The Power of Motivate

How To Motivate Yourself - Self Motivation

2008-11-26T06:20:00.000-08:00

Staying motivated is a struggle — our drive is constantly assaulted by negative thoughts and anxiety about the future. Everyone faces doubt and depression. What separates the highly successful is the ability to keep moving forward.

There is no simple solution for a lack of motivation. Even after beating it, the problem reappears at the first sign of failure. The key is understanding your thoughts and how they drive your emotions. By learning how to nurture motivating thoughts, neutralize negative ones, and focus on the task at hand, you can pull yourself out of a slump before it gains momentum.

Reasons We Lose Motivation
There are 3 primary reasons we lose motivation.
Lack of confidence - If you don’t believe you can succeed, what’s the point in trying?
Lack of focus - If you don’t know what you want, do you really want anything?
Lack of direction - If you don’t know what to do, how can you be motivated to do it?

How to Boost Confidence
The first motivation killer is a lack of confidence. When this happens to me, it’s usually because I’m focusing entirely on what I want and neglecting what I already have. When you only think about what you want, your mind creates explanations for why you aren’t getting it. This creates negative thoughts. Past failures, bad breaks, and personal weaknesses dominate your mind. You become jealous of your competitors and start making excuses for why you can’t succeed. In this state, you tend to make a bad impression, assume the worst about others, and lose self confidence.

The way to get out of this thought pattern is to focus on gratitude. Set aside time to focus on everything positive in your life. Make a mental list of your strengths, past successes, and current advantages. We tend to take our strengths for granted and dwell on our failures. By making an effort to feel grateful, you’ll realize how competent and successful you already are. This will rejuvenate your confidence and get you motivated to build on your current success.

It might sound strange that repeating things you already know can improve your mindset, but it’s amazingly effective. The mind distorts reality to confirm what it wants to believe. The more negatively you think, the more examples your mind will discover to confirm that belief. When you truly believe that you deserve success, your mind will generate ways to achieve it. The best way to bring success to yourself is to genuinely desire to create value for the rest of the world.

Developing Tangible Focus
The second motivation killer is a lack of focus. How often do you focus on what you don’t want, rather than on a concrete goal? We normally think in terms of fear. I’m afraid of being poor. I’m afraid no one will respect me. I’m afraid of being alone. The problem with this type of thinking is that fear alone isn’t actionable. Instead of doing something about our fear, it feeds on itself and drains our motivation.

If you’re caught up in fear based thinking, the first step is focusing that energy on a well defined goal. By defining a goal, you automatically define a set of actions. If you have a fear of poverty, create a plan to increase your income. It could be going back to school, obtaining a higher paying job, or developing a profitable website. The key is moving from an intangible desire to concrete, measurable steps.

By focusing your mind on a positive goal instead of an ambiguous fear, you put your brain to work. It instantly begins devising a plan for success. Instead of worrying about the future you start to do something about it. This is the first step in motivating yourself to take action. When know what you want, you become motivated to take action.

Developing Direction
The final piece in the motivational puzzle is direction. If focus means having an ultimate goal, direction is having a day-to-day strategy to achieve it. A lack of direction kills motivation because without an obvious next action we succumb to procrastination. An example of this is a person who wants to have a popular blog, but who spends more time reading posts about blogging than actually writing articles.

The key to finding direction is identifying the activities that lead to success. For every goal, there are activities that pay off and those that don’t. Make a list of all your activities and arrange them based on results. Then make a make an action plan that focuses on the activities that lead to big returns. To continue the example from above, a blogger’s list would look something like this:

Write content
Research relevant topics
Network with other bloggers
Optimize design and ad placements
Answer comments and email
Read other blogs

Keeping track of your most important tasks will direct your energy towards success. Without a constant reminder, it’s easy to waste entire days on filler activities like reading RSS feeds, email, and random web surfing.

When my motivation starts to wane, I regain direction by creating a plan that contains two positive actions. The first one should be a small task you’ve been meaning to do, while the second should be a long-term goal. I immediately do the smaller task. This creates positive momentum. After that I take the first step towards achieving the long-term goal. Doing this periodically is great for getting out of a slump, creating positive reinforcement, and getting long-term plans moving.

It’s inevitable that you’ll encounter periods of low energy, bad luck, and even the occasional failure. If you don’t discipline your mind, these minor speed bumps can turn into mental monsters. By being on guard against the top 3 motivation killers you can preserve your motivation and propel yourself to success.

Sustaining Self Motivation

2008-11-26T06:19:00.001-08:00

If you’re anything like me then you experience motivation in waves. One day you’ll feel unstoppable and eager to work, as if success is a certainty. A few days later your confidence will drop and you’ll start to drag your feet and feel discouraged, hopeless, or worse — indifferent.

These ups and downs are a natural part of life, but if you don’t work to minimize the downs you’ll reach a plateau. If every positive step is followed by a down slide, the net gain is minimal. The key to reaching your highest potential is stringing together positive steps and constantly accelerating forward.

Find Friends Along the Way

2008-11-26T06:18:00.001-08:00

For people with ambition who operate in a competitive environment, the natural reaction is to view competitors with animosity. There will always be someone who has more than you, who’s making faster progress, or who’s generating more buzz.

While your competitive fire can help increase motivation in bursts, over the long-haul, this form of self-centered negative motivation doesn’t last. For one, it isn’t enjoyable to associate progress with negativity, and secondly, you’ll cut yourself off from from collaboration.

In most cases, life is not a zero-sum game. Another person’s success does nothing to detract from yours and frequently enhances it. Instead of making rivalries, develop friendships. Your competitors are usually the people you can relate the most to. Do what you can to help them. Share advice and recognize good work. This type of giving not only inspires others to return the favor, but it creates an infectious feeling of goodwill around you and your projects. People are attracted to positive vibes.

t’s also important to find happiness and motivation in the mundane. Every day I get dozens of emails through this site, some are random questions or requests for advice, but many are just people saying hello. I could look at all these emails as “something to deal with” but I do my best to answer every single one and make a connection in the process. Enjoying these small personal interactions reminds me of why I started doing this to begin with.

Go Easy On Yourself

2008-11-26T06:17:00.000-08:00

Inevitably there will be failures and set backs that humble and demoralize you. In these times it’s important to understand that every failure is a success. Each failure means that you stepped out of hiding and took a risk — something most people never dare to do. This makes you brave, the fact you have survived makes you resilient, and if you’ve learned something, that makes you smarter as well.

It’s important to recognize causes of failure and areas of personal weakness, but constantly deprecating yourself will only decrease your motivation. When criticizing yourself, do it gently, the same way to you would with a subordinate who’s confidence you want to build. Recognize shortcomings, but dwell on strengths and accomplishments. Even if you’ve fallen short of a particular goal there is always something you can build on.

Motivation

2008-11-26T05:52:00.000-08:00

Ask any person who is successful in whatever he or she is doing what motivates him/her, and very likely the answer will be "goals". Goal Setting is extremely important to motivation and success. So what motivates you? Why are you in college? If you are in college because that's what your parents want, you may find it difficult to motivate yourself. Sure, it's possible to succeed with someone else providing the motivation for you. ("If you graduate from college, I'll give you a car!" or worse "If you don't graduate from college, you won't get a car.") But motivation that comes from within really makes the difference.

Certainly, you need some intelligence, knowledge base, study skills, and time management skills, but if you don't have motivation, you won't get far. Think about this analogy. You have a car with a full tank of gas, a well-tuned engine, good set of tires, quadraphonic CD system, and a sleek, polished exterior. There it sits. This car has incredible potential. (Have you heard that before?) However, until a driver sits behind the wheel, puts the key in the ignition, and cranks it up, the car doesn't function. You guessed it; the KEY is MOTIVATION.

Interest is an important motivator for a student. So is a desire to learn. When you link these two things together, you create success. Often success in an endeavor leads to more interest and a greater desire to learn, creating an upward spiral of motivation toward a goal you have established.

So be honest with yourself. Are you genuinely interested in being in college? Have you set realistic goals for yourself? How can you develop the internal motivation that really counts? When it comes to motivation, KNOWING is not as important as DOING.

Your Own Life Transformation

2008-11-26T05:47:00.000-08:00

When a person says that life is not worth living, then this person certainly knows nothing about life. He might be in the verge of nowhere. There are downturns in life, but that does not necessary mean that you should give up on things. There are still many great things in life worth doing and pursuing. The world is big out there awaiting us to explore. We, as human beings, are truly blessed with talents and potentials to reach all of our dreams. Unfortunately, only some people realize and fully utilize the blessings. What happens to the rest? They don’t have the enthusiasm and the drive to maximize their potentials. Many of them lack of motivation. Motivation is the energy of our actions. There are internal motivation which comes from within you and external motivation in the form of reward, recognition, and support from others. Internal motivation plays a vital role in keeping you energized and spirited. However, internal motivation is not always on a steady state. Very often, it deteriorates especially when you are overwhelmed by problems. Let us take a glimpse of it.

There are some factors to your deteriorating motivation. You might feel bored going through life with routine activities. You might fail along the way thus make you feel desperate and unwilling to proceed. There might be consistent bad influence around you. Pay attention to the people you associate with. Another reason is you don’t know your life purpose or if you have one, probably it needs clear directions. If you don’t have one, make one. Remember a phrase saying “The poorest man in the world is not he who is without a cent, but he who is without a dream.” Redefine, if necessary, your ultimate goals. Be confident about yourself. Get a mental picture of yourself in the next 5 or ten years. It does not matter who you are now, what matters is who you will be in the future.

As common as it may be to anyone, you might not feel motivated all the time. There are moments when you feel miserable and seem to lose your energy. Embrace the feelings and realize that they are only temporary. Even though you fail this one, you will win back at another turn. Life is not about how many times you fail, it’s about how many times you bounce back when you fail. Learn lessons when you fail. Never lose your hopes and strengths. Remember that every cloud has a silver lining. There’s a pot of gold at the other end of the rainbow. Whatever you do now, do it with passion. Being passionate in the things you do is one of the key to success. Even if you are passionate in what you do, problems will still pop up. For as long as you live, you will never be able to go away from problems. Fortunately, you can choose how to respond to problems. When you come across problem or turbulence in life, bear in mind that you are bigger than them. You are the master. You can tell what to do. This mindset is closely related to having a positive mental attitude which in turn defines your self-image. How do you see yourself? Whatever you say to yourself will make you. If you expect positive outcomes, then you have to start feeding yourself positive attributes. Self confidence is likely to become a leading result as a consequence of having positive mental attitude.

When you have them all - motivation, life purpose, directions, self-image – you are more than ready for your next venture. Spread wings, reach for success, strive for excellence, go to the next level and continue to deliver substantial meaning to lives.

Men Jung, S.Kom., MM

To Keep The Good People Around

2008-11-26T05:39:00.000-08:00

When we talk about business, we talk about people. No business can be made without people - whether they serve as employees or customers or in whatever position they are. We live in an interconnected web of people - people need others to support one another. As a matter of fact, we work better in teams. There is a group dynamic in which when we work together the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, two heads are always better than one. It means that when working together, people can produce much more than if they work independent from each other. Even when the independent works are combined, the end result cannot match those produced by team work. Team, business partners, friends, family, community, and other ways of forming a group - all serve a multiplicity factor. Like soldiers fighting a war, we simply need others to survive, in business as much as in life.

Therefore, we need others to help and support us. In other words, we need a good team. Except in certain family situations in which bad behaviors are more tolerated, we want good people around. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. How many times do we experience living in a mess - canceled plans, loss of money or possessions, flustered emotions - due to misdemeanors committed by some irresponsible fellows. That doesn't even take criminal acts into account. Sadly, this leads to the conclusion that working with people is like a double-edged sword - they can hurt us as much as we need them. What can we do to minimize the risks while maximizing the benefits?

The first thing we can do is probably to make sure that we can separate the good from the bad. We need others because we need them to support and help us. In other words, we depend on them. A good team work means that each member can depend on the other. An undependable person creates a missing link to the chain that leads to a chain reaction. One missed deadline creates a series of delays, one after another. It works like a domino effect and the cycle will continue. Therefore, it is very important to be dependable that dependability can be the first criteria in selecting the team, the people we want to be around.

