do this - and it will pay untold benefit for your business, organisation and, of course, you and your people.

Encouraged by the recognition, Sarah Lewsiton went home from work that day, full of self-belief and wonder that she had made the leap at last.

In her last job, she had always felt that she was unsuitable, in fact below par, for the place. On her very first day at this new job, it was different. On the very first day, her supervisor had recognised her in a way that no-one had done before.

At 17, she had gone into the workplace ready to conquer the world. A positive girl, she had never understood that her hard work, unstoppable enthusiasm and keen willingness might not be enough.

At the last place, where she had worked for nearly two years, they had, subtly, yet consistently, knocked that out of her, through criticising, embarrassing and slighting her.

So much so, that she had changed to be cynical, sceptical and sarcastic. In the end they had to part, badly, and it had taken a few weeks for Sarah to build the courage to go for another job.

Yet on the very first day in the new place, someone had made her day, just by saying two little words - ‘Well done’.

In life, especially in our busy workplaces, there sometimes seems to be no time to say, ‘Well done’.

Yet we all know how it feels when we are on the receiving end, just as Sarah did. It costs nothing, except a few moments and a bit of focus - but it makes the world of difference.

For Sarah Lewsiton, tomorrow would be another good day, because the culture was naturally supportive, encouraging and enlightened. And her place of work would come to benefit over the years she would stay.

She would contribute more, become a great team player, work well when delegated to and have simple, yet constructive ideas about how to take the business forward.

Two little words, ‘Well Done’ - that’s all it takes.

Motivation and Dieting- What’s the missing link?

If you are like everyone else who has hit rock bottom with their
weight struggles, and have declared that this day will be the
first day of your diet, then this article is for you. To often
it seems that most dieters jump on the weight loss boat, yet
fail to bring along a months pass. Instead, they are usually on
the boat for a couple of days, or maybe a week at best.

We all have the motivation to lose weight and look good. Some of
us even diet for medical reasons. Whatever reasons motivate you
to lose weight, hold onto them. To many of us fall victim to
that one cheat day, or that one hour where we fall off the boat
and can’t get back on. My experiences with people just like that
have shed some light on that missing element that makes people
fall prey to losing their diet focus.

Consistency. Motivation is directly tied to dieting through
consistency. If we feel that we are not seeing results based on
our diet after a few days, or if we hit a plateau soon into the
program, then we start succumbing to inconsistent eat habits. We
eat whenever, usually whatever, and feel like crap afterwards.
Sure, it absolutely feels good giving in and munching up what we
have been starving our bodies throughout the diet, but usually
what happens later is that we feel bad emotionally about what we
just did and how hard we worked to avoid this behavior in the
first place.

By getting it into our heads at the outset of the diet, that
this process is a marathon and not a sprint, then we can
reinforce our consistent dieting patterns and thus stay
motivated to stay on the diet. We even get more motivated when
we start seeing results. How do we see results?

Yep. By being consistent in our diet methods.

Whether it is drinking a gallon of water religiously throughout
the day (which reminds me, I need to get up from this computer
and do just that!) or eating 5 small meals through out the day
at certain times, these events lend themselves to helping you
stay consistent.

What you will notice after several months of doing this, is that
your mental resolve to stay on the diet is incredible. Much
stronger than what you started with. Another result you will see
is that by altering your body’s eating habits and forcing your
metabolism to process certain foods at certain times, the pounds
come off at a faster rate. This, my friends, is the desired goal
in ANY diet. Stay healthy and stay consistent. I’m rooting right
along with you!

Exercise & Motivation, Part 3: Keeping it Going

THE NEXT STAGE: ACTION

The next stage of Prochaska’s Transtheoretical model - ‘Action’ - kicks in once you’ve started taking (you guessed it) action.

If you’re in this stage, you’re ready to make changes - and now. In the Action stage, you know where you want to be, how you’ll get there, and you’ve started (or are about to start) doing something get you moving.  You’ve made it past the first major sticking point -overcoming inertia, but that doesn’t mean it’ll be an easy ride from here. No matter how good your intentions, starting a routine isn’t the same as maintaining it. Obstacles - whether small (like an invitation to do something at a time you’d planned on working out) or large (like falling ill or injuring yourself) - are going to come up.

DEALING WITH OBSTACLES

When you encounter an obstacle, take a little time out to reconnect with your main goal and your reasons for wanting to achieve it.  Remember why you’re exercising in the first place. How could you still achieve your goal, and find ways around this new obstacle? Your journal can be your friend here - use it to reflect back over why something may have ended up being more difficult than expected, and to brainstorm ideas for different ways to move forward. You can also use it to proactively motivate yourself before obstacles appear - to track your progress in whatever area you’d like to see yourself improving.

