By Michael Masinde
masindemic@gmail.com
Zig Ziglar, the late American author, wrote that people often say that motivation doesn’t last. In reality, bathing also doesn’t hence the need for people to do it daily.
In today’s world, that is full of discouragements and hard economic times, everyone needs motivation to keep going. This includes teachers and students who need this key ingredient to overcome failure and not lose hope. During this Covid-19 crisis where everyone is looking for the quickest remedy to avert the situation, motivation can cure stress and disillusionment which are a recipe for depression.
Parents carry the brunt of their children’s problems, especially at a time like this when we’re battling a global pandemic. How can a parent motivate their child if the parent is starving?
Months ago, I wrote an article on the benefits of school mentorship programmes. These programmes are usually tailor-made to suit the needs of teenagers as they grow up in earnest.
Life skills enable students realize the reality of life and position themselves well in taking charge of their lives.
Decision making, critical thinking and assertiveness are some of the treasured values, that when imparted in students, go a long way in shaping their thinking and giving them the strength of character that everyone so needs.
What’s the motivation for a teacher to go to work? What motivates a student to work hard in school? What’s the motivation behind the government’s efforts in providing quality education? What motivates parents to work off their fingers and pay school fees for their children?
Tony Robbins, the author of The Power of Leverage, says that motivation is controlled by two needs: avoiding pain and experiencing pleasure.
The science of motivation works miracles. It’s impossible to explain how a miracle happens with logic. Have you ever looked at someone and wondered how they are so motivated or so lazy and defeated?
Psychologists argue that a person’s motivation or lack of motivation is as a result of their locus of control. A locus (Latin for ‘place’ or ‘location’) of control is the degree to which someone believes they have control over their life. Each human being habitually defaults to one of two loci of control: internal or external.
Those with an internal locus of control believe that they are in control of their fate and that they have the power to create the change they want. An example is a student who acknowledges that they didn’t work hard enough in an exam when they fail it. Such a student will put in more efforts for better results. A student with an external locus of control believes that someone else is in control of their life and that someone has to create the change they want to see. Such a student will blame anyone and everything for their failure.
The good news is that it’s possible to change. If one needs to be more motivated, they need a firmly-rooted internal locus of control. With such motivation, the rest of the things will naturally flow.
The journey from good to great is made up of small changes, made consistently.
It’s said that a great teacher inspires students to do more or go the extra mile. It also goes without saying that a teacher needs to be self-motivated so as to inspire others.
In the same vein, parents need to inspire their children to work hard. A parent’s voice is very strong and a child takes it seriously even though sometimes, they don’t show it. A parent’s role in a child knows no bounds.
Anyone can get motivated but the secret to long term success is staying motivated. For motivation to last, it needs to become a habit and establishing a habit takes time. According to recent studies, one should expect an average of 66 days. However, this doesn’t mean that one will not feel discouraged during these 66 days of habitual motivation.
Michael Masinde is a teacher, writer and public speaker.