When we talk about dependability, we talk about trust. We trust the person to be dependable, that he/she will not screw up. However, dependability goes further than simply not screwing up. Dependability requires ability to complete a task as expected, with quality. So, there are two things that we need to see when selecting people - the person is dependable and he/she will not screw up. At the very least, the person will not screw up - he/she will not do any harm. How can we tell? Do we have to wait until the person screw up? It will be better if we can anticipate it before the bad thing happens. It is much more costly to recover or fix something, if it is ever possible, than to prevent it from happening. What can we do to anticipate? In a formal company recruitment process, there have been a number of psychological tests designed to screen people and to predict their ability to perform. Unfortunately, there are many situations in which we don't have the luxury to execute such tests to screen people. What can we do to predict someone's behavior so as not to let the person cause any harm in the future? What can we do to see if we can trust the person?

There are many ways we can do to see if someone is trustworthy. Some people can see the aura. But for the average people, we can just see the pattern and the person's history. Did the person commit to some sort of violations in the past? History repeats itself, if the person screwed up in the past, the chance is he/she will screw up again in the future. In terms of dependability, we can see the pattern of consistency. Does the person perform in a consistent fashion? If not, there is a chance that the person will screw up at some point.

Nevertheless, we don't want to keep people away simply because we are not willing to take the risk. Human make mistakes and it is part of the learning process. People deserve a second chance as long as they show willingness to keep learning and keep improving.
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Your Body Language Speaks

2008-11-26T05:30:00.000-08:00

According to experts, a substantial portion of our communication is nonverbal. Every day, we respond to thousands on nonverbal cues and behaviors including postures, facial expression, eye gaze, gestures, and tone of voice. From our handshakes to our hairstyles, nonverbal details reveal who we are and impact how we relate to other people.

Scientific research on nonverbal communication and behavior began with the 1872 publication of Charles Darwin's The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals. Since that time, there has been an abundance of research on the types, effects, and expression of unspoken communication and behavior. While these signals are often so subtle that we are not consciously aware of them, research has identified several different types of nonverbal communication.

Facial Expression
Facial expressions are responsible for a huge proportion of nonverbal communication. Consider how much information can be conveyed with a smile or a frown. While nonverbal communication and behavior can vary dramatically between cultures, the facial expressions for happiness, sadness, anger, and fear are similar throughout the world.
Gestures
Deliberate movements and signals are an important way to communicate meaning without words. Common gestures include waving, pointing, and using fingers to indicate number amounts. Other gestures are arbitrary and related to culture.
Body Language and Posture
Posture and movement can also convey a great deal on information. Research on body language has grown significantly since the 1970's, but popular media have focused on the over-interpretation of defensive postures, arm-crossing, and leg-crossing, especially after the publication of Julius Fast's book Body Language. While these nonverbal behaviors can indicate feelings and attitudes, research suggests that body language is far more subtle and less definitive that previously believed.
Eye Gaze
Looking, staring, and blinking can also be important nonverbal behaviors. When people encounter people or things that they like, the rate of blinking increases and pupils dilate. Looking at another person can indicate a range of emotions, including hostility, interest, and attraction.
Haptics
Communicating through touch is another important nonverbal behavior. There has been a substantial amount of research on the importance of touch in infancy and early childhood. Harry Harlow's classic monkey study demonstrated how the deprivation of touch and contact impedes development. Baby monkeys raised by wire mothers experienced permanent deficits in behavior and social interaction.
Appearance
Our choice of color, clothing, hairstyles, and other factors affecting appearance are also considered a means of nonverbal communication. Research on color psychology has demonstrated that different colors can invoke different moods. Appearance can also alter physiological reactions, judgment, and interpretations.
Therefore, before having a meeting or communication with someone, it's a valuable idea to consider the above-mentioned things in order that the purpose of communication will come to a designated end. All the above can be practiced through a range of life experience of interacting with others and communication trainings offer a full and wide range of sources in the related fields. Let's have a try and good luck!

The First Step

2008-11-26T05:26:00.000-08:00

When The First Step is good and he keeps on his good work and stand on that way, there will be happy ending in his heart. It doesn't mean when he started with something not good then he will end up with sadness. We believe, as long as he still wants to change his own direction to be better, happy ending will not leave him alone. He will be very happy to follow him.

It's never too late when we still can breathe. We can change our whole life even it's only a second left of ours. The most important thing is we dare to change to be better and won't repeat what we had done in the past.

Guidance can tell us what to do and keep guiding us wherever we go. The key is always in our own hands. Take it or leave it, it's our decision. We can blame no one for that and regret always comes last. It will not show up at the first time but it will come after that.

When you have started something, even you are the Highest King in that Kingdom. You have to settle it to the end of the root. It's easy to throw it to the ministers' sides, but are you that kind of Highest? I don't think so. You can be better than that, even you are the best King of the time if you want to help someone in you become wise, tell him to see both side, the higher of him and the lower of him. Try to do something more to reach the higher but then feel graceful when he compares himself to the one lower than him. He may dream up high so he can be more successful than the higher, then it is time to be thankful to anyone when he compares himself to the lower. Because he will harvest what he had planted. If he had plants apple tree then he will get apples. If he'd planted wind, storm will be harvested. Each action will have its own reaction. Everything is created in couple. No one is alone.
DARE TO PLANT, DARE TO HARVEST

Break The Chopsticks

2008-11-26T05:25:00.001-08:00

Once upon a time, there was an old man who had ten sons. Most of the time, his ten sons always fought each others day by day. One day, this old man gathered ten of them, he gave one chopstick to each of them, told them to break it. They broke it easily. They felt very happy and said : “ This is a piece of cake!” Then he took out ten chopsticks, bundled them together, let them break them. This time, no matter how hard they had tried, the bundle of chopsticks couldn’t be broken.

The old man saw his confused sons, said gently: “Dear my sons, ten of you are like these ten chopsticks, if you are divided, you will have small power. If you are gathered, you will have huge power. Next time all of you have to gather, so all of you will success in everything you would like to do.”

After they listened to what their father said then they understood why their father told them to break chopsticks.

Dear my friends, no matter where we are, in family, in office, at school, if we are broken, our power will be spilled. Don’t put ourselves into pieces. We sometimes forget the words “TOGETHER WE WILL” . Because of power, position and money, sister will fight with her own brother. The relationship in the family becomes un-harmony. Love changes to fierce and hate. To save our own position in our work place, even we don’t realize it, we sometimes hurt our colleges’ feeling to get what we want to achieve. Yes, we have our own ego, but once we need to realize that we are human beings who always need others human being to socialize in the society. We should think any reaction before we take an action.

The Success Formula

2008-11-26T05:23:00.000-08:00

As you know that successful people are much less than those are unsuccessful. They are in minority zone. You perhaps wonder why there are only a small amount of people who are categorized as successful.

Perhaps you wonder why many people in this world are not successful. As a proverb says, where there is a result, there is a cause. Those who are successful must have done something that unsuccessful people do not do. There must be differences between them.

The successful people always take action to achieve their desire and goals because they know that without action, all their dreams will be just an imagination. They have big dreams. They will never let everyone block their quest to find success. They are big dreamers but they do not forget planning and taking action towards it.

They also sacrifice everything and pay the price of success, so they deserve the success. No matter how far their dreams seem to be, they just continue and keep going and also carrying on their action until they succeed. They do not stop on their way. Once they start or begin, they will finish it.

The majority (unsuccessful people) knows the price for success, but they are not ready to pay it. They are also afraid of taking action in accomplishing their dreams. They live in their imagination without being able to enjoy their right to be successful. They do not believe that they have the capacity to be successful, they do not believe in themselves.

There is a simple formula of success I am about to tell you, but this is so powerful if you apply it. Once again, action will make all your dreams come true. By taking action, you are ready to get out of your zone to walk in the outside zone to achieve your success. The formula is as simple as A-B-C-D-E.

A : Action

B : Believe

C : Consistent

D : Dreams

E : Enthusiasm

The order of the formula is first you must have DREAMS. Dreams guide you on the right track and make you focus on it. Without them, you will go nowhere, you do not know where you want to go, and you do not know where your last destination is. It is like a sailor do not have compass when sailing.

Then you must BELIEVE that you will achieve success. Without strong belief, you are not going to be in peak performance.

Then you must take ACTION. When you take action, miracles happen. Your dreams are getting nearer and you are getting nearer to them.

The next is you have to be CONSISTENT in your action, make a commitment not to stop until you achieve what you desire. Keep going and fetch your success that is waiting.

And the last is always having ENTHUSIASM in every action. It will make you enjoy while you are completing your journey to success.

MOTIVATION

2008-10-09T23:37:00.001-07:00

Motivational concepts

Reward and reinforcement

A reward, tangible or intangible, is presented after the occurrence of an action (i.e. behavior) with the intent to cause the behavior to occur again. This is done by associating positive meaning to the behavior. Studies show that if the person receives the reward immediately, the effect would be greater, and decreases as duration lengthens. Repetitive action-reward combination can cause the action to become habit.

Rewards can also be organized as extrinsic or intrinsic. Extrinsic rewards are external to the person; for example, praise or money. Intrinsic rewards are internal to the person; for example, satisfaction or a feeling of accomplishment.

Some authors distinguish between two forms of intrinsic motivation: one based on enjoyment, the other on obligation. In this context, obligation refers to motivation based on what an individual thinks ought to be done. For instance, a feeling of responsibility for a mission may lead to helping others beyond what is easily observable, rewarded, or fun.

A reinforcer is different from reward, in that reinforcement is intended to create a measured increase in the rate of a desirable behavior following the addition of something to the environment.

Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation

Intrinsic motivation is when people engage in an activity, such as a hobby, without obvious external incentives.

Intrinsic motivation has been studied by educational psychologists since the 1970s, and numerous studies have found it to be associated with high educational achievement and enjoyment by students. There is currently no universal theory to explain the origin or elements of intrinsic motivation, and most explanations combine elements of Fritz Heider's attribution theory, Bandura's work on self-efficacy and other studies relating to locus of control and goal orientation. Though it is thought that students are more likely to be intrinsically motivated if they:
Attribute their educational results to internal factors that they can control (e.g. the amount of effort they put in),
Believe they can be effective agents in reaching desired goals (i.e. the results are not determined by luck),
Are interested in mastering a topic, rather than just rote-learning to achieve good grades.

Note that the idea of reward for achievement is absent from this model of intrinsic motivation, since rewards are an extrinsic factor.

In knowledge-sharing communities and organizations, people often cite altruistic reasons for their participation, including contributing to a common good, a moral obligation to the group, mentorship or 'giving back'. In work environments, money may provide a more powerful extrinsic factor than the intrinsic motivation provided by an enjoyable workplace.

The most obvious form of motivation is coercion, where the avoidance of pain or other negative consequences has an immediate effect. Extreme use of coercion is considered slavery. While coercion is considered morally reprehensible in many philosophies, it is widely practiced on prisoners, students in mandatory schooling, within the nuclear family unit (on children), and in the form of conscription. Critics of modern capitalism charge that without social safety networks, wage slavery is inevitable[citation needed]. However, many capitalists such as Ayn Rand have been very vocal against coercion[citation needed]. Successful coercion sometimes can take priority over other types of motivation. Self-coercion is rarely substantially negative (typically only negative in the sense that it avoids a positive, such as forgoing an expensive dinner or a period of relaxation), however it is interesting in that it illustrates how lower levels of motivation may be sometimes tweaked to satisfy higher ones.

In terms of GCSE PE, intrinsic motivation is the motivation that comes from inside the performer. E.g. they compete for the love of the sport.

Extrinsic motivation comes from outside of the performer. E.g. The crowd cheer the performer on, this motivates them to do well, or to beat a PB (Personal Best). Another example is trophies or a reward. It makes the performer want to win and beat the other competitors, thereby motivating the performer.

Self===-control=== The self-control of motivation is increasingly understood as a subset of emotional intelligence; a person may be highly intelligent according to a more conservative definition (as measured by many intelligence tests), yet unmotivated to dedicate this intelligence to certain tasks. Yale School of Management professor Victor Vroom's "expectancy theory" provides an account of when people will decide whether to exert self control to pursue a particular goal.

