Get an understanding of different types of motivation. This helps in making sense of your sometimes seemingly erratic accomplishment levels in different aspects life!

As you observed on self motivation tips page, at a high level, there can be either fear-based motivation or purpose-based motivation. 
Now, let us dive a bit deeper and see various triggers for motivation.There are six types of motivation.

Six Types of Motivation: 

1. Achievement: This is an intrinsic thing. A burning desire to achieve certain goal can be one of the most power motivations. When you set a goal worthy of you and keep thinking about it day in and day out, it soon becomes an allconsuming desire and this alone can drive you to achieve any goal you set for yourself. You should take the time to find your life purpose, and then embark on the process of setting and achieving goals.
   
   
2. Change: It is the drive to bring about a change in your environment. This is usually a result of frustration with the way things are and you want to change it for the better. This causes you to think of a better place you want to be rather than where you are currently. Intensity is determined by the level of frustration and commitment to make a change. This is usually a good time to validate your personal core values and see what and how you want to change.
   
   
3. Power: This is the drive to influence others to get what you want. This is mostly observedin Politics and intensely competitive work place. You have heard the phrase ‘Power Hungry’. This is a strong motivational force which could affect the people immensely (positive or negative if not directed properly). Entrepreneurs are typically driven by a combination of Achievement and Power motivation.
   
   
4. Incentive: It is the drive to perform a task in anticipation of a reward. This is the ‘carrot’ piece of ‘carrot and stick approach’ used by some managers. This is very temporary and may not get the best and sincere efforts. If you are one of those managers in a dire need to keep the team motivated to complete a project, you are best served by enrolling your team on the true purpose of the project and get them emotionally involved rather than short term incentives. But remember, this type of motivation may be necessary in some situations. There is nothing wrong in using this approach as long as you know that this is temporary.
   
   
   
5. Fear: In some situations, you may be driven to do certain task out of fear (of losing job or losing friendship or trust). In the work environment, some managers use this tactic. This is the ‘stick’ part of the carrot and stick approach’.  Like Incentive, this is also temporary. If you are currently performing certain task out of fear, it is a clear indication that it is something you don’t want to do. You should take a step back and think. Is it really worth it? It is possible you may need to do this task out of sheer necessity. You should tread this situation carefully and make a conscious and deliberate effort to get out of this situation as quickly as possible. Just remember that doing anything out of fear is not in harmony withyour life purpose.
   
   
6. Social: This is anexternal driver. Intense desire to be recognized by others (either as an equal or part of a group). If you constantly worry about being accepted or appreciated by others, it is likely that actions you take are geared towards pleasing others. This is a social or affiliate motivation. While there may be circumstances that require you to act this way, you need to watch out for this behavior as this may be distracting you from what you truly want to accomplish in your life. Review your personal core values once in a while to stay the course.
   

In summary, there are various types of motivation and in order to truly live a charmed life, you need to constantly evaluate what motivates you. If you uncover any fear based motivation, take action immediately.

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