MTD TRAINING
PERSONAL CONFIDENCE
& MOTIVATION
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2
Personal Conidence & Motivation
1st edition
© 2013 MTD Training & bookboon.com
ISBN 978-87-7681-665-0
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3
CONTENTS
PERSONAL CONFIDENCE & MOTIVATION
CONTENTS
Preface
6
1
Introduction
8
1.1
Personal Confidence and Motivation in the Business World
8
1.2
Personal Confidence
8
1.3
Personal Motivation
9
1.4
Defining Confidence
9
1.5
Defining Motivation
10
1.6
An Overview of this Ebook
10
2
Theories Regarding Personal Confidence
11
2.1
Introduction
11
2.2
Self-Confidence
11
2.3
Self-Esteem
12
2.4
Self-Efficacy
13
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CONTENTS
PERSONAL CONFIDENCE & MOTIVATION
3
Theories Regarding Motivation
19
3.1
Introduction
19
3.2
Herzberg’s Motivational Theory
19
3.3
Vroom’s Expectancy Theory
21
3.4
McCleland’s Need-Based Model
23
3.5
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
25
4
Methods for Improving Self-Confidence
30
4.1
Introduction
30
4.2
10 Tips to Improve Self-Confidence Instantly
30
4.3
Building Self-Esteem at Work
35
4.4
Enhancing Your Self-Efficacy
38
5
How to Improve Your Motivation
41
5.1
Reasons We Lose Motivation
41
5.2
Building Self-Discipline
43
6
Personal Change and Goal Setting
48
6.1
Introduction
48
6.2
A Formula for Making Changes
48
6.3
The Process of Change
49
6.4
Setting Goals
51
7
Resources
55
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PREFACE
PERSONAL CONFIDENCE & MOTIVATION
PREFACE
Do you have the self belief and conidence to make a diference? Do you “just know” that
you’ll succeed no matter what?
Do you know what motivates and gets you going? And do you know how to tap into the
motivations of other people?
In this textbook you’ll ind the answers to all of these questions and much more besides!
You’ll understand how to build your own conidence levels and how to generate conidence
in an instant. You’ll then move onto the topic of motivation and you’ll be able to really
understand this area of personal development.
Sean McPheat, the Founder and Managing Director of management development specialists,
MTD Training is the author of this publication. Sean has been featured on CNN, BBC, ITV,
on numerous radio stations and has contributed to many newspapers. He’s been featured
in over 250 diferent publications as a thought leader within the management development
and training industry.
MTD has been working with a wide variety of clients (both large and small) in the UK
and internationally for several years.
MTD specialise in providing:
•
•
•
•
In-house, tailor made management training courses (1–5 days duration)
Open courses (Delivered throughout the UK at various locations)
Management & leadership development programmes (From 5 days to 2 years)
Corporate and executive coaching (With senior or middle managers)
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PREFACE
PERSONAL CONFIDENCE & MOTIVATION
MTD provide a wide range of management training courses and programmes that enable new and
experienced managers to maximise their potential by gaining or reining their management and
leadership skills.
Contact MTD:
Online:
Web:
Email:
www.m-t-d.co.uk
info@m-t-d.co.uk
Telephone:
From he UK:
International:
0800 849 6732
++ 44 2476 233 151s
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7
INTRODuCTION
PERSONAL CONFIDENCE & MOTIVATION
1
INTRODUCTION
1.1
PERSONAL CONFIDENCE AND MOTIVATION IN THE
BUSINESS WORLD
One of the most commonly debated and researched ields in the business world is motivation.
Why do people do what they do and how can we motivate others to do what we need
them to do in the business place? If we understand how and why people are motivated, we
can encourage them to be their best and do their best at work. he more that people are
motivated to be successful and achieve the goals set for them, the more their conidence in
their own abilities will grow as well, which can, in turn, make them even more motivated.
But you can also work on your own conidence and motivation in the workplace in order
to achieve your goals and intentions. When people are conident and motivated at work,
there are many positive factors that result in the workplace:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
1.2
Job satisfaction improves
Efort increases
Working environment improves
Results are the focus
Drive is created
Everyone’s full potential can be tapped
Everyone is certain of the role they are to fulill
PERSONAL CONFIDENCE
We all know people who are conident. hey seem to face life’s obstacles with a level of
calm that is enviable. hey get into action to respond to a problem before giving themselves
time to dwell or worry too much. Conident people are more successful at work because
they have a belief in their own abilities to the point that they feel comfortable handling
whatever comes at them. Make a presentation to the board? No problem – the conident
person plans and executes the presentation without allowing fear to stop them. When
someone is conident, they:
•
•
•
•
•
Focus on their strengths while managing their weaknesses
Aren’t afraid to take risks
Enjoy challenging themselves and setting high goals
Seek out self-improvement opportunities
Aren’t afraid to admit when they make a mistake
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INTRODuCTION
PERSONAL CONFIDENCE & MOTIVATION
•
•
•
•
1.3
Aren’t afraid to acknowledge when they don’t know something
Make good team leaders or mentors
Can relate to customers or company members at any level of the organization
Are honest about their shortcomings
PERSONAL MOTIVATION
All of us have a desire to achieve something in our lives. We want to know that we have
achieved something important, of value, of quality, or of meaning. Being motivated to meet
our goals means that we are able to:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Improve our self-conidence
Enhance our self-discipline
Set examples for ourselves of what we can achieve
Challenge ourselves to stretch beyond our perceived limits
Reward ourselves for reaching our goals
Enjoy the recognition or perks associated with reaching our goals
he more that we are able to achieve, the more self-conident we become. hen the more
self-conident we become, the more we are able to achieve. he reverse can happen if we fail
to meet our goals. If we fall short of achieving something, we may experience a dip in our
self-conidence levels, which in turn may impact our motivation to try again. Understanding
this relationship between motivation and self conidence is important if you want to be
able to improve either trait in yourself.