Drives and desires can be described as a deficiency or need that activates behaviour that is aimed at a goal or an incentive. These are thought to originate within the individual and may not require external stimuli to encourage the behaviour. Basic drives could be sparked by deficiencies such as hunger, which motivates a person to seek food; whereas more subtle drives might be the desire for praise and approval, which motivates a person to behave in a manner pleasing to others.

By contrast, the role of extrinsic rewards and stimuli can be seen in the example of training animals by giving them treats when they perform a trick correctly. The treat motivates the animals to perform the trick consistently, even later when the treat is removed from the process.

Motivational Theories

Drive Reduction Theories

There are a number of drive theories. The Drive Reduction Theory grows out of the concept that we have certain biological needs, such as hunger. As time passes the strength of the drive increases as it is not satisfied. Then as we satisfy that drive by fulfilling its desire, such as eating, the drive's strength is reduced. It is based on the theories of Freud and the idea of feedback control systems, such as a thermostat.

There are several problems, however, that leave the validity of the Drive Reduction Theory open for debate. The first problem is that it does not explain how Secondary Reinforcers reduce drive. For example, money does not satisfy any biological or psychological need but reduces drive on a regular basis through a pay check second-order conditioning. Secondly, if the drive reduction theory held true we would not be able to explain how a hungry human being can prepare a meal without eating the food before they finished cooking it.

However, when comparing this to a real life situation such as preparing food, one does get hungrier as the food is being made (drive increases), and after the food has been consumed the drive decreases. The only reason the food does not get eaten before is the human element of restraint and has nothing to do with drive theory. Also, the food will either be nicer after it is cooked, or it won't be edible at all before it is cooked.

Cognitive dissonance theory
Main article: Cognitive dissonance

Suggested by Leon Festinger, this occurs when an individual experiences some degree of discomfort resulting from an incompatibility between two cognitions. For example, a consumer may seek to reassure himself regarding a purchase, feeling, in retrospect, that another decision may have been preferable.

Another example of cognitive dissonance is when a belief and a behavior are in conflict. A person may wish to be healthy, believes smoking is bad for one's health, and yet continues to smoke.

Affective-Arousal Theories

Need Achievement Theory
Main article: David McClelland

David McClelland’s achievement motivation theory envisions that a person has a need for three things, but differs in degrees to which the various needs influence their behavior: Need for achievement, Need for power, and Need for affiliation.

Interests Theory
Main article: Holland Codes

Holland Codes are used in the assessment of interests as in Vocational Preference Inventory (VPI; Holland, 1985). One way to look at interests is that if a person has a strong interest in one of the 6 Holland areas, then obtaining outcomes in that area will be strongly reinforcing relative to obtaining outcomes in areas of weak interest.

Need Theories

Need Hierarchy Theory
Main article: Hierarchy of needs

Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of human needs theory is the most widely discussed theory of motivation.

The theory can be summarized as thus:
Human beings have wants and desires which influence their behavior; only unsatisfied needs can influence behavior, satisfied needs cannot.
Since needs are many, they are arranged in order of importance, from the basic to the complex.
The person advances to the next level of needs only after the lower level need is at least minimally satisfied.
The further the progress up the hierarchy, the more individuality, humanness and psychological health a person will show.

The needs, listed from basic (lowest, earliest) to most complex (highest, latest) are as follows:
Physiological
Safety and security
Social
Esteem
Self actualization

Herzberg’s two-factor theory
Main article: Frederick Herzberg

Frederick Herzberg's two-factor theory, aka intrinsic/extrinsic motivation, concludes that certain factors in the workplace result in job satisfaction, but if absent, lead to dissatisfaction.

He distinguished between:
Motivators; (e.g. challenging work, recognition, responsibility) which give positive satisfaction, and
Hygiene factors; (e.g. status, job security, salary and fringe benefits) that do not motivate if present, but, if absent, result in demotivation.

The name Hygiene factors is used because, like hygiene, the presence will not make you healthier, but absence can cause health deterioration.

The theory is sometimes called the "Motivator-Hygiene Theory."

Alderfer’s ERG theory
Main article: Clayton Alderfer

Clayton Alderfer, expanding on Maslow's hierarchy of needs, created the ERG theory (existence, relatedness and growth). Physiological and safety, the lower order needs, are placed in the existence category, while love and self esteem needs are placed in the relatedness category. The growth category contains our self-actualization and self-esteem needs.

Self-determination theory

Self-determination theory, developed by Edward Deci and Richard Ryan, focuses on the importance of intrinsic motivation in driving human behavior. Like Maslow's hierarchical theory and others that built on it, SDT posits a natural tendency toward growth and development. Unlike these other theories, however, SDT does not include any sort of "autopilot" for achievement, but instead requires active encouragement from the environment. The primary factors that encourage motivation and development are autonomy, competence feedback, and relatedness.[2]

Broad Theories

The latest approach in Achievement Motivation is an integrative perspective as lined out in the "Onion-Ring-Model of Achievement Motivation" by Heinz Schuler, George C. Thornton III, Andreas Frintrup and Rose Mueller-Hanson. It is based on the premise that performance motivation results from way broad components of personality are directed towards performance. As a result it includes a range of dimensions that are relevant to success at work but which are not conventionally regarded as being part of performance motivation. Especially it integrates formerly separated approaches as Need for Achievement with e.g. social motives like Dominance. The Achievement Motivation Inventory AMI (Schuler, Thornton, Frintrup & Mueller-Hanson, 2003) is based on this theory and assesses three factors (17 separated scales) relevant to vocational and professional success.for example...

Cognitive theories

Goal-setting theory

Goal-setting theory is based on the notion that individuals sometimes have a drive to reach a clearly defined end state. Often, this end state is a reward in itself. A goal's efficiency is affected by three features; proximity, difficulty and specificity. An ideal goal should present a situation where the time between the initiation of behavior and the end state is close. This explains why some children are more motivated to learn how to ride a bike than mastering algebra. A goal should be moderate, not too hard or too easy to complete. In both cases, most people are not optimally motivated, as many want a challenge (which assumes some kind of insecurity of success). At the same time people want to feel that there is a substantial probability that they will succeed. Specificity concerns the description of the goal in their class. The goal should be objectively defined and intelligible for the individual. A classic example of a poorly specified goal is to get the highest possible grade. Most children have no idea how much effort they need to reach that goal. For further reading, see Locke and Latham (2002).

Douglas Vermeeren, has done extensive research into why many people fail to get to their goals. The failure is directly attributed to motivating factors. Vermeeren states that unless an individual can clearly identify their motivating factor or their significant and meaningful reasons why they wish to attain the goal, they will never have the power to attain it.

Unconscious motivation

Some psychologists believe that a significant portion of human behavior is energized and directed by unconscious motives. According to Maslow: "Psychoanalysis has often demonstrated that the relationship between a conscious desire and the ultimate unconscious aim that underlies it need not be at all direct [3]." In other words, stated motives do not always match those inferred by skilled observers. For example, it is possible that a person can be accident-prone because he has an unconscious desire to hurt himself and not because he is careless or ignorant of the safety rules. Similarly, some overweight people are not really hungry for food but for attention and love. Eating is merely a defensive reaction to lack of attention. Some workers damage more equipment than others because they harbor unconscious feelings of aggression toward authority figures.

Psychotherapists point out that some behavior is so automatic that the reasons for it are not available in the individual's conscious mind. Compulsive cigarette smoking is an example. Sometimes maintaining self-esteem is so important and the motive for an activity is so threatening that it is simply not recognized and, in fact, may be disguised or repressed. Rationalization, or "explaining away", is one such disguise, or defense mechanism, as it is called. Another is projecting or attributing one's own faults to others. "I feel I am to blame", becomes "It is her fault; she is selfish". Repression of powerful but socially unacceptable motives may result in outward behavior that is the opposite of the repressed tendencies. An example of this would be the employee who hates his boss but overworks himself on the job to show that he holds him in high regard.

Unconscious motives add to the hazards of interpreting human behavior and, to the extent that they are present, complicate the life of the administrator. On the other hand, knowledge that unconscious motives exist can lead to a more careful assessment of behavioral problems. Although few contemporary psychologists deny the existence of unconscious factors, many do believe that these are activated only in times of anxiety and stress, and that in the ordinary course of events, human behavior — from the subject's point of view — is rationally purposeful.

Controlling motivation

The control of motivation is only understood to a limited extent. There are many different approaches of motivation training, but many of these are considered pseudoscientific by critics. To understand how to control motivation it is first necessary to understand why many people lack motivation.

Early programming

Modern imaging has provided solid empirical support for the psychological theory that emotional programming is largely defined in childhood. Harold Chugani, Medical Director of the PET Clinic at the Children's Hospital of Michigan and professor of pediatrics, neurology and radiology at Wayne State University School of Medicine, has found that children's brains are much more capable of consuming new information (linked to emotions) than those of adults. Brain activity in cortical regions is about twice as high in children as in adults from the third to the ninth year of life. After that period, it declines constantly to the low levels of adulthood. Brain volume, on the other hand, is already at about 95% of adult levels in the ninth year of life.

Organization

Besides the very direct approaches to motivation, beginning in early life, there are solutions which are more abstract but perhaps nevertheless more practical for self-motivation. Virtually every motivation guidebook includes at least one chapter about the proper organization of one's tasks and goals. It is usually suggested that it is critical to maintain a list of tasks, with a distinction between those which are completed and those which are not, thereby moving some of the required motivation for their completion from the tasks themselves into a "meta-task", namely the processing of the tasks in the task list, which can become a routine. The viewing of the list of completed tasks may also be considered motivating, as it can create a satisfying sense of accomplishment.

Most electronic to-do lists have this basic functionality, although the distinction between completed and non-completed tasks is not always clear (completed tasks are sometimes simply deleted, instead of kept in a separate list).

Other forms of information organization may also be motivational, such as the use of mind maps to organize one's ideas, and thereby "train" the neural network that is the human brain to focus on the given task. Simpler forms of idea notation such as simple bullet-point style lists may also be sufficient, or even more useful to less visually oriented persons..

Drugs

Some authors, especially in the transhumanist movement, have suggested the use of "smart drugs", also known as nootropics, as "motivation-enhancers". The effects of many of these drugs on the brain are emphatically not well understood, and their legal status often makes open experimentation difficult.

Converging neurobiological evidence also supports the idea that addictive drugs such as cocaine, nicotine, alcohol, and heroin act on brain systems underlying motivation for natural rewards, such as the mesolimbic dopamine system. Normally, these brain systems serve to guide us toward fitness-enhancing rewards (food, water, sex, etc.), but they can be co-opted by repeated use of drugs of abuse, causing addicts to excessively pursue drug rewards. Therefore, drugs can hijack brain systems underlying other motivations, causing the almost singular pursuit of drugs characteristic of addiction.

Applications

Education This section needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2007)

Motivation is of particular interest to Educational psychologists because of the crucial role it plays in student learning. However, the specific kind of motivation that is studied in the specialized setting of education differs qualitatively from the more general forms of motivation studied by psychologists in other fields.

Motivation in education can have several effects on how students learn and their behavior towards subject matter (Ormrod, 2003). It can:
Direct behavior toward particular goals
Lead to increased effort and energy
Increase initiation of, and persistence in, activities
Enhance cognitive processing
Determine what consequences are reinforcing
Lead to improved performance.

Because students are not always internally motivated, they sometimes need situated motivation, which is found in environmental conditions that the teacher creates.

There are two kinds of motivation:
Intrinsic motivation occurs when people are internally motivated to do something because it either brings them pleasure, they think it is important, or they feel that what they are learning is significant.
Extrinsic motivation comes into play when a student is compelled to do something or act a certain way because of factors external to him or her (like money or good grades).

Note also that there is already questioning and expansion about this dichotomy on motivation, e.g., Self-Determination Theory.

Motivation has been found to be a pivotal area in treating Autism Spectrum Disorders, as in Pivotal Response Therapy.

Motivation is also an important element in the concept of Andragogy (what motivates the adult learner).