GET OTHERS INVOLVED

If you haven’t already, create an exercise routine that gets friends or family involved. Studies have shown that people whose friends or family support their goals are far more likely to achieve them, and it’s hard not to feel supported when people you care about are working out alongside you. Not only that, but if you’ve agreed to meet your ‘workout buddy’ for an exercise session, you make it that much harder to let them down by deciding at the last minute you just can’t be bothered today.
 
MAKE DEALS WITH YOURSELF

If you’re having trouble summoning the motivation to get out the door, promise yourself you don’t have to finish your workout if you don’t want to. Decide that you only have to complete the first ten minutes, and then, if you really don’t feel like keeping at it, give yourself permission to pack up and go home again. Most of the time, just getting out the door and starting will be enough. For a short term motivational quick-fix, don’t underestimate the power of bribery!  Identify three or four different little things that bring you pleasure, and promise yourself you’ll take time out and indulge in at least one of them if you complete your workout as scheduled.

GET HELP!

Finally, if you’re noticing increasing difficulty motivating yourself despite trying all of the above suggestions, consider talking to a personal trainer near you. A big part of qualifying as a trainer involves not just learning specific exercises, but learning how to keep clients motivated. If cost is an issue for you, think seriously about hiring an online trainer. Generally, online training is far more reasonably priced than face-to-face training - and if all you’re wanting is someone to keep you enthusiastic and accountable, it means you’re not paying for services you don’t need. 

In next issue’s conclusion to our Exercise & Motivation series, we look at the final stage of Prochaska’s model - and what to do if you find yourself in the dreaded ‘Relapse’ stage.  Until then, may every day bring you closer to your optimum life!

Note: This is Part 3 of a 4-part article series.  You can find Parts 1 and 2 at http://optimumlife.co.nz/Fitness_Articles.htm.

Your Motivation for Success

If you are someone who follows my article posts, you may have noticed that I haven’t written so many lately…Why? Okay, excuse time! It’s summertime, I love the sun, being outdoors, and being active, and this has been one of our very few heat-wave type summers! No, that doesn’t mean I have lost my motivation to be successful at my online business, but let’s face it, we all go through ups and downs, productive times and unproductive times – and this maybe isn’t my most productive time of year. Maybe it’s a good thing I live in Canada where there are four seasons and not just one hot, sun-sizzling summer year round! Yes, I am truly blessed to be where I am. As much as I love the outdoors and enjoying the beauty and solitude of the Rocky Mountains, I also have a pretty strong work ethic that makes me want to be the best I can be at the online business that I have started. At times like these it is tough to stay motivated, but that’s precisely when you have to take charge of your self and the direction you are headed.

A lot of motivation has to do with your attitude about yourself, your life, and your direction. You know what I’m going to say…If it’s the pits, then so is your level of motivation. Attitude is not only about the state of mind you are in – it’s also about taking action. You not only have to think what it takes, you have to do what it takes to get your desired results. What some people don’t realize is that a lot of what it takes to have a positive attitude is all about self-maintenance. Taking care of your physical, spiritual, emotional, mental, and intellectual self is the key to maintaining a healthy attitude that leads to success. Simply having an awareness of what motivates, challenges, and inspires you can give you the energy and passion you need to do what it takes.

I know it’s not easy to always stay positive. Truth be known, I have always been very strong, but never the perfect model of positive thinking. I am working on it though, and the more I learn about success, internet marketing, and personal development, the more I feel changes taking place within me that feel good and that I know are steps in the right direction. It’s important to engage yourself in continuous, life-long learning in any area that interests you. But when you make an investment in yourself and your success, then you are doing yourself a huge favor.

You never really become a true master of yourself as things change, people change, and circumstances change. That’s why learning is a life-long process. Once it stops, you stop growing, and when you stop growing, you are stuck with negativity, which always finds a way of sneaking in and taking hold of you. So keep your learning in check, and keep yourself in check. When you have mastered this concept, then you can take things a step further by realizing the importance of giving something to others, or making a contribution. When you do things for other people, you have found a cause greater than yourself, and this can only make you better.

Be sure to know why you are doing what you are doing. It may be tedious to write down what you want out of life, but when you have it in writing, you can read it over and over again when times get tough, as a reminder of what you’re shooting for. Our minds can be nasty sometimes – flooding us with negative thoughts that can completely take over. We need constant reminders, just like a refresher course they offer in schools. Even though we already know the concepts and know what it takes, how we have to think, and what to do, there are just too many outside influences that affect our thinking, and our attitudes. Writing what we want down on paper, and keeping it in front of us where we can read it often will help us stay focused, motivated and successful. This article is my partial written word of inspiration to keep me learning and motivated. I hope it helps you too!