1.4
DEFINING CONFIDENCE
People sometimes confuse conidence with arrogance. he arrogant person is usually
actually an insecure person and their arrogance is a way to hide their insecurities. Where an
arrogant person is boastful, a conident person has no need to boast – they know that their
achievements speak for themselves. Where an arrogant person will have trouble admitting
they were wrong, a conident person is perfectly willing to admit when they are wrong –
they know that the admission doesn’t diminish their value or their abilities. If an arrogant
person tends to focus on looking good or appearing to be the best, a conident person
focuses on being the best and doing the best.
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INTRODuCTION
PERSONAL CONFIDENCE & MOTIVATION
1.5
DEFINING MOTIVATION
A simple deinition for motivation is that it is a description of a person’s motive to action.
You can have a low level of motivation to perform an action, for example, if you are taking
a long time to complete a project or even to begin it. But if you have drive towards a
goal, objective, or target, we talk about you having positive motivation. hose who are
highly motivated to achieve things in their lives are also likely to be more fulilled as they
accomplish the things that are important to them in their lives.
1.6
AN OVERVIEW OF THIS EBOOK
his ebook will examine the interactions of self-conidence and motivation so that you
are able to use one to enhance the other. We’ll examine theories about self-conidence and
motivation before looking at ways to improve both. hen we’ll look at what’s involved in
making personal changes and how to set powerful goals that will help you be more successful.
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ThEORIES REgARDINg PERSONAL CONFIDENCE
PERSONAL CONFIDENCE & MOTIVATION
2
2.1
THEORIES REGARDING
PERSONAL CONFIDENCE
INTRODUCTION
We all know someone who radiates self-conidence. hink about one of these people that
you know in the workplace. What is it that their self-conidence helps them to achieve?
Are they more willing to take on responsibility, at ease around their superiors, and able to
admit when they have made a mistake?
In this chapter we’ll examine the differences between self-confidence, self-esteem, and
self-efficacy, as well as why each one is important in the work-place
Now think about someone at the workplace who does not have a lot of self-conidence.
hey might be shy, reserved, not willing to get into conversations where they might have
to speak to their superiors or speak in front of other people. hey might appear unhappy
in the workplace, or at least not very excited about what it is that they are doing. Can you
see how self-conidence might be important to people in being successful at work?
According to psychological research, there are several theories regarding how a person’s selfconidence is important to their well-being and their ability to function in the world at
their fullest potential. In this chapter we will look at the diferences between self-conidence,
self-esteem, and self-eicacy, and theories about why each is important in the workplace.
2.2
SELF-CONFIDENCE
Self-conidence can be boiled down to the belief that a person has it in their ability to
succeed at a task, based on whether or not they have been able to perform the task in the
past. However, there are actually two aspects of self-conidence. he irst is competence,
whether or not you have the necessary skills and abilities to complete a task. he second is
self-assurance and whether or not you believe that you have the ability to complete the task.
There are two aspects of self-confidence: competence, or whether or not you possess the
needed skills to achieve something, and self-assurance, or whether or not you believe
that you have the ability to achieve it.
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ThEORIES REgARDINg PERSONAL CONFIDENCE
PERSONAL CONFIDENCE & MOTIVATION
hink about this for a moment; you might have been trained in interview skills, but you
might not feel comfortable in interviews. In this case you would have the competence but
lack the self-assurance. On the other hand, you could believe that you have the ability to
do something but not have the skills to actually carry it through. In this case you are very
self-assured, but you don’t have the competence to do the job. True self-conidence occurs
when both competence and self-assurance are in balance with each other.
Self-conidence has been shown to be important in recovery from injury, overcoming
setbacks, and moving through negative experiences in life. Someone with self-conidence has
a belief that they will be able to recover, move past the negative, and again experience the
positive. In the business world, self-conidence functions in much the same way. It enables
an employee to recover from setbacks and challenges and continue to move forward.
2.3
SELF-ESTEEM
Self-esteem is the capacity to respect and think well of yourself. It means that you appreciate
yourself as a unique individual with your own set of skills, talents, and abilities. David
Burns deines self-esteem as “the capacity to experience maximal self-love and joy whether
or not you are successful at any point in your life.”
Psychologist Maxine Elliott has researched self-esteem and realized that people’s self-esteem
will vary from individual to individual when they are facing a setback. People who have a
high level of self-esteem will be able to respond to a damaging event by using their past
experience and their coping abilities and will not have much damage to their current level
of self-esteem. hey will still see themselves as valuable and talented even if the current
evidence seems to indicate otherwise.
Self-esteem can be defined as “the capacity to experience maximal self-love and joy
whether or not you are successful at any point in your life.”
However, most people will experience some loss of self-esteem when they face a negative
situation and unfortunately, those who already have low self-esteem will also experience the
largest reduction in what little self-esteem they have. In other words, they will see their
failure as further proof that they are incapable of being successful. his type of negative cycle
will perpetuate itself each time that a person with low self-esteem faces failure, criticism,
or roadblocks.