Business

At lower levels of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, such as Physiological needs, money is a motivator, however it tends to have a motivating effect on staff that lasts only for a short period (in accordance with Herzberg's two-factor model of motivation). At higher levels of the hierarchy, praise, respect, recognition, empowerment and a sense of belonging are far more powerful motivators than money, as both Abraham Maslow's theory of motivation and Douglas McGregor's Theory X and theory Y (pertaining to the theory of leadership) demonstrate.

Maslow has money at the lowest level of the hierarchy and shows other needs are better motivators to staff. McGregor places money in his Theory X category and feels it is a poor motivator. Praise and recognition are placed in the Theory Y category and are considered stronger motivators than money.
Motivated employees always look for better ways to do a job.
Motivated employees are more quality oriented.
Motivated workers are more productive.

The average workplace is about midway between the extremes of high threat and high opportunity. Motivation by threat is a dead-end strategy, and naturally staff are more attracted to the opportunity side of the motivation curve than the threat side.

The assumptions of Maslow and Herzberg were challenged by a classic study[4] at Vauxhall Motors' UK manufacturing plant. This introduced the concept of orientation to work and distinguished three main orientations: instrumental (where work is a means to an end), bureaucratic (where work is a source of status, security and immediate reward) and solidaristic (which prioritises group loyalty).

Other theories which expanded and extended those of Maslow and Herzberg included Kurt Lewin's Force Field Theory, Edwin Locke's Goal Theory and Victor Vroom's Expectancy theory. These tend to stress cultural differences and the fact that individuals tend to be motivated by different factors at different times.[5]

According to the system of scientific management developed by Frederick Winslow Taylor, a worker's motivation is solely determined by pay, and therefore management need not consider psychological or social aspects of work. In essence scientific management bases human motivation wholly on extrinsic rewards and discards the idea of intrinsic rewards.

In contrast, David McClelland believed that workers could not be motivated by the mere need for money-- in fact, extrinsic motivation (e.g., money) could extinguish intrinsic motivation such as achievement motivation, though money could be used as an indicator of success for various motives, e.g., keeping score. In keeping with this view, his consulting firm, McBer & Company, had as its first motto "To make everyone productive, happy, and free." For McClelland, satisfaction lay in aligning a person's life with their fundamental motivations.

Elton Mayo found out that the social contacts a worker has at the workplace are very important and that boredom and repetitiveness of tasks lead to reduced motivation. Mayo believed that workers could be motivated by acknowledging their social needs and making them feel important. As a result, employees were given freedom to make decisions on the job and greater attention was paid to informal work groups. Mayo named the model the Hawthorne effect. His model has been judged as placing undue reliance on social contacts at work situations for motivating employees.[6]

MOTIVATION

2008-10-09T23:29:00.000-07:00

Motivational concepts
Reward and reinforcement

A reward, tangible or intangible, is presented after the occurrence of an action (i.e. behavior) with the intent to cause the behavior to occur again. This is done by associating positive meaning to the behavior. Studies show that if the person receives the reward immediately, the effect would be greater, and decreases as duration lengthens. Repetitive action-reward combination can cause the action to become habit.

Rewards can also be organized as extrinsic or intrinsic. Extrinsic rewards are external to the person; for example, praise or money. Intrinsic rewards are internal to the person; for example, satisfaction or a feeling of accomplishment.

Some authors distinguish between two forms of intrinsic motivation: one based on enjoyment, the other on obligation. In this context, obligation refers to motivation based on what an individual thinks ought to be done. For instance, a feeling of responsibility for a mission may lead to helping others beyond what is easily observable, rewarded, or fun.

A reinforcer is different from reward, in that reinforcement is intended to create a measured increase in the rate of a desirable behavior following the addition of something to the environment.

Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation

Intrinsic motivation is when people engage in an activity, such as a hobby, without obvious external incentives.

Intrinsic motivation has been studied by educational psychologists since the 1970s, and numerous studies have found it to be associated with high educational achievement and enjoyment by students. There is currently no universal theory to explain the origin or elements of intrinsic motivation, and most explanations combine elements of Fritz Heider's attribution theory, Bandura's work on self-efficacy and other studies relating to locus of control and goal orientation. Though it is thought that students are more likely to be intrinsically motivated if they:
Attribute their educational results to internal factors that they can control (e.g. the amount of effort they put in),
Believe they can be effective agents in reaching desired goals (i.e. the results are not determined by luck),
Are interested in mastering a topic, rather than just rote-learning to achieve good grades.

Note that the idea of reward for achievement is absent from this model of intrinsic motivation, since rewards are an extrinsic factor.

In knowledge-sharing communities and organizations, people often cite altruistic reasons for their participation, including contributing to a common good, a moral obligation to the group, mentorship or 'giving back'. In work environments, money may provide a more powerful extrinsic factor than the intrinsic motivation provided by an enjoyable workplace.

The most obvious form of motivation is coercion, where the avoidance of pain or other negative consequences has an immediate effect. Extreme use of coercion is considered slavery. While coercion is considered morally reprehensible in many philosophies, it is widely practiced on prisoners, students in mandatory schooling, within the nuclear family unit (on children), and in the form of conscription. Critics of modern capitalism charge that without social safety networks, wage slavery is inevitable[citation needed]. However, many capitalists such as Ayn Rand have been very vocal against coercion[citation needed]. Successful coercion sometimes can take priority over other types of motivation. Self-coercion is rarely substantially negative (typically only negative in the sense that it avoids a positive, such as forgoing an expensive dinner or a period of relaxation), however it is interesting in that it illustrates how lower levels of motivation may be sometimes tweaked to satisfy higher ones.

In terms of GCSE PE, intrinsic motivation is the motivation that comes from inside the performer. E.g. they compete for the love of the sport.

Extrinsic motivation comes from outside of the performer. E.g. The crowd cheer the performer on, this motivates them to do well, or to beat a PB (Personal Best). Another example is trophies or a reward. It makes the performer want to win and beat the other competitors, thereby motivating the performer.

Self===-control=== The self-control of motivation is increasingly understood as a subset of emotional intelligence; a person may be highly intelligent according to a more conservative definition (as measured by many intelligence tests), yet unmotivated to dedicate this intelligence to certain tasks. Yale School of Management professor Victor Vroom's "expectancy theory" provides an account of when people will decide whether to exert self control to pursue a particular goal.

Drives and desires can be described as a deficiency or need that activates behaviour that is aimed at a goal or an incentive. These are thought to originate within the individual and may not require external stimuli to encourage the behaviour. Basic drives could be sparked by deficiencies such as hunger, which motivates a person to seek food; whereas more subtle drives might be the desire for praise and approval, which motivates a person to behave in a manner pleasing to others.

By contrast, the role of extrinsic rewards and stimuli can be seen in the example of training animals by giving them treats when they perform a trick correctly. The treat motivates the animals to perform the trick consistently, even later when the treat is removed from the process.

Obama, Sang Pembaharu

2008-10-09T23:16:00.000-07:00

Jika ada sosok yang sebelumnya kurang dikenal dan tiba-tiba mencuat menjadi buah bibir di seluruh dunia, barangkali salah satunya adalah Barack Obama Junior. Yah, berkat kemenangannya dalam pemilihan calon presiden dari Partai Demokrat-mengalahkan calon kuat, Hillary Clinton-ia kini maju menjadi calon presiden negara adidaya Amerika Serikat (AS). Dalam pemilihan mendatang, ia akan melawan rivalnya dari Partai Republik, John McCain.

Hebatnya, Obama tercatat sebagai calon presiden pertama AS yang berkulit hitam. Tentunya ini menjadi catatan sejarah. Sebab, meski di AS pernah bermunculan pemimpin kulit hitam, namun belum satu pun yang kemudian menjadi calon kuat menjadi presiden. Apalagi, posisi pria kelahiran 4 Agustus 1961 di Honolulu Hawaii-dalam berbagai jajak pendapat-sangat diunggulkan.

Memang, tak banyak orang di dunia yang tahu sosok pria murah senyum ini sebelum akhinya maju jadi capres. Ia yang sebelumnya menjabat sebagai senator di negara bagian Illinois, hanya dikenal di AS saja. Bahkan, sebelum jadi senator, mungkin juga tak banyak orang yang tahu bahwa ia adalah seorang dosen hukum konstitusi di University of Chicago Law School dari tahun 1992-2004. Padahal, lulusan Columbia University dan Harvard Law School ini punya sejumlah prestasi yang cukup membanggakan.

Terlahir dari keluarga multietnis, sosok Obama mengundang banyak simpati. Ayahnya, seorang ekonom kulit hitam lulusan Harvard, Barack Husein Obama Senior berasal dari Kenya. Sedangkan ibunya yang berkulit putih, Ann Dunham, berasal dari Wichita Kansas. Ketika berusia dua tahun, orangtuanya bercerai. Obama pun ikut ibunya. Sang ibu kemudian menikah lagi dengan pria berkebangsaan Indonesia, Lolo Soetoro, yang kala itu sedang menempuh pendidikan jenjang MA Geografi di East-West Center.

Lolo yang juga pejabat di Pertamina kemudian memboyong ibunya dan Obama ke Indonesia. Inilah yang kemudian membuat Obama dianggap sangat dekat dengan Indonesia. Bahkan, ia sempat sekolah di Indonesia sampai usia 10 tahun. Setelah itu, ia kemudian tinggal bersama kakek neneknya dan bersekolah di Punahou School di AS. Di sana, sepertinya bakat kecerdasan dan kepemimpinan Obama mulai tertanam. Buktinya, ia lulus dengan predikat honor atau sangat baik.

Karier Obama di dunia politik mulai teruji ketika ia memutuskan untuk menjadi calon anggota DPR Amerika pada tahun 2000. Saat itu, ia gagal. Meski begitu, ia pantang berputus asa. Sembari tetap mengajar, ia maju lagi dalam pencalonan sebagai senat tahun 2003. Kemudian, pada kesempatan pidato dalam Democratic National Convention, ia berhasil memukau dan akhirnya terpilih sebagai senator pada November 2004.

Kiprahnya terus menanjak. Di antaranya ia berperan aktif dalam menelurkan sejumlah aturan, seperti soal penggunaan senjata dan transparansi keuangan dana federal. Berbekal berbagai gebrakan politiknya inilah, Obama kemudian memberanikan maju sebagai capres dari Partai Demokrat. Sebab, menurutnya, untuk merubah sesuatu perlu tindakan nyata, dan menjadi presiden adalah salah satunya. "Perubahan tak kan terjadi jika kita menunggu orang lain atau kesempatan lain untuk berubah. Sebab, diri kitalah yang kita tunggu, kitalah perubahan yang dicari itu," ujarnya dalam sebuah kesempatan. "Butuh banyak tetesan darah dan keringat untuk sampai di sini (pemilihan presiden-red). Tapi kita baru mulai. Yang kita lakukan hari ini adalah untuk memastikan bahwa dunia yang akan kita tinggalkan kelak jauh lebih baik untuk anak kita daripada saat ini."

Dengan tekad itulah, kini Obama terus maju. Entah bagaimana hasilnya kelak, kita tunggu saja.

Tekad dan kemampuan Obama untuk melakukan perubahan dengan maju ke panggung politik perlu mendapat acungan jempol. Meski tak diunggulkan sebelumnya, dengan tekad kuat dan semangat pantang menyerah, ia menunjukkan bahwa dirinya layak dipilih untuk jadi orang nomor satu di negara adidaya Amerika. Sebuah semangat dan tekad yang patut dicontoh dan diterapkan di banyak bidang. Sebab, sejatinya, tanpa tekad kuat dan semangat pantang menyerah-plus kerja keras tentunya- sebuah cita-cita hanya akan berujung pada impian semata.

Why Almost All Of Junior And Senior High School Students Fail To Learn English And How To Solve It?

2008-10-09T23:08:00.000-07:00

Abstract

Many teachers are not successful to teach English either in Junior or Senior High School. They haven't got the best way to teach. They follow many kinds of workshop to make teaching preparation and to change their own method of teaching. But one most important thing they forget in giving motivation to the students. This is the problem why the teachers fail to make the students get four kinds of language skills.