Focus on Others to Feel Better Yourself - 5 Kindness Motivation Tips

Many times we can be guilty of focusing mostly on our troubles
and worries. It can become an effort to do the everyday things
like washing dishes, mowing the lawn, feeding the kids a decent
meal. Is there a way to overcome these feelings that keep us
down and unwilling to do the things we need to do? Is there a
way to get back on track emotionally and make a difference at
the same time?

One surefire way to get your mind off your troubles and to make a
difference is to stop focusing on yourself and focus instead
on someone else and their needs. There are countless people who
very seldom receive any kindness or thoughtful treatment; many
who need to know they matter to someone; many who need to know
someone cares. You can make a difference and lift your spirits
all at one time!

Once you’ve decided to take this step, what do you do? Below are
five kindness motivation tips from the free e-book, “101 Ways
to Change the World.”

1. Everyone needs friendship (even you).

â?¢ Spend an afternoon with someone you know is lonely and don’t
make it just a one-time visit.

â?¢ Send them notes.

â?¢ Become a lifeline for just that one person.

2. Find a kid who needs to know they matter - unfortunately,
there are way too many of them.

â?¢ Determine to make that kid know someone believes they are
special.

â?¢ Send a card or note every week (at least).

â?¢ If you know what they are interested in, send them articles
about it.

â?¢ Send stories that will build self-confidence and inspire them
to be all they can be.

â?¢ Most of all let them know you care. Imagine how much it means
to feel special - especially to a child who seldom receives any
kindness, small gifts or hugs.

3. Share flowers or vegetables from your garden

â?¢ Take some to an elderly neighbor who can no longer garden.

â?¢ Take some to a friend going through a hard time.

â?¢ Drop them off at a neighbor’s house â??just because

4. Become an email Pen Pal with someone - it is so easy to send
daily e-mails in order to make a difference in someone’s life.
You could email:

â?¢ A kid in a detention enter

â?¢ Someone in a Nursing Home

â?¢ Someone with special needs who can’t leave home

â?¢ A foster child

â?¢ Kids in an orphanage

5. Put gift certificates in a special card or note. Go to your
local:

â?¢ Bowling alley

â?¢ Skating rink

â?¢ Amusement park, etc.

â?¢ Ask them to give you free coupons you can share with kids who
need to know that someone cares and who need a little
kindness.

Many of the bad things happening in our world are done by
people who never believed they mattered. No one took the time to
show kindness or let them know they are special. Just one act -
changing a person’s anger and sadness with your love - can have
a far-reaching impact!

Use these five kindness motivation tips to start your own ideas
flowing. For more motivation tips, download the e-book, “101 Ways
to Change the World” and choose one or more motivation tips
to get started. You’ll find the e-book at
http://www.101WaysSeries.com You’ll certainly make a difference
to someone each time you use these motivation tips - because
showing kindness is contagious!

Exercise & Motivation, Part 4: Maintenance & Relapse

WHAT ARE THE MAINTENANCE AND RELAPSE STAGES?

In the maintenance stage, you’ve been exercising regularly for long enough that it’s become a habit. You’ve created a routine that works for you, and (if you’re doing it right), you’ve started seeing the benefits you originally wanted in your life.  There are still a few traps that can derail you, though. When this happens, and you find yourself no longer exercising, you’re in Prochaska’s â??Relapse’ stage.

Most â??traps’ will either involve a change in your life circumstances, a change in your goals, or a combination of both - so if you’ve been exercising regularly for a while and suddenly find motivating yourself difficult, ask yourself what’s changed.

CHANGES IN CIRCUMSTANCE

If your circumstances have altered, you’ll usually be well aware of what’s happened and how it’s affected your motivation. For example - you might enjoy exercising in a gym, then take a sudden drop in income that doesn’t allow you to keep your gym membership. Your working hours might change, making your original workout timeslot unavailable.

Someone you exercise with might decide to stop, or you might injure yourself somehow.  All these things will disrupt what was an effective routine, and if you don’t actively plan to work around the disruption, it can sap your motivation to keep exercising. 

If this applies to you, imagine you were back in the Contemplation stage, and look at the motivation suggestions for this stage. Revisit your main goal for exercising. Is it still valid? If so, move through the suggestions for the Preparation stage. Your initial â??how’ no longer works - so what needs to change? If you can no longer keep the routine that used to work, what can you still do that’s convenient, enjoyable and affordable?  If you’ve kept a fitness journal, go back through the entries you made when you were setting up your routine. What did you think of to try then (and didn’t end up using) that you could experiment with now?