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ThEORIES REgARDINg PERSONAL CONFIDENCE
PERSONAL CONFIDENCE & MOTIVATION
2.4
SELF-EFFICACY
Albert Bandura is considered an expert on the concept of self-eicacy. He stated that people
perceive their own self-eicacy as “people’s judgments of their capabilities to organize and
execute courses of action required to attain designated types of performances. It is concerned
not with the skills one has but with the judgments of what one can do with whatever skills
one possesses.” In other words, self-eicacy is an individual’s evaluation of their own ability
to be successful in attaining a speciic goal.
Self-efficacy is related to our judgments about our own capabilities and what we believe
we are or are not able to do with those capabilities.
Bandura stated that the amount of self-eicacy a person has is dependent on their ability
to apply coping behaviors, increase their level of efort, and how long they will be able to
retain their optimism when facing diicult obstacles and experiences. In addition, he stated
that the more a person is tested by facing their fears and stepping outside of their comfort
zones, the more they will enhance their sense of self-eicacy.
If a person does not have a base level of self-eicacy, they will be unwilling to attempt
a new task or challenge, which could of course hold them back in the workplace. he
greater your self-eicacy, the more willing you will be to grow your skills by attempting
new challenges – and the less you will be afected if you don’t succeed.
2.4.1 SOURCES OF SELF-EFFICACY
here are four main sources that allow people to build their self-eicacy. hese are:
•
•
•
•
Mastery experiences
Social models
Social persuasion
Emotional states
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ThEORIES REgARDINg PERSONAL CONFIDENCE
PERSONAL CONFIDENCE & MOTIVATION
Let’s look at each one of these individually:
• Mastery experiences – this is the most efective way to create a strong sense of
self-eicacy for a person. As each success is achieved, the sense of self-eicacy is
reinforced. However, a bit of failure is important as well. If people only experience
easy successes, they will begin to feel that success is what they should experience
every time they make an attempt at something new. Some setbacks are important
because they teach us that we need to make a sustained efort to be successful. Still,
upsets should not come, if it can be avoided, until a person has had a chance to
establish a certain level of self-eicacy.
Once we see ourselves succeed, we are more likely to believe that we can do it again.
• Social models – these are examples of others who we see succeed. When we see
someone that we feel is similar to ourselves achieve, we will feel that we are likely
to be able to follow suit. At the same time, seeing people like ourselves fail despite
a level of sustained efort can have a negative impact on our own self-eicacy. hese
models are most efective, in either case, when they are perceived to have the greatest
similarity to ourselves. hese models tell us the types and level of competencies
to which we should aspire if we want to be successful in the workplace – and in
life in general.
We will believe we can do something more readily if we see someone like us achieve it
first.
• Social persuasion – the old pep talk. When we can persuade someone that they have
the competencies and abilities to master an activity, they are more likely to make
longer, sustained eforts at achieving success than if they have signiicant self-doubt.
While social persuasion can enhance self-eicacy, it can even more easily diminish it.
People tend to easily believe the negative and may decide that they are unqualiied
to even attempt a task – even if they actually do have the ability to complete it
successfully. his factor points to the importance of leaders in an organization to
frequently persuade people that they are capable and competent.
We will believe we can do something more readily if we have others tell us that they
believe we can do it.
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ThEORIES REgARDINg PERSONAL CONFIDENCE
PERSONAL CONFIDENCE & MOTIVATION
However, it’s important not to persuade someone that they are capable of something when
they truly are not. You will simply reinforce any negative self-doubts that a person had –
not to mention shaking their faith in you as a leader. If you are a manager, you will need
to strike a balance between challenging your employees in order to stimulate their selfconidence and being careful not to set them up in situations where they are sure to fail.
• Emotional states – people judge themselves on their emotional reactions to situations
as well. If they react with stress and tension, they may interpret those reactions as
signs that they are weak or vulnerable. Mood can also afect self-eicacy; a positive
mood will enhance it, while a negative mood will diminish it. A work environment
that allows opportunities for stress reduction, teaches stress management, and
acknowledges stress as a normal part of life rather than a personal weakness will
help to foster positive self-eicacy in its employees.
We will judge ourselves based on our emotional reaction to a situation – we may see
ourselves as vulnerable or weak if we are too emotional or stressed.
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2.4.2 HOW SELF-EFFICACY AFFECTS FUNCTIONING
here are four major psychological processes that are important when discussing the fact that
how a person perceives their self-eicacy can have an impact on their ability to function,
perform, and achieve. hese four processes are:
•
•
•
•
Cognitive processes
Motivational processes
Afective processes
Selection processes
Now we’ll look at each of these in detail.
• Cognitive processes – we begin to analyze our ability to perform tasks or reach
goals during the cognitive process of thought. We will ‘rehearse’ scenes in our mind
or imagine what will happen in a given scenario in an attempt to be prepared for,
or even control, the events that will happen in our lives. We draw conclusions,
make assumptions, and predict what we think will occur. We then compare the
actual results to our predictions and evaluate how well we were able to ‘predict’
what would happen. If you have higher self-eicacy, you will also be able to manage
your analytical thinking processes better under stress than someone who doesn’t.
We ‘rehearse’ what we think will happen in a situation by thinking about it. We then
compare the reality of what happens to how well we predicted it.