Key words: motivation, intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, strategy
Introduction

The failure of teaching English in Indonesia has become the main topic in every discussion among the people's conversation. This condition has made the important educated people blame one another. This is just caused by their wrong perception about understanding foreign language learning and foreign language acquisition.

The education curriculum has been changed many times with the reason that it is not suitable anymore or something else. It has made the English teachers make teaching preparation and have to change theirs every four years or even every two years. It forces the teachers to do what the curriculum wants the teachers to do.

The English teachers have been invited to everywhere to follow what is called English teaching workshop. They are trained to make many kinds of teaching preparation making all of the teachers bored. Instead of thinking about how to teach and how to make the students enjoy learning they are busy sitting, writing, preparing their teaching planning because of their fright of their headmaster or the education controller. They are demanded to know well how to plan a lesson and to make other teaching preparation while the motivation with which the students will get a big success is almost forgotten. They almost never get special knowledge about arousing the students' motivation, intention to learn.

And something becoming the viruses in all the teachers' mind is UAN. Some teachers try to do " learning English activity happily" despite their fright of the students' failure in their last examination. The teachers hope the students to be able to speak a little bit English and become interested in learning English. On the other hand, the students NOT YET get complicated rules offered by the curriculum.

Many kinds of books have been printed and sold to the students without being carefully revised. The most important thing is that the books give high profit to the teachers, especially the low teaching motivated teachers. The books are said to be communicative approach but the content is really the traditional one. This also supports the failure of our English education.

For these reasons this article is aimed at giving description of learning English as a foreign language. And this is hoped to give contribution to all English teachers especially in motivating the students to learn English.

That' why?

How can teachers motivate students to study English? And how can motivation increase the students' ability to speak English?

Language learning heart strategy has been ignored for many years. It is really neglected heart of language learning. It is the most possible pathway in the realm of language learning motivation.
Motivation

What is motivation? Well let me write you some definitions drawn from a number of different sources: (1) motivation is the cause to act in particular way. (2) Motivation as "the anticipation of reinforcement. (3) Motivation is the extent to which you make choices about (a) goals to pursue and (b) the effort you will devote to that pursuit. (4) Effort, desire to learn a language and attitude toward learning the language are viewed as motivation.

This article stresses various ways of improving the student's motivation to learn. Whatever the type of motivation is intended to enhance the student's spirit to win the four kinds of language skills.
A. Elements of motivation

Gardner (1985b) stated that motivation is composed of four elements: (1) a goal 2 (2) A desire to get the goal (3) Positive attitude toward learning the language (4) and effortful behavior to the effect.
B. Motivational components that are specific to learning situations

Three sets of motivational components:

1. Course specific motivational components concerning the syllabus, the learning materials, the teaching method, and the learning tasks.

2. Teacher specific motivational components concerning the teacher's personality, teaching style, feedback, and relationship with the students; and

3. group specific motivational components concerning the dynamics of the learning group. Groups are formed for a purpose, to have fun to learn.
B. Types of motivation

Dornyei emphasizes many aspects of learning motivation, but the writer is just interested in discussing about teaching strategies dealing with motivation, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Highly motivated students will find themselves how to choose suitable learning strategies and determine their own attitude to the target language. And the writer considers that all normal human beings will get advantages of taking part in language learning interaction.
Intrinsic Motivation

Motivation is the first requirement to be successful in foreign language learning. The highly motivated students will learn faster than those who are not well motivated. Brown(1994) states that motivation is probably the most frequently used term for explaining the success of failure virtually any complex task, including L2/FL learning. Never say "that is wrong or that is not right" but motivate the students by saying "good" and hide the students' mistakes by stating "almost right, but". Keep the language politeness while teaching. Don't use difficult patterns because this will destroy the students' spirit or even they will hate the language target. Use conversational grammar because it is based on how people actually talk. It includes small chunks, mostly clauses and single words rather than complete sentences. This is true for both interactional and transactional turns and use authentic materials and media. Although they must be prepared and need a lot of time to make them there are very strong reasons to use them. Authentic materials and media can reinforce for students the direct relation between the language classroom and the outside world. In addition, authentic materials and media after a way to contextualize language learning.

One of the teachers' duties at school is to motivate students by engaging their interest in classroom activities or outside classroom activities. One way in which intrinsic interest in L2/Fl learning might be achieved is by providing opportunities for communication. McNamara(1973) has argued that the really important part of motivation lies in the act of communication. Rossier(1975) also emphasizes the importance of a desire to communicate, arguing that without this an integrative motivation may not be effective. It is the need to get meanings across and the pleasure experienced when this is achieved that provides the motivation to learn an L2/ FL.

One possibility, supported by a strong pedagogic literature is that interest is engendered if learners become self-directed, able to determine their own learning objectives, choose their own ways of achieving these and evaluate their own progress.

As Finocchiaro (1981) puts in:

Motivation is the feeling nurtured by the classroom teacher in the learning situation. The moment of truth-the enhancement of motivation-occurs when the teacher closes the classroom door, greets his students with a warm, welcoming smile, and proceeds to interact with various individuals by making comments or asking questions, which indicate personal concern.
Intrinsic motivation in Education

Traditionally the teacher in elementary and secondary school give rewards to the students to enhance the students' motivation. The students have a high desire to learn because of the prize or else, but they don't have an internalized thirst for knowledge and experience. Consequently, such dependency focuses students too exclusively on the material or monetary rewards of an education for creativity and for satisfying some of the more basic drives for knowledge and experience.
Extrinsic Motivation

Behaviors carried out in anticipation of a reward from outside and beyond the self have extrinsic motivation. The intrinsic rewards can be money, prizes, grades and even certain types of positive feedback. The avoidance of punishment is also one kind of intrinsic motivation because this can build the students sense of competence and determination.
Which form of motivation is more powerful?

A convincing research strongly favors intrinsic drives, especially for long term retention. Abraham Maslow (1970) claimed that extrinsic motivation is clearly superior to extrinsic. People seek out the challenging situation, optimal incongruity what Krashen (1985) called "i + 1 "- presents enough of possibility of being resolved that resolution. Jerome Brumer (1962) claimed that one effective way to help children and adults to think and learn is to free them from the control of rewards and punishment. The weakness of extrinsic motivation is the presence of addictive nature. Once captivated by the lure of an immediate prize or praise the students become dependent on tangible rewards, even to the point that their withdrawal can extinguish the desire to learn.

Kohn (1990) gave example:

1. Subjects were asked to solve an intrinsically fascinating complex puzzle with no stated reward. Halfway through the process, the experimenter informed the students that there would be a monetary reward for solving the puzzle. From that point onward, intrinsic motivation (as measured by speed and correct steps toward a solution) waned.

2. Teenage girls were given the task of teaching some games to younger children. One group of "teachers" were simply given their task, the others were told that they would receive a reward(a free ticket to the movies) for successfully completing the teaching task. Results: The first group did their task faster, with more success, and reported greater pleasure in doing so than the second group.

Of course, intrinsic motivation is not the only determiner of success for a language learner. But if the learners in the classroom are given an opportunity to do language activities for their own personal reasons of achieving competence those learners will have a better change of success than if they become dependent on external rewards for their motivation.
Once again about motivation

Motivation is a really powerful factor in achieving language learning goals although it is not precisely known how motivation affects learning. It is not clear whether motivation improves the desire to learn or successful learning enhances motivation. Burstall (1975) has addressed just this issue and concluded that achievement affected later attitudes and later achievement to a greater extent than early attitudes than early attitudes affected either later achievement or later attitudes. In other words, it was the motivation that was engendered by the learning process itself that seemed to matter most. A similar view is taken by MacNamara (1973). He argues that the really important part of motivation lies in the act of communication itself rather than in any general orientation as implied by the integration or instrument distinction.
C. Why the writer emphasizes on motivation.

Many researchers show us that motivation directly influences the student's behavior in learning foreign language and the students can determine themselves how to choose good strategies to learn and acquire English skills. That's why giving motivation, with various ways, to the students is a ‘must' to achieve the target language. No matter what strategies are chosen to arouse the student's motivation. The most important thing is that the students can win both kinds of motivation, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Without motivation it is extremely difficult for them to succeed in learning foreign language or the writer is brave to say it is impossible.
D. How to motivate the students.

Motivating the students can be done through many kinds of ways and all of you will agree that it is very complex. The motivation can come from the teacher, the students themselves or their environment. Gardner states: " The source of the motivating impetus is relatively unimportant, provided that motivation is aroused" (1985b,p169). The following activities are examples of giving motivation to the students.
Do meaningful learning

Almost all of the students the writer teaches consider that English is the most difficult lesson they must study and they also think that English has no relation to their life. And some of them don't want at all to know the language rules given by the teacher.

Knowing that the students have very low motivation, the teacher has obligation to find as many kinds of strategies as possible to arouse the students' desire to learn. By conducting various ways to teach, the teacher is able to choose the best way motivating the students to learn and make the students learn without having to understand and memorize complicated language rules. In this case motivation is badly needed by L2 and FL learners.
Use authentic Materials And Media

To do this, he begins with an idea in a text and based on the understanding of students' needs and interests, locate authentic materials, as well as create additional activities that make use of them. Here is as example of how the writer did this. While the students were participating in ‘a card' activity. They expressed interest learning how to offer drink in a living room.

This condition is very suitable with what Dougles Brown advises us to avoid the pitfalls of rote learning:

a. Too much grammar explanation

b. Too many abstract principles and theories

c. Too much drilling and/or memo ration

d. Activities whose purposes are not clear

e. Activities that do not contribute to accomplishing the goals of the lesson, unit or course

f. Techniques that are so focus on the mechanics instead of on the language or meanings
In short, if the students have become intrinsically motivated to all classroom or outside classroom activities, teachers might not be needed anymore.Develop students self confidence

The teacher should ask the students to do inside classroom activities or outside classroom activities by saying " You can do it" repeatedly and he should start the students' activities logically with simpler techniques and simpler concepts.

Asking the students to memorize difficult sentences and giving them complicated explanation should extremely be avoided. Just tell the students that ing-form and be, for example, are used if the time signal is "now" without writing the name of the tense and even the pattern of the tense.
Do interaction in classroom settings.

What is interaction?

Interaction is the collaborative exchange of thoughts, feelings, or ideas between two or more people resulting in a reciprocal affect on each other. Theories of communication competence emphasize the importance of interaction as human being use language in various contexts to "negotiate" meaning or simply stated, to get an idea out of one person' head and into the head of another person and vice versa.
Help the students learn the natural way

This means that learning foreign language only in the classroom is not suitable anymore. The students must be in the real context to practice communication. But they should no force themselves to use the language. A young Israeli who stressed the importance of living the language explained:

" I don't think I have to use it. If it happens to me to use it, I use it. I don't force myself to use a word, because if it is compulsive, it is not natural.
Help the students practice

The teacher should find strategies in order that the students use the language as often as possible. If someone practices he will learn "automatically", " get accustomed to speaking", " understand better', and " learn to think in English'.
Include a sociocultural component in the foreign language syllabus

Invite the students to watch films or TV recordings, play relevant music and invite interesting native speakers gusts.
Promote student contact with foreign language speakers in your country

If possible organizing school trips or exchange programs to the foreign language community; or finding pen friends for your students.
Encourage the students to set attainable sub goals for themselves that are proximal and specific.

Ideally, these sub goals can be integrated into a personalized learning plan to each student.
Make the syllabus of the course.

The syllabus must be relevant by basing it on needs analysis and involving the students in the actual planning of the course program.
What else should the teacher do?

Teachers play very important roles in the course of teaching- described in the form of metaphor: teacher as manufacturer, teacher as doctor, teacher as judge, teacher as gardener and others. And the following is another set of metaphors to describe the possibilities of teachers' roles.

The teacher should make students group work. By grouping the students, the teachers can give the students more opportunities to speak, interaction happens. Douglas Brown describes the importance of interaction in the language classroom:
1. The teacher as Controller

A role that is sometimes expected in traditional educational institutions is that of "master" controller, always in charge of every moment in the classroom. Mater controller determine what the students do, when they should speak, and what language forms they should use. They can often predict many students' responses because everything is mapped out ahead of time, with no leeway for divergent paths. In some respects, such control may sound admirable. But for interaction to take place, the teacher must create a climate in which spontaneity can thrive, in which unrehearsed language can be performed, and in which the freedom of expression given over to students makes it impossible to predict everything that they will say and do.

