In writing this article I grappled with several questions and asked myself: What is my motive for writing an article about motivation? What is it I want my readers to realize about Motivation? and what behavior do I want them to exhibit after they read this article pertaining to Motivation? So with those and several other questions in mind, I begin my research.
Motivation is basically our human needs, reasons, and or desires that determines our behavior. In essence, motivation is the cause or reason that influence our actions or human behavior. It is the reason we act the way we do. Two of our basic desires are to minimize or avoid pain and maximum pleasure. Subsequently, we may have the desire to start a home based business to minimize the affect of a potential job lay-off.; and to maximize the experience of having more time with our family along with the potential to create an unlimited monthly income. Therefore, these reasons motivate (influence) us to engage in our home-based business whether it be network marketing, internet marketing (affiliate/information product), and or direct sells. We have these internal reasons or desires to continue our work at home even when we sometimes ask ourselves, "what are you doing?"
There are several Motivational Concepts or Needs Theories but the one that I can identify with is American psychologist Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Human Needs Theory. Maslow theory states that we all have needs. These are basic survival needs, mental needs, and then there is the highest need to fulfill our life goal or dream. His theory states, we cannot progress to the next level of needs until the lower need is minimally satisfied. Our wants and desires influence our behavior to get these needs met.
The following is Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory listed from the basic - lowest to the most complex - highest:
Physiological - These are basic needs all humans seek, i.e. food, rest, shelter, clothing. A person who is hungry and perhaps homeless is not necessarily overly concerned with the next level of needs until these basic survival needs are met. Their primary objective is food for the day and some form of shelter for the night.
Safety - This need according to Maslow becomes a motivating factor once our physiological needs have been fulfilled. We have food, shelter, and clothing now we are concerned about being "safe" and feel protected. We want to be protected from a job lost which could cause severe pain...
Belongingness - I like to call this the need for relationships - we need some type of companion. Once our basic needs are met and we feel safe and protected from "harms way" now we are ready to share our lives with someone or something. We have a need to be loved.
Esteem - or Self Esteem is an individual's feeling of their worth. I would say it is similar to self-respect, self-worth, and self-regard. Typically, we all want to be respected and feel valuable and beneficial to others. We have the need to be recognized and appreciated. Essentially, we have to exemplify respect, worthiness, and possess a high regard for ourselves in our behavior in order to receive it from others.
Self-Actualization - this is the final level of psychological development and only a few individuals reach this level. According to Maslow's theory, "it gave individuals a desire or motivation to achieve budding potential". This is when we fulfill our heart desire our dream and reach our full potential. When we get to this point in life we feel we are living life on Purpose, we are doing what we were created to do. I am so thankful because this is where I believe I am ;-). It was not an easy journey but I am so grateful I have the desire the need to purse my dream and to continue my journey. There have been some highs and some real low lows but I am so appreciative that my desire to continue this journey and be successful far out weighs the fear (pain) of failure. .
So lets go back to my original questions: My motive for writing an article on Motivation was to explain to my readers that there are certain needs, desires that are in us and in an effort to fulfill those desires, our behavior my be misunderstood. I want my readers to realize that your motivation determines your behavior or actions. Nevertheless, all of us are not at the same psychological development level, according to Maslow's Needs Theory. Thus, at times it may be incomprehensible to some people why our actions are not similar to theirs. If our basic physical and mental psychological needs have been minimally satisfied; we then have a motivation (need or desire) to pursue our life goals and dreams. Conversely, there are others who may be operating in fear; they have a need for safety and to be protected from economic loss - fearing lost of income. The answer to the third question I want this article to motive my readers to be proactive rather than reactive; waiting for a job lay-off and then struggling to meet your financial obligations. Start educating yourself about the internet and start an online home-based business. There are several online business opportunities that are either free or have an extremely low start-up cost.
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