• Motivational processes – since self-motivation is usually generated by thought,
our self-eicacy plays a role as well. We use forethought as a way to regulate our
motivation by imagining what we believe we can achieve. We then use our cognitive
skills to set goals for ourselves and to identify what steps are necessary to achieve
those goals. here are actually three diferent subsets of motivational processes that
come under this theory:
- Causal attributions – in these instances, those with high self-eicacy understand
that their failures are a result of low efort, while those with low self-eicacy
will see their failures as the result of a lack of ability. Motivation can be
afected in either case because in the irst, a person will believe that they
simply need to try harder, while in the second, a person may believe that it
doesn’t matter how hard they try.
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ThEORIES REgARDINg PERSONAL CONFIDENCE
PERSONAL CONFIDENCE & MOTIVATION
- Outcome expectancies – in these situations, a person believes that a certain
outcome will result in correspondence to a given behavior. We predict what
we will get if we give a certain level of input, assistance, efort, etc. If we
have high self-eicacy, we know that we simply have to give the right input
to get the desired outcome, and will be motivated by that understanding. If
we have low self-eicacy, we either cannot understand what input we need
to give or we simply don’t think we are capable of giving it.
- Self-inluence by goal setting – we will talk more about goal-setting in a later
chapter, but this is the idea that we are able to inluence our own motivation
by setting our own goals and challenges. We will be satisied if we achieve our
goals, and less satisied if we do not. Again, self-eicacy plays a role because
it will afect the level of challenge and goal that we will set for ourselves. If
we see the goal as simply a function of the right activity combination, we
will set it high when we have high self-eicacy because we will believe we
can attain the goal. If we don’t have high self-eicacy, we will set low goals
for ourselves – if we set them at all.
• Afective processes – this element relates to how we perceive our own coping abilities.
If we face a diicult situation and have low self-eicacy in this area, we are more
likely to experience high levels of stress and depression. If we have a high level of
self-eicacy related to our ability to cope, we will be in action around resolving the
situation or getting through the diicult scenario rather than getting mired down
and stressing over negative outcomes that are either out of our control or are very
unlikely to happen. In other words, those with self-eicacy know that they will be
capable of handling whatever life throws at them. hose without it will experience
a great deal of fear and anxiety and may not be capable of coping with diiculties.
This element relates to how we perceive our own coping abilities. If we believe we have
good coping skills, we will actually cope with difficult situations better than if we lack
self-efficacy in this area.
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ThEORIES REgARDINg PERSONAL CONFIDENCE
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• Selection processes – inally, self-eicacy afects us by inluencing the decisions
that we make for ourselves in our lives. Our level of belief in ourselves and our
abilities can shape the environments we choose, the educational path we opt for,
and the type of career we pursue as well. If you are in an environment that you
are unhappy with, one question to ask yourself is whether or not you chose that
position because you didn’t believe in yourself enough to push yourself further in
your education or the risks you took at work to prove yourself. he higher the
level of self-eicacy a person has, the less likely they are to ‘settle’ in a career that
they don’t ind satisfying.
You want employees with a high level of self-efficacy because it is more likely that they will
have actively chosen their current profession and so will be more enthusiastic about it.
herefore, you want employees with a high level of self-eicacy because it is more likely
that they will have actively chosen their current profession and that they will be more
interested in it and enthusiastic about it.
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ThEORIES REgARDINg MOTIVATION
PERSONAL CONFIDENCE & MOTIVATION
3
3.1
THEORIES REGARDING
MOTIVATION
INTRODUCTION
Since motivation has been so thoroughly studied, there are numerous theories about what
motivates us. In this chapter, we’ll look at some of the most popular motivational theories
to help you build a base of understanding for improving your own motivation.
3.2
HERZBERG’S MOTIVATIONAL THEORY
Frederick Herzberg studied how a worker’s work environment would afect his work by
causing satisfaction or dissatisfaction. His idea was that if people were satisied at work,
they would be motivated to work, and the opposite would be true if they were dissatisied
at work. He interviewed employees about their feelings at work and then published his
indings in 1959 in his book called he Motivation to Work.
His theory is also called the motivation-hygiene theory because he considered the factors
that satisied employees to be motivators and those factors that were dissatisfying to be
hygiene factors. Hygiene factors being present does not avoid job dissatisfaction, but if you
take them away you will ind that they can demotivate an employee. Examples might be
the loss of a regularly expected pay raise or some decrease in how you perceive your work
environment (turning of the air conditioner or no longer allowing personal space heaters).
Herzberg identiied the top six factors leading to dissatisfaction and the top six factors
leading to satisfaction in the workplace. hese are listed in order from highest importance
to lowest importance in Figure 1 below.
Factors Affecting Job Attitudes
Leading to Dissatisfaction
•
•
•
•
•
•
Leading to Satisfaction
Company policy
Supervision
Relationship with boss
Work conditions
Salary
Relationship with peers
•
•
•
•
•
•
Achievement
Recognition
Work itself
Responsibility
Advancement
Growth
Figure 1: Herzberg’s Factors Affecting Job Attitudes
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ThEORIES REgARDINg MOTIVATION
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Herzberg argued that because the list of factors for dissatisfaction and satisfaction are not
exact opposites of each other, we cannot assume that simply improving a dissatisfying factor
would result in satisfaction – it would simply result in the absence of dissatisfaction. he
same could be said if you remove a factor of satisfaction – the result wouldn’t necessarily
be dissatisfaction, but just the absence of satisfaction. So what does this mean for actions
we can take?