Nevertheless, some control on your part is actually an important element of successfully carrying out interactive techniques. In the planning phase especially, a wise controller will carefully project how a technique will proceed, map out the initial input to students, specify directions to be given, and gauge the timing of a technique. So granted that allowing for spontaneity of expression involves yielding certain elements of control to students, nevertheless, even in the most cooperative of interactive classrooms, the teacher must maintain some control simply to organize the class hour.
2. The Teacher as Director

Some interactive classroom time can legitimately be structured in such a way that the teacher is like a conductor of an orchestra or a director of a drama. As students engage in either rehearsed or spontaneous language performance, it is your job to keep the process flowing smoothly and efficiently. The ultimate motive of such direction, of course, must always be to enable students eventually to engage in the real life drama of improvisation as each communicative event brings its own uniqueness.
3. The Teacher as Manager

This metaphor captures your role as one who plans lessons, modules, and courses, and who structures the larger, longer segments of classroom time, but who then allows each individual player to be creative within those parameters. Managers of successful corporations, for example, retain control of certain larger objectives of the company, keep employees pointed toward goals, engage in ongoing evaluation and feedback, but give freedom to each person to work in his or her own individual areas of expertise. A language class should not be markedly different.
4. The Teacher as Facilitator

A less directive role might be described as facilitating the process of learning, of making learning easier for students: helping them to clear away roadblocks, to find shortcut, to negotiate rough terrain. The facilitating role requires that you step away from the managerial or directive role and allow students, with your guidance and gentle prodding, to find their own pathways to success. As facilitator capitalizes on the principle of intrinsic motivation by allowing students to discover language through using it pragmatically, rather than by telling them about language.
5. The Teacher as Resource

Here you take the least directive role. In fact, the implication of the resource role is that the student takes the initiative to come to you. You are available for advice and counsel when the student seeks it. It is of course not practical to push this metaphor to an extreme where you would simply walk into a classroom and say something like, " Well, what do you want to learn today?" Some degree of control, of planning, of managing the classroom is essential. But there are appropriate times when you call literally take a back seat and allow the students to proceed with their own linguistic development.

In the lesson that you deliver, you should be able to assume all five of these roles on this continuum of directive to non directive teaching, depending on the purpose and context of an activity. The key to interactive teaching is to strive toward the upper, non directive end of the continuum, gradually enabling your students to move from their roles of total dependence to relatively total independence. The proficiency level of your class will determine to some extent which roles will dominate. But even at the lowest levels, some genuine interaction can take place, and your role must be one that releases your students to try things for themselves.
Conclusion

Teaching English is not just teaching, giving information, explaining the lesson as many as possible so that the students can get knowledge faster, giving exercises and just doing any activities in the classroom. Teachers should do more than just teaching, giving information, explaining the lesson, giving exercises and just doing any activities in the classroom. Motivation to learn must be administered to them in order that they determine their own way to learn and automatically have positive attitude to learn the language.

REFERENCES

Brown, H.D.(2001) Teaching by Principles. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Ellis, R (1994) The Study of Second Language Acquisition. Oxford University Press.

Gass, S.M, Slinker, L ( 1994) Second Language Acquisition. Michigan State University.

Ramage, K (1990) Motivational Factor and Persistence in Foreign Language Study. San Fransisco State University.

Gardner, R.C & Trmblay, P.F (1994). On Motivation, research agendas, and theoretical frameworks. Modern Language Journal.

Dornyei,Z( ) Motivation and Motivating in the Foreign Language Classroom. Department of English, Eotvos University.

Wenden, A & Rubin, J. Learnr Strategies in Language Learning. York College, City University of New York.

Love Yourself, Love Your Life

2008-10-09T23:07:00.000-07:00

The word "loving your self" can be unfamiliar to a lot of people. Most people don't like themselves - they feel they are not good enough and they keep blaming themselves for their failures. Even worse, most people are not happy with their lives, believing that they are a failure for not being able to afford the lives they want to have. It may stem from the very basic human nature - people like to complain, for whatever reason, there is always something to make them unhappy - the hard to explain insatiable needs. How can we deal effectively with this very nature? The easy antidote will be to love your life, or to love what you have. But how? Of course, it is easier said than done.

Loving your life means loving yourself, both terms go hand in hand and they can be synonymous. When you love yourself, you love your life and, as a result, you enjoy your life more. It is important that you feel positive about your life because feelings are infectious. When you are grumpy the people around you will get grumpy. When you are positive, you create a positive environment and you help people feel positive about their lives. In a positive environment, people support each other and you will get the best from life.

It is important to keep your feelings in check because negative environment can be dangerous. Again, feelings are infectious - your complaining nature may create a negative, if not hostile environment. Under such a circumstance, not only existing problems do not get solved, you add more problems to the already chaotic environment. You can never underestimate the multiplier effect, especially when it is negative, as it can create a downward spiral, a vicious circle. Once you are in a vicious circle, it can lead to a trap that will take a tremendous effort to get out. When we are talking about domino effect of negativity, we don't have to talk about being tied to addictions such as drugs, cigarettes or gambling. Those are extreme examples. We can talk about a simple example such as you were upset for being late to work, then you blamed the traffic and the government, then you told your co-worker about it, then your co-worker got upset because she couldn't focus on her work, then her boss got upset because the deadline was missed. Then the entire office got upset because the boss was mad to everybody. Then you came home upset, then your family got upset because you were upset, then you were so upset that you forgot to pay an overdue bill, then you got even more upset to pay the late fee, and so on, and so on. Something has to be done when you see the earliest sign of upsetting emotions to stop the spiraling effect.

Therefore, it is important that you learn to love yourself so that you can love your life. How? The first step can be to realize that your life is a gift from God and God knows best, way beyond human. There is a mystery in life, we simply must believe that God creates us for a purpose, a good purpose. And if anything, whatever we do, we do it for God. It means that to do your best in life is to show gratitude to God for the gift. On the other hand, to complain about life is to complain about God's policy. It is patronizing! It is like you think you are better than God and you start telling God what to do. When something doesn't go the way you think it should go, you might want to take a deeper look to see the hidden message sent by God. Challenges always provide us with something to learn.

There are many ways that you can do to start to love yourself. First, you can explore your dreams. Your life is at your disposal, you have every right to follow your heart and you have the privilege to choose what you believe are the best for you. Listening to your heart allows you to have a purpose in life and you can start by developing interests in whatever makes you happy. Then you can start building up your strengths to enable you to accomplish your dreams. Another way to help you love yourself is to give your love to others. You cannot love others if you don't love yourself first. Loving others creates a push for you to start learning to love yourself.

What if we feel upset anyway for life is full with upsetting incidents. Being upset is part of being human, and we want to acknowledge our humanity. Of course, feeling positive takes efforts and it takes a lot of self discipline. It is easy to get back to the old pattern of prone to being irritable. But, it is a matter of choice. If you want to have a good life, you may want to learn to overcome the negativity.

Oleh : Rini Palupi Radikun

There Are Miracles In Life

2008-10-09T23:05:00.000-07:00

In our efforts to keep things on perspective, we human beings live in a skeptical world. We want everything to make sense and we tend to rely heavily on logical thinking. The purpose is quite simple - we want to be precautious. We want to carefully run our lives so as not to create unnecessary problems in the future. In business, it is very important to be reasonable to minimize risk. In daily life, we want to avoid disappointments from unfulfilled expectations. It is only human nature to want to be in control. As a matter of fact, there are many benefits can be derived from logical thinking:
Convenience - logical thinking provides easy understanding of ideas due to the linear, structured and sequential nature.
Replication - when we know how to generate the idea / concept, we can generate it again in the future, as much as others can generate it too.
Fact based decision making - when making decisions, we want to make sure that we come up with the right solutions addressing actual, not imaginary, problems.
Nevertheless, there is an invisible power out there beyond logical thinking. Leaving out supernatural things, what would we say about serendipity, intuition, inclinations, like & dislike, charm/ charisma, love, interests, and others? In addition, a lot of times decisions are not based on logic. How many times do we use feelings in making our choices? Is it possible that we do it all the time? In business, we will not hire someone or buy something from people we don't like. In daily life, we don't want to do things we don't like, sometimes to the level of being unfair or detrimental. For instance: choosing to go out with friends than spending the evening with our parents.

Talking about feelings, there is something not logical in life that we really don't want to miss - miracles. Miracle is a hard to explain phenomenon, something which, under normal circumstances, should not or could not possibly have happened. But it happens anyway...

People don't want to believe in miracles because they want to keep everything in check. Then, when the miracle happens they believe it is a pure coincidence, a pure luck that they don't want to count on. However, can human survive the existence for so long if we only depend on things within the grasp of our minds? How can we explain compassion, how can we explain patriotism, spirituality, and others? What about defending your rights or fighting for your beliefs. There are things in life that cannot be easily explained or simply beyond the human mind. Even science has proven the existence of things beyond our normal senses.

In relation to miracles, sometimes good things happen to us without us having to make the conscious efforts, something that we should be grateful for. Yet, sometimes people don't want to believe their luck and try to run away from it. Examples will include celebrities who cannot handle their fame, especially when it comes by storm. We see how people who get rich too fast lose their balance and trip. But those are the most extreme examples. In daily life, when someone is being nice, we tend to assume a hidden interest. Can we take the person as simply being nice? Meanwhile, some people consciously or unconsciously mess up their lives for not being able to handle the good things. Some ruin their career for gambling or deny a promotion for fear of not being able to live up to the expectations. Men leave their faithful wives for bitches, etc. Therefore, some people actually prefer the bad than the good.

Why is it difficult for people to take the good things in life? We cannot accept the good thing because we don't believe that we deserve it. We don't believe that we are worth it. As a matter of fact, some people find it hard to be optimistic and find it easier to be negative. It may relate to the way we see ourselves - do we have enough respect and love to ourselves? When we respect ourselves, we respect our lives. It takes courage to be able to accept ourselves and be grateful for who we are. There are many things in life that we should be grateful for, and a lot of times they come in subtlest forms. It is the ability to see the miracles in life which makes us able to see the bigger power, the other dimensions that add to the richness of life.

Oleh : Rini Palupi Radikun

The Way We Deal With Failures

2008-10-09T23:03:00.000-07:00

All of us want to be successful in life - it is only part of human nature. However, not many of us are willing to take the other side of success - failure. We see failures like a disease to avoid, as if it is not ok to fail. As a matter of fact, we look down to people who fail. Life is all about winning, no one would like to be a loser and the word "loser" is as threatening as a time bomb. Some people take failures to the extremes that they opt for a suicide. Fail and you are not worth of living.

It is funny, if not ridiculous at times, to see how strong people react to failure. The thing is, success comes with failures. It is like the two sides of a coin or a double edged sword. Success and failure come in a package and you cannot have one without the other. If only we can be successful without failures at all... But life doesn't go that way. It is almost like we cannot succeed without failing. Thomas Alva Edison had to do hundreds of experiments before he finally found the light bulb. He even said that genius is 1% talent and 99% hard work. It means that to succeed we have to go through a series of failures. And for those who cannot take the failures, they'd better not expect any success at all. Some people are so lucky to have a successful life delivered in a silver platter to their hands. But those are exceptional cases and most likely they cannot survive turmoil should it ever happen to their lives. The real winners are those who can go through the life's ups and downs, most of them had to undergo life shattering challenges.

All of us have to deal with failures at some point in our lives, whether we like it or not. It is part of life. However, the way we deal with it is what separates winners from losers. We know the term "crack under pressure" to describe those who cannot withstand life challenges. Not many can, let alone are willing to, deal with failures. Dealing with failures is not an easy task, and not many can actually make it. That's why there are only a few numbers of winners and people put so much high regard to the winners. If they have to be honest, not many people are actually willing to go through what the winners have gone through. It seems like we have a higher chance of failing than succeeding, in which case we'd better learn how to face it with a big heart.

