People are motivated by different things. Highly emotional intelligent people know what motivates them and surrounds themselves with those things. They also know what drains them and zaps their energy, so they remove or limit themself from those things that demotivate them.
If you think about it, this is a very basic philosophy about life. If you love what you do, then you never work a day in your life. At the end of the day, we all share a common goal, we want to feel good. We want to feel like we have made a difference in our life or to someone else’s life. With emotional intelligence, once we have a good handle on our emotions and know how to use these emotions in a favorable way, we will feel better at the end of the day. We actively make positive choices to fuel our tank and to energize us.
People who are emotionally intelligent are motivated by things beyond external rewards like money, status, and recognition. Instead, they have a passion to fulfill their own inner needs and goals. People with this emotional intelligence seek internal rewards, also known as intrinsic motivation, like feeling good, growth, or happiness. The question becomes, “What motivates you?” Ask yourself, “What brings you joy?” What could you do all day and at the end of the day, you could do it all over again? Do your goals align with your personal values and aspirations? This leads to a greater level of motivation, success, and satisfaction.
Here's an exercise to do to best understand your intrinsic motivators
Understanding what motivates you involves self-reflection and observation of your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in different situations. Here are some steps to help you identify your motivation:
Take time to reflect. Think about your past experiences when you felt energized, fulfilled or excited about something you were doing. What were these activities? What aspects of these experiences made you feel motivated?
Identify your values: Consider what is important to you in life. Values such as achievement, creativity, helping others, autonomy, or security can influence what motivates you. Reflect on whether your current activities align with these values.
Keep a journal: Writing down your thoughts and feelings regularly can help you track patterns in what motivates you over time. Note your reactions to different tasks, achievements, or challenges to gain deeper insights into your motivations.
Notice your emotions: Pay attention to how you feel about different tasks or goals. Positive emotions like excitement, passion, or a sense of accomplishment can indicate areas of motivation. Conversely, feelings of boredom, frustration, or disinterest may signal tasks or goals that do not align with your motivations.
Experiment and explore: Try new activities or set different goals to see what resonates with you. Notice which activities make you feel engaged and eager to continue, and which ones feel like a chore or drain your energy.
List out the things that energize you and how you can do more of that.
List out the things that de-energize / demotivate you so that you can do less of that.
By engaging in these practices, you can develop a clearer understanding of what drives you and use that knowledge to make choices and set goals that are aligned with your motivations. This self-awareness can ultimately lead to greater satisfaction and success in both personal and professional endeavors. Plan to do more of what you love.
Write it down, daily - weekly - monthly. Download a simple Daily Journal to keep track of your emotions.
Schedule a free consultation with Barbara Ann Sharon, the Chief Learning Officer of Training Edge to discuss what your are passionate about.
Email: basharon@trainingedge.com | Work: 610.454.1557