Because the list of factors for dissatisfaction and satisfaction are not opposites, we cannot
assume that improving a factor of dissatisfaction will lead to satisfaction; it would simply
lead to the absence of dissatisfaction.
here is one important distinction to notice when it comes to self-motivation and selfconidence. he factors that tend to bring us the most satisfaction at work, and so we
assume, the most motivation, are the ones that we have some control over – and that are
most related to our own job performance. If we are focusing on our performance, we will
achieve our goals and receive recognition. If we do something we enjoy, that alone can
provide satisfaction. We also see that taking on more responsibility, advancing, and growth
are all ways to be satisied at work. We can volunteer for additional responsibility, look for
ways to grow our skills, and discover what would be necessary in terms of our performance
to take advantage of opportunities for advancement. We might not be able to control
company policy or the other factors that can lead to dissatisfaction, but we can certainly
control our own work performance.
The factors that tend to bring us the most satisfaction at work, and so we assume, the most
motivation, are the ones that we have some control over – and that are most related to our
own job performance.
If you happen to be a manager, this information is also important because it shows you
how diferent decisions you make may afect your employees. If you focus on motivation
by putting in place factors on the left-hand side, you might relieve dissatisfaction, but
you won’t necessarily create satisfaction and motivation. Fail to provide opportunities for
growth, advancement, additional responsibility, achievement, and recognition, and you will
have a team lacking satisfaction – and motivation. his is important to realize – that you
have a better chance of achieving motivation when you focus on the individual, not on the
traditional ‘carrots’ (salary, beneits, prestige, etc.) that we tend to think of as motivating us.
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ThEORIES REgARDINg MOTIVATION
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If you are a manager, you have a better chance of achieving motivation when you focus on
the individual, not on the traditional ‘carrots’ (salary, benefits, prestige, etc.) that we tend
to think of as motivating us.
3.3
VROOM’S EXPECTANCY THEORY
Another theory of motivation was posed by Victor Vroom. It is diferent from the previous
theory because it focuses not on the needs of a person, but on their outcomes. He saw
efort as being the result of motivation, which led to performance and then the resulting
outcomes of that performance. He said that in order for a person to be motivated to put
forth the efort, he or she must see a link between the three factors – efort, performance,
and outcome. He proposed three variables that created the link:
• Expectancy
• Instrumentality
• Valence
Victor Vroom proposed that motivation is directly linked to the expected outcome of
any effort that is expended. He defined three variables that created the link: expectancy,
instrumentality, and valence.
Figure 2 gives a visual description of this theory, which we will examine further below.
Figure 2: Vroom’s Expectancy Theory
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ThEORIES REgARDINg MOTIVATION
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Expectancy means that you believe that the efort you put in can afect the performance
that you deliver. For example, if you work harder, you will perform better and if you work
less, your performance will sufer. his factor is afected by:
• Having the resources you need to do the job (time, money, hardware or software)
• Having the skills and knowledge to do the job
• Having the support you need to get the job done (manager support, approval,
information)
Instrumentality refers to the belief that your performance will afect the outcome. For example,
excellent performance will result in a more positive outcome than poor performance. But
even more, it is the belief that you will be rewarded for the hard work. You believe there
is something in it for you if you perform well. his belief can be afected by:
• Having a clear understanding of what has to be achieved in order to receive a
reward – what the ‘rules’ are for you to get rewarded for your efort
• Trusting the people who will decide whether or not you (or others) receive a reward
for a corresponding level of outcome
• Transparency in the process that results in who gets what outcome and corresponding reward
Valence is the importance that a person places on the reward or expected outcome. For
example, if I am motivated to spend time with my family more than by money, I will not
value an ofer of overtime. On the other hand, if money is of utmost importance to me at
the moment, I will place a much higher value on that overtime.
So in order for a person to be motivated by what they believe the outcome will be (the
reward), all of the following must be true:
• hey must believe that their increased efort will increase their performance
• hey must believe that their increased performance will increase their reward
• hey must value the reward being ofered
You’ll also notice the box in Figure 2 with ‘equity?’ indicating that people will compare
their outcomes with those received by others and they may adjust their efort accordingly.
For example, if I sold 100 widgets and you sold 50 widgets but we both got the same
bonus, I will probably reduce my efort the next time around – in other words, I will be
less motivated because I will perceive that there was some inequity in the reward structure.
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ThEORIES REgARDINg MOTIVATION
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Under this theory, organizations will have a challenge in motivating every individual because
motivation is based on an individual’s perceptions of expectancy, instrumentality, valence,
and equity in the existing system. However, as individuals, we can apply this theory of
motivation to any area of our lives where we need to be motivated. We can create our own
rewards for our performance and for achieving our personal goals. Since we would also
be in control of the reward system, there would be no chance of not getting the expected
reward – unless of course, you don’t follow through on your promise to yourself!
As individuals, we can apply this theory of motivation to any area of our lives where we need
to be motivated by creating our own rewards for performance and goal achievement.
3.4
MCCLELAND’S NEED-BASED MODEL
David McCleland based his theory of motivation on the idea that each of us has three
fundamental needs:
• he need for achievement
• he need for ailiation
• he need for power (authority)
McCleland said that each of us has these three needs in a diferent balance. hese needs afect
how we can be motivated as well as how we try to motivate other people. McCleland was
particularly interested in understanding people who have a high need to achieve because they
are not as common as one might think. Here is a brief explanation of each type of need:
N-ach: Need for achievement:
•
•
•
•
•
Seek achievement
Strive to attain goals
Want advancement
Need feedback
Need a sense of accomplishment
N-ail: Need for ailiation:
• Need for interaction with others
• Need for friendship
• Want and need to be liked
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N-pow: Need for power:
•
•
•
•
•
Authority motivated
Need to inluence others
Need to make an impact
Need to lead
Need to increase personal prestige or status
McCleland conducted a famous experiment where he asked people to throw rings over a
peg, like in a fairway game. here were no instructions given as to where the people had
to stand, so people threw the rings from diferent distances. Yet he noticed that the people
who had tested as having a high level of the need to achieve chose their positions carefully –
they picked positions that were neither too close nor too far. hey chose a distance that was
realistic but not too easy. In other words, they seemed to be challenging themselves while
still making achievement of the goal a real possibility.