What will be the better way to deal with failures? First, failing is not the same as being a loser. We see that failures are synonymous with challenges and people give a big admiration to those who have the courage to face the challenges of life, whether they succeed or fail. The courage itself what makes someone a winner. People loathe losers because losers are not willing to even try. People don't like the trait of giving in, not the failing. Troopers die in a war, but they die with honor, no one patronizes them for failing to survive. Troopers die as a hero. Therefore, we can fail and be winners because we fight to the end. Losers don't fight, it's a different story. Both fail but they are not the same.

Second, failures provide the opportunity to learn. By conducting the experiments hundreds of times, Edison learned how to create a light bulb. Each step, if we can consider it a failure, brought him to the next level. We cannot get to the hundredth of steps without the first, second, third steps and so on. Winners are those who keep rising after the falls, because each fall brings them the impetus, the new energy and spirit to start over. Failing provides the downtime to retreat, rest and recharge the battery so that we can come back fresh and strong. Success and failure are like day and night, each takes the turns so that the other may exist. Both are like buddies, without one the other cannot exist.

Third, if we see failures as a test, we simply have to believe that God will not give a test unless He knows that the person is big enough for the test. The bigger the challenge, the bigger the person. Therefore, it is an honor to receive such a big challenge, it means that God trusts us to be big enough for the challenge. It is like a recognition of our own abilities to handle tough situations. After all, who won't be honored to gain such a recognition by God Himself? Like winning an Oscar, isn't it?

Oleh : Rini Palupi Radikun

To Become Just Like Bamboo

2008-10-09T23:01:00.001-07:00

Once upon a time in a leafy village, trees grown around, a big mahogany tree grown so high, as if, he want to tell the world, how strong and powerful he was. Looks like he emitted his court to everyone who saw it. Not far from that mahogany tree, a bamboo grown side by side the mahogany tree. But if it is saw by opened eyes, just like sky and earth, that strong mahogany with its big branches, and a slight bamboo with its sagged-bough.

Even though they were totally different, they were always lived side by side, the humble bamboo always greeted the mahogany everyday, they talked to each other. The Mahogany Tree always proud to his self, how big and great. The Bamboo never bored to listen to the mahogany pride. Just smiled and flattered with his sincerity heart.

In one night, the heavy rain poured down in that village accompanied by wind blast. The thunderbolt shouted a loud, made that night so stricken. There were so many trees were toppled, because could not against the wind blast. The Mahogany Tree and The Bamboo were also blown by the wind blast. They were trying to stand out not crashed down to the ground.

The Mahogany Tree looked panic, trying to against the wind blast with his big bole. But his bole was not big enough to against the wind that blew so tight, finally The Mahogany Tree fell down to the ground. The Bamboo who was standing beside The Mahogany Tree also blown by the wind blast, but he didn’t against the wind blast, he just only followed where ever the wind blew him, so flexible. And finally, the wind blast passed away. The Bamboo remained standing beautifully, side by side with the Mahogany Tree who was toppled by the wind blast.

~In Pursuing of Success, a man is always faced by problems who come and go. But to be a success person should against that problems with our flexibility, follow and recognize the main problems we have and solve it with flexibility. Just like a bamboo who follow the wind blow so flexible. So that, we have to face the problems and no rigid to one solution. Because, if we are so rigid, and consider we are great without trying to be so flexible, by giving the same solution to one problems, just believe we will topple just like The Big Mahogany Tree~

Bodhi Taruna
www.successandwisdomenglish.blogspot.com

Developing Good Habits For Your Life

2008-09-17T20:30:00.000-07:00

Competition is an inseparable part of business - to succeed, businesses have to compete with each other and only the best can survive. However, being the best is not only required in business, we know the term "survival of the fittest" from the early days. Competition is part of our daily activities, not necessarily for survival, in the pursuit of a rewarding and fulfilling life. The best competition is when we compete against ourselves, we strive for a better life and giving our best is the way we appreciate life.

Giving the best means giving the best efforts to the best of our abilities. Yet, efforts may require a lot of struggles and struggles can be quite painful for some people. Despite their good intention to do the best for their lives, people tend to shy away from pain. Can we be the best without having to struggle? Can we reach victory without sacrifice? It is part of human nature to want it easy. Butt, it is only fair to expect something if we are willing to pay for the price. There is no such thing as a free lunch. How can we make it easy, then?

Luckily, there is a mechanism in what we call "practice makes perfect." In the beginning, it is a struggle but as we do it more frequently, it is getting easier and easier until we gain a full mastery and everything becomes natural. This pattern applies to all aspects in our lives - whatever we do frequently will be a natural part of our daily lives, we'' do it even when we don't think about it. We call it a habit. Therefore, if we want competition to be easy, make it a habit. When we are used to giving our best efforts, we'll do it naturally, we are not even aware about it. When continued practices become a habit, we know for sure that it will be easy. It is only hard in the beginning, we just need to do it more often.

There is a downside of habit though. Once, we acquire it, it is really hard to dismiss. Therefore, be careful with our habits, we have to make sure that we develop only good habits. A bad habit can generate a life of it's own, we'll do it against our own will, for instance: smoking, gambling, drugs, etc. An addiction can be self destructive. But, just imagine that we are addicted to working hard, to giving the best, to being kind to people, to being generous. Life can be really beautiful and it is possible, isn't it?

After all, it is the action that matters. What we do create impacts, whether we are aware of it or not, whether we like it or not. Make sure that we know what we do, that we know our habits. Make sure that we only develop good habits.

Rini Palupi Radikun
Developing Good Habits For Your Life
RiniRdk@yahoo.com

Learning To Be Grateful

2008-09-17T20:21:00.000-07:00

When a lady just went through a difficult relationship with her boyfriend, we told her to 'be grateful'.
When a young adult has just managed to get out from an abusive parent, we told him to 'be grateful'.
When a mom is having difficulties with a grown up son that no longer listened to her, we told her to 'be grateful'.

So what does 'be grateful' mean?
How do you define 'being grateful'?
How do you 'be grateful'? How do you practice 'being grateful'?
Sure, in Indonesian language we can translate it to 'syukur'.
But how do we convert the word 'being grateful' into real daily life style?

One of the experience that I have of 'letting go' was when I was fortunate enough to be told of a story by Bima. You see, Bima is a volunteer at Dilts Fondation (www.diltsfoundation.org) where they take care of unfortunate children.

There is one time when they decided to do a documentation on the children of 'pemulung' (people who pick up trash and then sell them for a living.)

He told me the story of how he follow one of the children, namely Udi, through his daily activity. Udi is already up and out of the house every morning by 3.30am or the latest 4am. Why so early? Because as the saying goes, early bird gets the worm. Once he gets up too late, all the available pickings are gone take by the other 'pemulung'. So Udi must gets up on time to earn his living. It's either that or less money or maybe even none for the day.

Udi goes to his work by foot. Bare footed in fact. Hmm... how come he is not afraid of stepping into anything sharp on the way? He is used to it. While Bimo followed Udi on motorcycle, Udi was walking all the way to his working place which is maybe 2km or even 3km from his home. After reaching his working place then Udi proceed to picking up the trash in that area. How come only in that area and not anywhere else? It's because that is the area designated from him. Picking up trash at another place risks conflict with another 'pemulung' and perhaps even a 'rent fee' from the owner of the place. Once, his basket is full, Udi headed back to place where he can sell his trash pickings. Back and forth, until the time comes for lunch. Where do you think he has his lunch? Right there. On the spot, where he picks his trash. Not worried about typhoid or dysentry or similar disease. "Where else can we eat? After all, eating at another place will simply waste the travel time that can be better used to pick up trash which translates to more money."

Hmm.... ever wonder about that?
Perhaps the next time you complain about anything in your life, you might want to take a day off work and meet Udi.

Daniel Linuar
Learning To Be Grateful

www.andriewongso.com

MY EXPERIENCE IN TEAM GO-KART UNIBRAW

2008-09-08T02:14:00.000-07:00

I'm following team go-kart unibraw. I have many experience in this team. Beside have more motivate, team work, n more experiance which unforgetable.

ABOUT MOTIVATE

2008-03-25T07:19:00.000-07:00

MOTIVATION

Motivation is to provide a person with a motive to action with positive energy and determination. It's a state of mind that moves one individual into action. The best way to recharge the battery of your motivation is to create desires. An inner drive inherent in all, Motivation plays an important role in intellectual, emotional, and professional success and development.

The time for motivation will only ever be RIGHT NOW.

When we learn to take responsibility for every aspect of our lives, motivated success can only but follow, it is inevitable, like the force of the tides and as sure as the sun. Self motivation need merely have its humble beginnings right here, for when we truly accept that we create our realities, then we are firmly in control.

And the best part about being motivated, in control and taking responsibility for our ‘doings’ and more importantly, our ‘thinkings’, is then being able to renounce control and swim with the fishes and dream with the wind. It is often in our letting go that we truly wake up.

MOTIVATION NOW!

Putting off achieving your goals merely creates a void in your life, a sense of waiting for something to happen. This waiting can actually become the most tangible part of the dream and in this state we often never get motivated or courageous enough to dive in head-first. Start small, big things will follow:

To be self-motivated - BE FIRST!

Be the first to smile.
Be the first to forgive.
Be the first to congratulate.
Be the first to take action.
…be the last to complain, the last to frown and the last to give up.

To be self-motivated - BE CONFIDENT!

Take your confidence from the beauty of nature.
Take your confidence from compassion; become skilled at listening and learn much before you teach.

To be self-Motivated – LIVE LIFE 100%

Make mistakes and make them boldly; you get no do-overs in each life here. Mistakes can be our greatest teachers.
Get out of your comfort-zone often. This gets empty and un-challenging. Make new discoveries, new friends, new ideas often and without fear.
Remember that doubt and fear are only thoughts, and we have control over them at every second of every day.
Pain, disappointment, hurt, love-lost are divine catapults into a greater awareness of who we are where we are going. From great suffering comes great accomplishment.
Today doesn’t have to be the same as yesterday, you can make it better. Remember, the time to self-motivate will only ever be RIGHT NOW.

The keys to achieving this are ACTION and POSITIVITY.

If you think you can and truly believe it so and then take the first fledgling step of action, you have completed half your goal already.

Even more powerful is to think it already done. Close your eyes, see it, feel how great it feels to have achieved your goal and then set the importance of the outcome free.

Open your eyes, stretch your arms to the sun, take a deep energizing breath and take that first step…

You have just motivated yourself towards the creation of your dream…

Theory of Motivation

2008-03-25T07:13:00.000-07:00

Theory of Motivation

An inner drive inherent in all, Motivation plays an important role in intellectual, emotional, and professional success and development. Due to its imperative role and importance in the lives of individuals, Motivation has been a field of much research and study by psychiatrists, researchers, counsellors, academicians, and others. And such theorists have propounded several theories which explain the different motivating factors behind the behaviour of individuals.

Thus, Motivation Theory refers to the body of knowledge which explains the causal factors behind the drive called Motivation, which leads individuals to seek and achieve their goals.

Motivation theories can be divided into different categories such as Drive theories, Incentive theories, Optimal-level theories, and Opponent-process theories.

In Drive theories, the importance is on internal driving states, such as aggressive or sexual urges, as emphasised by Sigmund Freud, which are believed to drive individuals to their goal-seeking behaviour. Incentive theories focus upon particular goals or incentives and believe that the attainment of such goals creates an inner drive within individuals to achieve it. Individuals derive pleasure from seeking positive incentives or goals.

Opponent-process theories believe that individuals usually strive for those goals which have a positive emotional feeling attached with them. Optimal-level theories state that there is an optimal level of arousal or motivation level which is sought and maintained by individuals by seeking certain goals.

Famous psychologists have contributed to this body of knowledge. American psychologist Maslow is particularly famous in this regard, who proposed that people are usually motivated to achieve a hierarchical pyramid of needs, or the hierarchy of needs, with basic needs at the bottom and emotional needs such as esteem and ego-satisfaction at the top end of the pyramid. According to him, people fulfil their basic needs before travelling up to satisfy other needs.