CHANGES IN GOALS

If your circumstances haven’t changed, it’s likely your goals have. Perhaps your initial goals aren’t relevant any longer? If this is the case, don’t beat yourself up about it - instead, ask yourself what you *do* want now. Perhaps you started off enthusiastic about training for a triathlon, but quickly found the required time and effort unbalanced your life. Perhaps you began wanting to lose 20kg, then realised as you had to replace your entire wardrobe that you actually preferred being curvy - now you just want to feel healthy and energetic.  Remember, it’s your life and no-one can tell you what your goals should be.  It’s OK for goals to change - what’s not OK is to keep grimly putting time and effort into something you don’t actually want any more.

Remember there’s a difference between wanting to take a day off, and losing long term motivation.  Part of any successful plan is allowing yourself occasional rest days. Taking one or two every week doesn’t mean you’ve moved into Relapse - in fact it’s necessary to avoid overtraining. It’s also OK to vary your workout intensity from week to week - alternating weeks of pushing yourself with weeks of coasting. This strategy (called â??periodisation’ when it’s done to a specific plan) is actually far more effective for reaching fitness goals than pushing yourself as hard as you can every single workout.  If you’re starting consistently skip workouts though, you need to figure out why and do something about it.

GETTING HELP WITH MOTIVATION

Finally, as we suggested for those in the Action stage, if it’s getting harder to stay motivated despite all of the above suggestions, think about working with a personal trainer.  In fact, a trainer can help you manage your motivational difficulties whatever stage of Prochaska’s model you’re at (or even if you’re not quite sure where you are right now!)  If you’ve thought about hiring a trainer in the past, but the time has never been right, Optimum Life Ltd has an offer that might convince you to finally make the investment in yourself, your health, and your happiness. If you e-mail us on mailto:optimumlife@xtra.co.nz during October, you’ll be able to sign up for a full Total Fitness Membership at a 25% discount - only $US30 per month (when you consider that most trainers charge between $50-100 per session, you can see why it’s such good value!)

As you can see from this article series, the question of how to motivate yourself to exercise isn’t an easy one to answer (if it was, we’d all be exercising regularly, and there’d be no need for this article!). The best way to motivate yourself depends very much on where in the stages of change you are at the moment with respect to exercise.  Figure out where you are in the model, then try the relevant suggestions for getting yourself moving. If you have any questions, comments or feedback, please don’t hesitate to contact us - we’d  love to hear from you. Otherwise, may every day bring you closer to your Optimum Life.

When Motivation Counts

Have you stopped to think just how short life really is? Do you realize that every day you spend worrying or feeling bad about yourself is one more day that you are putting off being happy? If you are ever to get the most out of life, now is the time to start. Is there a dream, purpose, or accomplishment you have desired for a long time? Then now is the time that motivation counts!

What are the components of a life worth living? Many people would say that their relationship with their spouse and their children are an important part of what makes their life worthwhile. Do keep this in mind, though. Family life and marriage are not always easy. It requires that you put time in with those special people. It requires you to learn to be patient and keep your cool, too. Right now is the time to get motivated and start taking that weekly date with your spouse. Right now is the time to start having dinner with your kids and talking about their day. Now is the time motivation counts!

If you’re single, you don’t have to give up hope. You can know that fulfillment, too. The person you eventually attract will depend a lot on the person you are. A good rule of thumb is to be the person you desire to make your mate. In other words, do you want someone who is patient and loyal? Honest and humble? Virtuous and hard-working? Then be those things yourself. Then get out there and meet people. Or go online. With today’s internet options, there is no reason everyone can’t find Mr. or Ms. Right. But now is the time to get motivated and work toward that dream. Motivation counts now!

Another thing that makes life worth living is having the ability to have fun. This can mean having enough money to take vacations and the like, and with motivation, you might be able to have the money you want. However, if you don’t learn to relax and enjoy what you have, the money itself might never really bring you the fun you crave. An easy-going, up-beat, contented attitude goes farther than money when it comes to having fun. If you don’t have this type of outlook, then now is the time to get motivated and become more positive. Now is when motivation counts!

Almost everyone is required to work in order to have food on the table and a roof over their head. If your job makes you miserable, then even with a great family and lots of fun, you’re going to be putting in forty hours a week of misery. How can you improve this picture? Do you need to look for a job in a different line of work? Or would a successful work-at-home business be perfect for you? If your income or work tasks are unsatisfactory to you, then it’s time to push yourself a little to make a change. Motivation counts now!

So when does motivation count? Maybe a better question would be, when doesn’t it count?

How to Find Motivation for Oneself?

