The mentally tough competitor is self-motivated and self directed. He/she does not need to be pushed from outside as he is controlled from within.
The most important and fundamental areas of mental toughness is SELF MOTIVATION.
I’ll start here with small explanations of Self Motivation, Goal Settings and subsequently end with key techniques of Self Motivation and Goal Settings.
Self-motivation is important for achieving success in work and personal life. A well-accepted explanation of human behavior is that people have needs and motives propelling them toward achieving certain goals. The central idea behind need theory is that unsatisfied needs motivate us until they become satisfied. After satisfaction of one need, the person usually pursues satisfaction of another, higher need.
Work and personal life offer the opportunity to satisfy many different needs and motives. Among the more important needs and motives are achievement, power, affiliation, recognition, and order. The need for risk taking and thrill seeking is also important for some people. Generational differences in needs have been observed, such as older people placing a higher value on security and younger people placing a higher value on risk taking.
Needs are arranged into a five-step ladder. Before higher-level needs are activated, certain lower-level needs must be satisfied. In ascending order, the groups of needs are
- Physiological
- safety
- social
- esteem
- self-actualization (such as self-fulfillment).
Need theory helps in self-motivation. First identify which needs you want to satisfy and then focus your efforts on an activity that will satisfy those needs.
Also, goals are valuable because they
(1) focus effort in a consistent direction,
(2) improve your chances for success, and
(3) improve motivation and satisfaction.
One explanation for the contribution of goals is that they create a discrepancy between what individuals have and what they aspire to achieve. Goals also create a state of arousal that readies people for accomplishment.
Goals can be aimed at either learning or proving (performing). A learning-goal orientation means that an individual is focused on acquiring new skills and mastering new situations. A proving-goal orientation is aimed at wanting to demonstrate and validate the adequacy of your competence by seeking favorable judgments of competence. People with a learning-goal orientation are more likely to seek feedback on how well they are performing, and they are more likely to have higher job performance.
Goal setting is widely used on the job. Goals set by employees at lower levels in an organization are supposed to contribute to goals set at the top. Frequently, individual employees are asked to participate in goal setting by contributing ideas of their own. An important part of goal setting, both on and off the job, is priority setting. To increase the motivational impact of goals, some managers encourage workers to track their own performances.
Effective goals are specific and concise. You should describe what you would actually be doing if you reached your goal, and goals should be realistically challenging. Set goals for different time periods and include some fantasy in your personal goal setting.
Key techniques of self-motivation include
(1) setting goals for yourself,
(2) engaging in intrinsically motivating work,
(3) getting feedback on your performance,
(4) applying behavior modification to yourself,
(5) improving your skills,
(6) raising your level of self-expectation, and
(7) developing a strong work ethic.
Achieving goals and staying motivated requires self-discipline. Developing self-discipline consists of eight components:
(1) formulate a mission statement,
(2) develop role models,
(3) develop goals for each task,
(4) develop action plans,
(5) use visual and sensory stimulation,
(6) search for pleasure within the task, and
(7) minimize excuse making.
