Stay self-motivated and success will surely follow

Khalid has been working in the same company since he graduated from university.

Today, he is in his late 40s and his company, like any other organisation, has experienced periods of great profit during the past 25 years. However, for the past few years it has struggled with financial difficulties.

And what do companies do when they are not earning profits? Restructure and rethink ways of doing business to survive. Some units have been dissolved, and others were formed to be new income generators. Some employees’ job descriptions changed overnight, and some were shifted to other departments.

Just like dealing with any form of change, Khalid had two options. He could adapt to the company’s restructuring activities and utilise his skills to help his company generate a profit, or he could be passive and wait for instructions to be given to him.

When he found out that promotions and pay raises were on hold, Khalid’s enthusiasm for his job waned and he decided to just do as asked and not bother to initiate anything until he retires.

The other day I had an interesting meeting with Khalid. From the minute I sat with him, I could sense his demotivation and hopelessness.

He blamed the company he worked at for his demotivation. Khalid said that because the company went through lots of ups and downs and because promotions were put on hold, he did not have the energy to do anything extra or suggest any new ideas. He added that he was fine with doing the bare minimum.

He then said something very interesting in that what motivates people to work are usually external factors such as money and a promotion. He said that when those cease to exist, people cannot be bothered to put in an effort anymore.

What I found interesting was the fact that so many people depend on external factors to be motivated – that they find it hard to be self-motivated. It seems there are a lot of Khalids out there.

But what they might not know is that by being self-motivated and not depending on external factors to determine their productivity, they would not be limited. Instead, they can achieve things beyond their goals. With self-motivation, income, promotions and great things follow.

When a person is self-motivated, roadblocks, recessions and other setbacks will not affect them as much because they do not depend on these external factors to excel.

People who are self-motivated are even more resilient to setbacks and challenges that arise and thus are happier.

I recently attended a leadership seminar where the trainer discussed motivation versus self-motivation. The trainer highlighted that the willingness to change and be motivated stems from within a person.

And when tough times such as a recession kick in, it is normal for people to be pushed back and be quite depressed about it. But that is where self-motivation and self-control come in handy. By controlling our thoughts, we can choose to look at the positive side of things. Even recessions and setbacks have a positive outcome.

The trainer asked us to think of positive outcomes that came out of negative situations. I looked back and remembered that after every challenge and tough time, whether at work or my writing career, something great came out at the end. Either I realised how strong and resourceful I can be when faced with what seemed to be a limited situation, or I realised how I am able to create solutions in what seemed like desperate times.

When we take a look at successful people out there such as Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, we realise that what helped them succeed was self-motivation that was based on self beliefs and values that were so important to them.

For instance, Steve Jobs wanted the average person to be able to use a computer and from that strong belief, his company Apple was born – one of the world’s leading brands. That value is what kept him motivated and pushed him to excel.

Motivation is the most important driver behind any success, but only when it comes from within. Just like happiness, we cannot depend on people or outside forces to grant it to us. Once we realise our strength and depend on ourselves to be motivated, only then will we achieve greatness in both business and life.

Manar al Hinai is an award-winning Emirati writer based in Abu Dhabi. Follow her on Twitter: @manar_alhinai

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