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What McCleland realized about those with a high level of need to achieve is that they set
goals at a level where they feel they can inluence the outcome and yet where there is still
the need to stretch in order to achieve the goal. He also found that these people were more
likely to look for ways that a situation could be improved. hey believe they have inluence
and the ability to make a diference.
So what if you are not a naturally achievement-motivated person? If you don’t see the
achievement of the outcome as reward in itself, you are not alone. Many people are motivated
by ailiation or power instead. But McCleland believed that motivation by achievement
could be taught and learned. In fact, you are learning some of the ways to become more
motivated by realistic goal-setting in this ebook.
3.5
MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS
Finally, not discussion of theories of motivation would be complete without Maslow’s Hierarchy
of Needs. In 1943, Abraham Maslow published a theory on what motivates people in his
paper A heory of Human Motivation. He posited that people have ive levels of needs that
they seek to meet. he more basic the need, the more motivated a person will be to fulill
it. So using his Hierarchy of Needs, you can begin to assess how strong the motivation
factor will be for a group of people or an individual. Figure 3 shows Maslow’s hierarchy.
Figure 3: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
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ThEORIES REgARDINg MOTIVATION
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he bottom four layers of the pyramid Maslow called d-needs or deiciency needs. Failure
to meet these needs could result in physical harm in the case of the physiological level. Or
if the next three layers of needs are not met, such as lack of security, friendship or love, and
self-esteem, the body won’t necessarily give physical signs of the deiciency, but the person
will be upset, disconnected, anxious, or tense.
Maslow proposed five levels of human needs. The most basic, and therefore the most
motivating, are at the bottom of the model.
3.5.1 LEVEL ONE – PHYSIOLOGICAL NEEDS
he bottom, or most important needs, are the physiological needs. hese are just what they
sound like – with the exception of clothing and sexual activity, the things that our bodies
need in order to keep functioning. hese are the things that we will be most motivated to
pursue should we experience a lack of them. hey include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Air
Food
Water
Clothing
Shelter
Sexual Activity
3.5.2 LEVEL TWO – SAFETY NEEDS
Once the physical needs have been met, the individual will then focus on making sure
that they are safe. hese are the things people want in order to create a certain level of
predictability and order in the world. It doesn’t just mean physical safety, but can also mean
general health and well-being, safety from inancial ruin, injustice, or having to deal with
the stress of the unfamiliar. Other examples related to our professional lives include:
•
•
•
•
•
Job security
Protection from unilateral authority
Financial savings
Insurance policies
Reasonable accommodations for the disabled
Safety needs are the second level of human need. Meeting these needs helps establish a
sense of predictability, order, and well-being.
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3.5.3 LEVEL THREE – BELONGING NEEDS
he third level of human needs revolve around social interactions and the need to belong.
hese needs will be pursued once the lower needs are met. People will fulill this need by
pursuing individual relationships and by joining larger social organizations. hese relationships
are emotionally-based and fulill the need to be loved by, cared, for, and accepted by others.
All human beings need to feel a sense of belonging which will be manifested in a variety
of relationships – including those in the workplace.
If these needs are not met, individuals become more at risk for depression, social awkwardness
or anxiety, or loneliness. In some cases of extreme peer pressure, individuals may actually
sacriice the lower levels of needs in order to it in.
People may fulill this level of need through diferent relationships, such as:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Family
Friends
Intimate Relationships
Clubs or Social Organizations
Sports Teams
Oice Culture
Religious Groups
Professional Organizations
3.5.4 LEVEL FOUR – EGO-STATUS
he ego-status needs are related to the belonging needs, but with one major diference.
Whereas belonging needs refer to being a part of a group, ego-status needs refer more to
how the individual believes she is seen by those groups. We each have a self-image which is
at least in part developed by how we believe we appear to others. For example, we believe
we are smart, funny, kind, considerate, or any number of diferent attributes. We also
believe that others see us that way. Our needs at this level revolve around us reinforcing
our self-image and, by turn, the image others have of us. People will strive to ill this need
by such means as:
• Status and achievement at work
• he accumulation of wealth
• he accumulation of ‘status symbols’ (cars, homes, etc.)
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•
•
•
•
•
Recognition from others
Taking opportunities to lead others
Associations with people who have the esteem of others
Personal achievement in areas such as education, skills, and hobbies
Pride in the achievements of their family members
The ego-status level of needs related to how we believe others see us and how
we see ourselves.
hose with the healthiest sense of self-esteem are those whose esteem is based on their own
accomplishments and internal feelings. he more self-esteem is based on external things and
associations, the more fragile that esteem is.
Additionally, we perceive a certain ‘status’ that we have in our groups. his status could
be conferred on us literally with a title, such as Director, Manager, Administrator, Chair,
Treasurer, or Secretary. It could be an honorary status in the sense of being the person
that others come to when they need help or advice. Or it could be that you simply have
a certain level of popularity, success, or other achievement that gives you a strong sense of
self-esteem and accomplishment. If these needs are not met, the individual may sufer from
low self-esteem or an inferiority complex.