Motivation is often a key element of success in any activity. An old saying goes, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way”; paraphrasing it a bit we may say that “Where there’s a motivation, there’s a way”. Indeed, one can hardly achieve remarkable results in any job or whatever if one does not feel like doing it. Results of researches in psychology prove that most people perform well when they know why they are doing this or that and when they know what they want to achieve eventually.

Indeed, when one has not interest and, subsequently, no motivation, one will not work and develop oneself. We can compare motivation to the core, around which everything is rotating. In our case, â??everything’ comprises your activity. So, if you want to get a success in any form of doings, you first need to tell yourself why you need to do this. Motivation is a powerful engine, which makes mechanism move. But how acquire motivation if you do not have such? In such cases psychologists advice to set goals, which may be kind of benchmarks of your progress. Probably all people have periods of personal serious stagnation. They do not know what to do; they do not know what they want from life. On the one hand, they feel satisfied, because they do not demonstrate any desire to go ahead; but on the other hand, they are deeply dissatisfied with everything they have but try to hide this. Thus, facing a necessity to find some job, they simply don’t feel like doing it. What is the possible way out? Well, under such circumstances, one has to take a pen and a piece of paper, think of what he or she wants from life in general and write down those thoughts. There are really few people who do not want happiness or comfort or self-actualization. So, you’ve got some desires? Then think of possible ways to make your desires realized. Again, a very good option here is to write down all ideas, even those that seem crazy at first. Brainstorm yourself and something will come out of it. For some people money and nice payment may become a very influential motivation to work, for instance. Others may wish something more abstract. Actually, it doesn’t matter a lot if you strive for abstract or specific. The key principle is your motivation or, better to say, presence of motivation. Popular psychological books offer a lot of various tips for encouragement, personal development, etc. Anyone can try those pieces of advice. However, only a person himself or herself can get out of motivation stagnation, overcome it and move ahead. That doesn’t mean that you do not have to stimulate your friends and try to help them find motivation. All options should be in use and tried.

Lacking interest and impulse, you may feel absolutely distressed and not in mood to seek motivation. Just recollect what you were dreaming about in the childhood or your plans of near past. Life brings many opportunities and it is really bad if you lose them, being stuck in depression. Motivate yourself with setting goals and you will definitely enjoy the process.

A Look At Intrinsic Motivation

Intrinsic motivation is when an individual is motivated by internal factors, as opposed to external factors.

Examples of intrinsic motivation would be doing something because you feel it is the moral and ethical thing to do; doing something because you know it will benefit others or doing something because it brings you pleasure and joy.

The latter is common in regards to an enjoyable pastime or a hobby.

It is believed that intrinsic motivation is far stronger than extrinsic motivation however there are times when extrinsic motivation can become stronger because it displaces intrinsic motivation.

This is known as the overjustification effect. For example this occurs when you begin doing something for intrinsic reasons and then are offered monies or another type of reward for doing it that overrides the reason you started doing it in the first place.

In many cases when this happens, a person loses interest in the activity once the reward is taken away. The key is to not offer large extrinsic rewards for something that is meant to be motivated intrinsically (in other words, from within).

Intrinsic motivation has been widely studied by researchers in the realm of education since the start of the 1970s and their findings have been that when students are intrinsically motivated to do well in school, they tend to perform better, make higher marks and they also tend to enjoy the material they are learning a great deal more.

A man named Bernard Weiner created a theory known as the “Attribution Theory” and he looked at such things as the orientation of goals and the locus of control (internal and external).

As an aside, an internal locus of control is when a person believes that they have control over what happens to them whereas an external locus of control means that a person believes that control is outside of themselves and has more to do with extraneous factors as opposed to their own actions.

According to Bernard Weiner, students are much more likely to possess intrinsic motivation in their studies if they feel that their educational achievements have more to do with their own efforts as opposed to anything else.

As well students will experience intrinsic motivation if they feel that they play a paramount role in attaining their own personal educational goals as opposed to feeling as those it has more to do with luck or simply a “roll of the dice.” Finally when students have motivation that comes from within they will work harder to completely understand and master a given subject as opposed to simply learning the work at hand so they can pass a test or exam and then forgetting it afterwards.

Keep in mind that intrinsic motivation holds no promise of rewards for students as opposed to extrinsic motivation, which is all about rewards.

Many decades of research has given rise to a theory known as “Goal Theory” which has shown that intrinsic motivation in some communities and groups is altruistic in nature as the desire to help others and contribute to the greater whole is the number one motivator.

When a person appeals to the common good or does something based on a moral obligation or commitment to others this is when intrinsic motivation is shown to be alive and well in the world.