Motivation

Motivation

Ambition, Goals

How to Get Motivated

Motivation is literally the desire to do things. It's the difference between waking up before dawn to pound the pavement and lazing around the house all day. It's the crucial element in setting and attaining goals—and research shows you can influence your own levels of motivation and self-control. So figure out what you want, power through the pain period, and start being who you want to be.

Setting and Achieving Goals

Setting and Achieving Goals

The 3 Biggest Myths About Motivation That Won’t Go Away

These popular motivational "tips" are recipes for disaster.

By Heidi Grant Halvorson Ph.D.

How to Push Yourself to Work Out

There are five main reasons why people exercise, but they're far from equal.

By Susan Krauss Whitbourne Ph.D.

The Tough Track

How—and why—an average guy became an ultramarathoner

By Jeff Wise

The Mystery of Motivation

The most carefully crafted incentives routinely backfire. What does it really take to get people to do the "right" thing?

By Gary Drevitch

How to Craft Compelling Goals

... and 4 ways good goals set us up for success.

By Seth J. Gillihan Ph.D.

See also

Recent posts on Motivation

Antonio Guillem/Shutterstock

Need Motivation to Exercise? Science-Based Facts Can Inspire

By Christopher Bergland on December 31, 2017 in The Athlete's Way
Did you make a New Year's resolution to exercise more in 2018? Science-based knowledge of how physical activity optimizes your quality of life is a terrific way to stay motivated.

The Appeal of Unequally Distributed Tax Cuts

By Nathan A Heflick Ph.D. on December 31, 2017 in The Big Questions
Do people want less, if it means other people don't get more? How do studies testing this potentially relate to the support (or lack of support) for Trump's new tax cuts?
Alan Goldberg with permission

Positive Psychology in Martial Arts

By Neil Farber M.D, Ph.D., CLC, CPT on December 30, 2017 in The Blame Game
Martial arts does not just teach us how to kick and punch. It provides a strong basis for living with positive psychology foundational principles.
Paul Wilkinson/Flickr

6 Relationship Resolutions for the New Year

By Jeremy Nicholson M.S.W., Ph.D. on December 30, 2017 in The Attraction Doctor
Resolutions and goals to help you find love in the new year, or improve your existing relationship…
Ned Simonds

Review, Rejoice, and Plan

By Rosemary K.M. Sword and Philip Zimbardo Ph.D. on December 30, 2017 in The Time Cure
Having a plan, even a simple one, for the next year will give you goals to work toward and a way to feel better about your life.
Roberto Nickson/Unsplash

How Friends Help and Hinder Our New Year’s Resolutions

By Miriam Kirmayer on December 30, 2017 in Casual to Close
Looking to keep your New Year's resolutions? Teaming up with a friend can make all the difference, as long as you avoid these traps.
Loliloli via Wikimedia Commons

Ambiguity at Work: Friend, Foe, or a Bit of Both?

By Wilma Koutstaal Ph.D. on December 29, 2017 in Our Innovating Minds
Chasing creativity in the workplace –– what's ambiguity got to do with it?
http://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F0022-3514.91.4.612

Do You See What I See?

By Nathan A Heflick Ph.D. on December 29, 2017 in The Big Questions
Do our goals and motivations influence what we see?
USA-Reiseblogger/Pixabay

Making New Year's Resolutions Work for You

By Holly Parker, Ph.D. on December 29, 2017 in Your Future Self
How can we boost our chances of looking back on 2018 with a gratified smile as we realize that we made our resolutions work for us for a change and actually feel successful?
Alexandru Zdrobau | Unsplash

Six Forms of Resolution

By Andy Tix Ph.D. on December 28, 2017 in The Pursuit of Peace
Ever found New Year's resolutions to be unmotivating or unhelpful? Here are six options for New Year's goals that might help you clarify your best life.
By Margaret A. McIntyre ("The cave boy of the age of stone"[1]) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Explaining the 5 Most Commmon New Year's Resolutions

By Glenn Geher Ph.D. on December 28, 2017 in Darwin's Subterranean World
It turns out that the most common New Year’s resolutions connect strongly with our evolved nature. Perhaps understanding this fact can help us actually keep them in 2018.
Linda Schneiderman

Stop Making Resolutions that Leave You Disappointed

By Kim Schneiderman L.C.S.W., M.S.W on December 28, 2017 in The Novel Perspective
Tired of beating yourself up for falling short of your goals? In 2108, make a resolution to be firm but loving parent to yourself.
Fotolia

5 Alternatives to Traditional New Year's Resolutions

By Amy Morin on December 27, 2017 in What Mentally Strong People Don't Do
These alternatives will help you go on more adventures, connect with amazing people, learn new things, and grow stronger in 2018.
Orange Vectors/Shutterstock