Those with the healthiest self-esteem are those whose esteem is based on their own
accomplishments and internal feelings.
The more self-esteem is based on external things, the more fragile it is.
3.5.5 LEVEL FIVE – SELF-ACTUALIZATION
Maslow described this level of human need as the desire to become more and more oneself, and
to become more and more of what we are capable of becoming. his level of need is related
to meeting one’s full potential – whatever that might be. he exact need is very individual.
For example, one person might have the need to be the perfect parent. Another individual
might have the need to become athletically gifted, or another to become artistically expressive.
The need for self-actualization is the need to become more and more oneself, and to
become more and more of what we are capable of becoming.
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It’s important to realize that this level of need is only achievable when the other four have
been met. One must be physically nourished, not have to focus on safety, feel loved and a
sense of belonging, and have a good level of self-esteem before he or she would seek this
level of desire.
Maslow related two ways of understanding self-actualization that were taught to him by his
professor, Dr. Wayne Dyer. hey are:
1. To cease caring about the good opinion of others
2. To do things purely because you enjoy them – because they are the reason you are
here on earth, not because of money, fame, or any other reason.
he more we are self-actualized, the more we will ind that we are motivated by the things
in life that make us happy rather than those that we do simply because it is our job or our
role. Also, an increase in self-actualization naturally leads to more self-conidence because
you feel more secure of yourself in general. If you no longer care about what other people
think (generally) and you are doing things that you love, you are airming your individuality
and accepting yourself – faults and all.
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4
4.1
METHODS FOR IMPROVING
SELF-CONFIDENCE
INTRODUCTION
When we discuss ways of improving self-conidence, we also need to talk about improving
self-esteem and self-eicacy, as they are all related concepts. We’ll start this chapter by
looking at some tools you can put into practice whenever you need a quick conidence
boost. Next we’ll look at how to build lasting self-conidence through building self-esteem
and self-eicacy. By enhancing these attributes, your self-conidence will naturally develop
and will show itself in your actions and behaviors. You will no longer have to ‘fake it until
you make it’ – instead you will actually be more self-conident at work and in other areas
of your life.
4.2
10 TIPS TO IMPROVE SELF-CONFIDENCE INSTANTLY
here are times when we need to feel more conident to face a situation at work. Maybe
you are going to give a major presentation or you want to ask your boss for a raise. You
don’t necessarily feel as self-conident as you’d like, but you can follow these tips to give
you that extra boost of self-conidence you need.
4.2.1 DRESS UP
When you need to feel more conident, pay attention to how you are dressed. When you
feel that you look your best, you are more likely to carry yourself with more conidence.
You will ind it easier to interact with others and you won’t be distracted by worrying about
how you look. You don’t have to spend a great deal of money on a new wardrobe, but you
can make a few small changes that can help you to appear ‘sharper.’ Get a modern haircut,
make sure your clothes it you properly and in a lattering manner, invest in a few great
accessories, and make sure you are pressed and polished.
When you feel that you look your best, you are more likely to carry yourself
with more confidence.
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4.2.2 STEP UP THE PACE
Next time you’re at work, take a moment to watch people and how they are walking.
What does their walk communicate about them? Are they walking slowly, trudging along,
with their head down? Or do they walk quickly, head up, with a pleasant smile on their
face? You can feel more conident by walking with purpose wherever you go. You’re on a
mission, with places to go and people to see! Walk about 25% faster than you normally
would, with your head up and your energy lowing. You will start to feel more important
and more conident.
Watch people walking by the next time you’re at work. What does their walk communicate
about them?
4.2.3 WATCH YOUR POSTURE
Just like with the discussion on walking above, the way you carry your body tells others a
lot about how you feel about yourself. Are you slouching, slumping your shoulders, and
looking pretty lethargic? hen you’re communicating to others that you don’t have a lot of
self-conidence. Instead, practice good posture. Sit or stand upright with your head up and
your shoulders back. Make eye contact with others in a friendly manner. You’ll feel more
alert, more conident, and more powerful.
Practice good posture to feel more alert, more confident, and more powerful.
4.2.4 PERSONAL ADVERTISEMENT
Let’s say you’re having a really bad day. You made a mistake on that big presentation, your
boss is not happy, and you feel like crawling under a rock until the weekend makes it around.
What you need is a way to boost your self-conidence so you can take responsibility for the
mistake and get in action around cleaning up any mess. his is where you could really use
someone to boost you up with a motivational speech. But since you can’t rely on another
person to say what you need to hear, you can do it for yourself.
A personal advertisement is a one minute or less speech that you write about yourself and all
your strengths and abilities so you can refer to it whenever you need a confidence boost.
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You should have a personal advertisement or commercial that you write about yourself.
his is a short speech, less than a minute, which highlights everything that is great about
you. You are writing an advertisement about yourself – so focus on your strengths, why
you’re good at your job, and what you like about yourself. Whenever you have a moment
where your self-conidence wanes, you can pull out your personal advertisement and read
it to yourself – out loud in a mirror ideally, but you can always read it silently to yourself
at your desk. his will help you remember that although you have made a mistake, you
are still a great, valuable person with a lot to be proud of.