Motivation Theories have also been propounded to explain the work motivation of employees at workplaces. Among them Douglas McGregor states that the motivation of employees lies not in cash or money, but in the nature of the work and opportunity for self-improvement.

Motivation theories vary in their approach and focus. Yet, in spite of their variance from one another, they have made our understanding of the concept of Motivation better and more insightful.

Key word : Law of Motivation :

1. We must be motivated before give a motivation

2. Motivation need some object

3. Motivation, once time appear, never well preserved

4. Motivation need confession

5. Participation is motivation

6. Looking our self did well wiil make our self be motivated

7. You must won from the challennge of motivation

8. Possessively on your team will make your self be motivated

9. The leader who gives an inspiration will make the team be motivated

Team work?????

2008-03-25T06:58:00.000-07:00

Motivation in Team Work

One reason why the motivation level falls in a workplace may be the temporariness of the job. The prospect of unemployment after the completion of the project may vitiate the focus and motivation of the workforce, howsoever, well paid they may be. A comparatively lower yet assured income for a longer period is much more welcome than a higher salary for a shorter term.

An important factor that determines the motivation level is the element of challenge. When confronted with a challenge, the survival instinct called fright or fight comes into action. Our defense mechanism becomes ultra activated and triggers us to act in face of challenges. We either run away from the challenging situation out of fright or fight against it by taking it up vigorously head on. A challenge to the survival instinct quite often turns even the mediocres into heroes. There are stories of disabled persons running for life when they find themselves facing the life and death situation during the accidents like fire.

The challenge itself during such situation acts as a fierce motivator.

There may be similar situations involving challenge where even the strong willed and able bodied people give up. When the level of difficulty or the challenge becomes too high or is perceived impossible, even the well qualified and efficient team loses motivation at the workplace.

Conversely, even the mediocre workers lose interest, if the level of difficulty is too low or easy and its implementation is not sufficiently challenging. So it is important for the management to create a worthy and a balanced challenge mechanism to stimulate the workers to keep moving to attain a sense of accomplishment after the completion of the project.

A situation may arise when a worker or the whole team may sometime intentionally become slack or even strike work and no amount of threat to their livelihood can induce them to work with motivation and enthusiasm. Quite possibly some action or policy by the management may have clashed with the fundamental beliefs and ideals of the employees. A Hindu soldier or that matter a Muslim may prefer to die rather than accept high rewards and appreciation for attacking a temple or a mosque.

Quite often we are told that the needs and wants are the great motivation drivers for the workers. People work to satiate their hunger and nourish themselves. But the same people take to hunger strike and refuse to eat. In such situations a higher need or want takes over. It is the need to make a point about an issue which assumes greater importance and becomes larger than the life itself.

A spirit of fellowship, equality and camaraderie where the members of a team like each other and enjoy working together strengthens the sense of loyalty and the unity of purpose.

The team of workers should be entrusted with responsibility and power to accomplish a task. These two elements tend to sustain the motivation at a higher level over a long period. But again, maintaining a healthy balance between the two elements is a tricky affair. If a worker is asked to accomplish a job with a threatening responsibility accompanied with dire consequences, he may either run away from it or overact out of fear and thus defeat the purpose of his deployment.

Responsibility involving punishment for mistakes is a negative motivator. The fear of consequences can only be a short term motivator, but its sustained use may threaten the person away from the work itself. It is difficult to maintain a high level of performance when the whole energy required to perform is sapped and vitiated by the fear.

The environment at workplace should be conducive for learning new skills, concepts, experience and knowledge. Personal growth ensures brighter future prospects. The opportunities of advancement of knowledge impart a value addition-- in form of self esteem and self worth-- to the routine rewards and remuneration and enhance the level of motivation.

Key Word : To make your team to be motivated, you must :

Give a good work condition to team
Clearly about mission of business
Give a specific perpose for team
Allways remember about your crew
Give a some success
Make sure that your team always carry well
Try to be a motivating leader

Its a beautiful day......

2008-03-25T06:56:00.000-07:00

Daily Motivation

The monotony of the daily routine work sucks away all the zeal out of it and your motivation and gusto for work, howsoever strong it initially might be, is drained out. You feel tired and you do not feel like working. Your productivity suffers and raises the eyebrows of your employer. It disturbs you deeply if you are self employed. The lack of motivation for your work is a great challenge.

The best way to recharge the battery of your motivation is to create desires. Visualize clearly the fruits of your efforts. Your dream to buy a beautiful new house in the lush mountains can be realized if you maintain the tempo of your work. Be your own salesman. Sell your dreams to yourself. Place a picture of your dream house on your table. Look at it; admire it whenever you feel tired.

Lack of motivation to act may affect you in many other walks of life, besides your business. Your spouse is about to walk away from your house. Life without her would spell disaster for you and your children. But you are diffident in taking up issue with her.

One way to motivate you to talk out with her is to mentally picturize your children crying for her after she goes away. The sad predicament of your children in trying to choose between you and your spouse may motivate you and you may feel like talking with her at once and clearing off the cobwebs of mistrust. The pain of not acting may motivate you to take action to restore peace to your family life.

Keep a book of scriptures containing inspirational and motivational sermons on your study table.

Read it the first thing regularly after taking your bath in the morning. The central theme of Gita, the holy text of the Hindus, for example, is to perform your duty of karma or taking action without bothering about the rewards. Numerous books of motivational sayings are available in the market. Buy one and read it daily, or, whenever your spirits go down. Read the success stories of millionaires or those who rose to power and glory by dint of untiring hard work. Subscribe to a website that sends you an inspiring saying or two daily to keep you up and running. Several daily newspapers contain motivational lines on their editorial pages which appear regularly at fixed spots. Make a habit of reading them daily as you take your morning cup of tea.

Develop the habit of saying some prayer daily on the lines of: Give us this day our daily bread. Substitute the words ‘daily bread’ with some suitable phrases and words like ‘keep me up and going today’ or any others that suit your temperament.

Share and discuss your plans and dreams with your partner or wife. She may goad you up and provide reasons for carrying on with your work if you slump down. The embarrassment of not keeping up your promises or acting to realize them may keep you running on the track.

If you have children, remember that you are a role model for them and if you allow yourself to be run down by your moodiness and lethargy you will be setting a negative example for them. Late rising parents inculcate late rising habits in their children also. Go for morning walks or take exercises daily to keep your energy level up. Sick and weak body creates numerous excuses for not working.

Always remain aware of what will happen if you do not act today. Nobody else is going to carry your burden for you. Think deeply of the happy consequences of acting and unhappy ones of postponing.

Take your work as a challenge like climbing a difficult and treacherous rout to a mountain top. Challenges build confidence, vigor and excitement. Think of the spectacular view that you alone would enjoy while standing triumphantly on its summit.

Key Word : If you want a beautiful day in your daily day, you must kow about dissolving of motivation :

Not confident enough
Apprehensive about
Negatif Opinion
Feeling “ Nothing future in here”
Feeling “How not important it is for…..”
Not to know beans about something happen in here
A False Confession
Not Training enough

How to increase motivation in team???

2008-03-25T06:48:00.000-07:00

Team Motivation

Motivation is creating a state of mind that moves one to action. An important question that is assuming urgency with the passage of time is how to keep the team of workers in the workplace motivated continuously.

The “motivation level” of the workers can be sustained at a high degree by making them realize the consequences of improving the productivity, or, being negligent towards it. Help your team of workers to realize the hope and benefit of working conscientiously and the fear of not doing so. In other words, use the carrot and the stick policy. A good and resounding example for a defaulter in form of demotion or salary deduction and a high praise accompanied with the monetary rewards and promotion for the productive employee can act as strong drivers or motivators to keep the entire team of your workforce racing fast. A strong action in just one case can become an example for all.

Each worker needs to know about other members of his team. If a person knows that he shall work with a friendly, knowledgeful, jovial, helpful and sincere team of fellow workers, his motivation level would be boosted.

An effort should be made to invest the entire team of workers with a collective sense of authority and responsibility. The entire team of workers, at the individual and the collective level should be encouraged to take positive initiatives without having to wait for the permission or decisions to come from above. They must perceive how they would be rewarded and be much better off for efficiently and successfully executing a project in a given time frame.

The workers need to be made aware of the purpose for undertaking a given project. Work opportunities and environment should be so created that each member of the working team finds it possible to align and identify the purpose or the mission of their project with his personal needs and wants. This is essential for long term motivation.

The monotony of the daily routine can be broken by interspersing the project term with occasional interludes of picnics, outings and indoor entertainment activities. The free and frequent availability of tea, coffee, fruits or snacks fill and reinvigorate the body and refresh and stimulate the mind besides breaking the monotony of work. The executives tend to work with renewed energy, focus and motivation.

All these facilities and incentives will, however, fail to work if the entire team is not professionally qualified to take up the work assigned to them. In an electrical project, some of the members of the team of workers lost the momentum and the work starting suffering. When the reason was investigated it was found that some of the electricians were conduit specialists while the others were cable tray specialists. Yet another group consisted of some people who were simply not interested with the cable terminations. This was a unique combination of employees whose wants and needs clashed with each other and the team’s purpose.

Key word : to increase our team motivation, we must do :

Take it out of dissolving of motivation
Looking for what they want
Showing to them how to get it

Now,how to inspire that :

Be a good listener
Try to carry well and to trust
Show to them that you believing them
Established about a challenge
Be careful about a negatif challenge
Avoid sarcasm
Be a good report bearer

Life Motto of Femous People

2008-03-18T00:43:00.001-07:00

Life motto of femous people which make us be motivated

Anybody can do anything that he imagines.
"Henry Ford"

The game isn't over till it's over.
"Yogi Berra"

The word impossible is not in my dictionary.
" Napoleon Bonaparte"

Laugh and the world laughs with you, cry and you cry alone.
"Eli Wilcox Wheeler"

In this life we get only those things for which we hunt, for which we strive, and for which we are willing to sacrifice. It is better to aim for something that you want - even though you miss it - than to get something that you didn't aim to get, and which you don't want! If we look long enough for what we want in life we are almost sure to find it, no matter what that objective may be.
"George Matthew Adams"

But warm, eager, living life - to be rooted in life - to learn, to desire, to know, to feel, to think, to act. That is what I want. And nothing less. That is what I must try for.
"Katherine Mansfield"

Where there's a will there's a way.
"Proverb"

I've had a few setbacks in my life, but I never gave up.
"Harry S. Truman"

The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.
"LAO-TSE"

Courage is very important. Like a muscle, it is strengthened by use.
"Ruth Gordon"

Life is like riding a bicycle. You don't fall off unless you stop peddling.
"Claudie Pepper"

Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knowns not victory nor defeat.
"Theodore Roosevelt"

My grandfather once told me that there are two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group; there was much less competition there.
"Indira Gandhi"

I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.
"Stephen Leacock"

Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow.
"Helen Keller"

No one knows what it is that he can do until he tries.
"Publilius Syrus"

When love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece.
"John Ruskin"

If I have the belief that I can do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.
"Mahatma Gandhi"

The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can change his life by changing his attitude of mind.
"William James"

Miracles happen to those who believe in them.
"Bernard Berenson"

Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.
"James M. Barrie"

If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded.
"Maya Angelou"

The World is a great mirror. It reflects back to you what you are. If you are loving, if you are friendly, if you are helpful, the World will prove loving and friendly and helpful to you. The World is what you are.
"Thomas Dreier"

Any idea, plan, or purpose may be placed in the mind through repetition of thought.
"Napoleon Hill"

The Wisdom of the wise, and the experience of the ages, may be preserved in quotations.
"Disraeli"

God gave us two ends. One to sit on and one to think with. Success depends on which one you use; head you win--tails, you lose.
"Anonymous"

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely playrs.
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts.
"William Shakespeare"

True happiness is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.
" Helen Keller"

No man is born into the world, whose work is not born with him. There is always work and tools to work withal, for those who will: and blessed are the horny hands of toil.
" J.R.Lowell"

It is only as a man puts off from himself all external support, and stands alone, that I see him to be strong and to prevail.
"Ralph Waldo Emerson"

Iki dodoku, ndi dodomu.
"ir. soekarno"