How This Common Fear Can Keep You Stuck

By Theo Tsaousides Ph.D. on December 27, 2017 in Smashing the Brainblocks
Fear kills more dreams than failure ever will. But it doesn't have to.
Photo by Climate KIC on Unsplash

Finding Optimal Solitude in an Age of Collaboration

By Jeffrey Davis M.A. on December 27, 2017 in Tracking Wonder
How do you pursue optimal collaboration? How do you shape time for productive solitude? Research shows that both are needed to advance our best ideas.
John Holt. Wikimedia, Creative Commons

The Joy and Sorrow of Rereading Holt’s "How Children Learn"

By Peter Gray Ph.D. on December 26, 2017 in Freedom to Learn
Holt was a brilliant observer of children in their everyday lives, who decades ago developed some profound insights into how children learn. I wish more people understood them.
shutterstock

Your New Year’s Resolution: Making it Great in 2-0-1-8

By Benjamin Cheyette, M.D., and Sarah Cheyette M.D. on December 22, 2017 in 1-2-3-ADHD
The true meaning of a "fresh start."
photo by blogger

New Year's Relationship Evaluation

By Barton Goldsmith Ph.D. on December 22, 2017 in Emotional Fitness
These self-evaluations are one of the most powerful tools you can use to boost your enjoyment of both your life and relationship.
Alice Donavan/Unslpash

What Smart Really Is

By Srini Pillay M.D. on December 22, 2017 in Debunking Myths of the Mind
Three mindset shifts that will open doors to your intelligence.
zeljkodan/Shutterstock

Flip the Script: Turning Naysayer Scorn Into Yeasayer Mojo

By Christopher Bergland on December 21, 2017 in The Athlete's Way
"Tell me I can't, then watch me work twice as hard to prove you wrong." This quotation sums up one way to flip the script and turn a naysayer's doubt into a source of motivation.
Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton, used with permission

Successful Teamwork for Introverts and Extroverts

By Nancy Ancowitz on December 21, 2017 in Self-Promotion for Introverts
New York Times bestselling authors Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton discuss how to foster effective teams and successful collaboration between introverts and extroverts.
Pixabay. And existentialists.

When to Quit Therapy

By Ryan Howes PhD, ABPP on December 19, 2017 in In Therapy
In an ideal world, all therapy would provide a good ending, where loose ends are tied up, take-away points are clarified, and we share a clean goodbye. Sounds nice, doesn’t it?
Photo by Freddy Marschall on Unsplash

How to Seek Purpose with Less Anxiety

By Jeffrey Davis M.A. on December 19, 2017 in Tracking Wonder
As the New Year approaches, to live a life of purpose may be on your list of goals for the new year. But do we find purpose? For many of us purpose is more illusive.
Rawpixel, StockSnap IO Creative Commons CC0

Letting Go of Victimization

By Grant Hilary Brenner M.D. on December 19, 2017 in ExperiMentations
Tired of living in blame? Enjoy responsibility, without taking it out on yourself and others.
CC0

Break the Chain of Frustration

By Jim Taylor Ph.D. on December 15, 2017 in The Power of Prime
Frustration is typically defined an emotional reaction that arises when the path toward a goal is blocked and can’t be readily cleared.
StockSnap IO Creative Commons CC0

10 Steps to a Winning New Year's Resolution

By Grant Hilary Brenner M.D. on December 14, 2017 in ExperiMentations
New Year's resolutions fabulously, hilariously, and horrifically fail. If you want to make real change, and sustain it, use evidence-based approaches and common sense.
ABC 11

The 4 Types of New Year's Resolutions and Why We Need Them

By Michal Ann Strahilevitz Ph.D. on December 12, 2017 in Your Money and Your Heart
There are four categories of New Year's resolutions that contribute to happiness and fulfillment. Learn what they are, why they each matter and how to make them work for you.
Clkr-Free-Vector-images/Pixabay

Self-Criticism, A False Friend

By Leslie Becker-Phelps Ph.D. on December 12, 2017 in Making Change
People sometimes use self-criticism to drive themselves to succeed. While this can produce outward success, it can also lead to great unhappiness. There is another, better way.
Maialisa/Pixabay

Why You Should Hire a Procrastinator

By Mary C Lamia Ph.D. on December 11, 2017 in Intense Emotions and Strong Feelings
Whether an employee completes a task early on or at the deadline is less important than evaluating outcome.
iclipart, used with permission

Multiple Personality or Malingering?

By Joni E Johnston Psy.D. on December 11, 2017 in The Human Equation
What happens when a person with multiple personalities kills? Pamela Moss claimed her alters were linked to two murders committed years apart but insisted she, the host, was not.
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