4.2.5 PRACTICE GRATITUDE
Probably the fastest way to feel bad about yourself is to focus on what you don’t have, what
you haven’t achieved, or to compare yourself to others that you feel have achieved more
than you have. If you focus on what you haven’t achieved yet, you are bound to start listing
your weaknesses as reasons for why you haven’t yet achieved those goals.
Instead, practice focusing on gratitude. Every day, write down a list of at least ive things
that you are proud of accomplishing, or things that you can be grateful for in your life. his
could include relationships with people you love, your health, your educational achievements,
your professional achievements, and any other positive aspects of your life. You could even
keep a list with you in case you ever face a moment where it’s really diicult to focus on
the positive. If you train yourself to focus on what you have to be grateful for, you will be
amazed at how much more conident – and happier in general – you will feel.
Write down at least five things every day that you are grateful for and you will be training
yourself to stay focused on the positive in your life and about yourself.
4.2.6 PAY PEOPLE COMPLIMENTS
here is one sureire way to surround ourselves in negativity – that’s to gossip about others.
When we feel bad about ourselves, we often look for ways to project those feelings onto
others by gossiping and insulting them behind their back. Instead, try disengaging from
the gossip circle. Everyone has something valuable about them, so focus on that instead.
Refuse to gossip about others, but instead, pay them compliments. he more you practice
paying sincere compliments to others instead of focusing on their negative attributes you’ll
be more likely to focus on your own positive attributes as well. By looking for the best in
other people, you will bring out the best in yourself.
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Try disengaging from the negative influence of gossip and instead focus on the positive
in others by paying them compliments.
4.2.7 SIT UP FRONT
Avoiding the front row is a very common thing. Perhaps it comes from school when we
didn’t want to be singled out by the teacher – particularly on a day we hadn’t completed
an assignment. So we sat towards the back, hoping not to be noticed. But at work, sitting
towards the back shows either disinterest or a lack of self-conidence. Instead, sit up at the
front of the room. You will feel more conident doing this over time as you learn that there
is nothing to be uncomfortable about. Plus, it doesn’t hurt to put yourself in the eyesight
of some important people in your organization.
Sit in the front row to practice allaying fears of being noticed by other people and to
start feeling more confident.
4.2.8 SPEAK UP
Many people are nervous about speaking up in group discussions. hey may be afraid that
others will judge them for what they say and they are concerned about looking bad or
feeling stupid. However, we are usually amplifying this fear in our own minds – most of
the time, people are much more accepting that we think they are. Particularly because most
of the other people are likely dealing with the same fear.
We usually amplify the fear of speaking in front of others in our own mind – particularly
because most other people are likely dealing with the same fear.
Make it a game with yourself. Decide that you will speak up at least one time in every group
discussion that you’re in. You’ll ind that it gets easier in time. You’ll be improving your
public speaking skills and will feel more and more conident in sharing your opinions and
ideas in front of other people. In fact, in time, you may even begin to be seen as a leader
by your peers and supervisors if you continue sharing and contributing to group discussions.
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4.2.9 EXERCISE
Feeling low about yourself? Take a hike. Or a walk, or a bike ride, or go work out in the
gym. Not only is exercise a great way to blow of stress, but setting and achieving physical
itness goals is an excellent way to feel better about your abilities. You’ll feel proud as you
reach each milestone you set for yourself. Plus, you will feel more energized and probably
more attractive as well – both of which can help improve your self-conidence.
Exercise not only relieves stress, but achieving your physical fitness goals is an excellent
way to feel better about your abilities.
4.2.10 FOCUS ON CONTRIBUTING
In a similar vein to thinking about what you have to be grateful for, another way to
keep from focusing on the negative in the world (and about yourself ) is to focus on the
contributions that you can make to the workplace and to others. When you shift your focus
to what you give instead of what you get or how you are perceived, you will stop worrying
so much about yourself. Plus, if you can help others or contribute in some positive way, it
will simply make you feel good. For all of these reasons, focusing on what you contribute
will help to boost your self-conidence.
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profound effect on making the world a better place
for people, business and society. Join us.
In Germany we are especially looking for graduates
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• Radio Access and IP Networks
• IMS and IPTV
We are looking forward to getting your application!
To apply and for all current job openings please visit
our web page: www.ericsson.com/careers
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When you shift your focus to what you give instead of what you get or how you are
perceived, you will stop worrying so much about yourself.
4.3
BUILDING SELF-ESTEEM AT WORK
Self-esteem is an excellent barrier to depression and other negative emotions. Yet it can
be diicult to both build and maintain. However, research has shown that the more roles
people ill in their lives, the more self-esteem they have. his means that our work role is
one opportunity for building self-esteem.
Our work role is an excellent opportunity for building self-esteem, yet the modern
workplace also provides challenges to maintaining our self-esteem.
Yet, the modern workplace provides a challenge to maintaining self-esteem. here are several
reasons for this, which can vary from workplace to workplace. But some common reasons
the workplace can be diicult on our self-esteem are:
• he fast pace of work means we don’t always receive acknowledgement for our
performance or contribution
• he demands on us for productivity makes us all feel like we can’t do enough
• We work incredible amounts of hours that encroach on our ‘downtime’ and
restorative experiences
• Competition is ierce in many workplaces, making it hard to feel we’ve contributed
if we aren’t ‘number one’
• We may be the receivers of aggression, rudeness, and insensitivity from others due
to such a high-pressure environment
• Challenges that arise in cultural and age diferences in the workplace can have some
workers feeling unappreciated and others ‘outdated’
In the face of such challenges to our self-esteem in the workplace, what can we do to help
protect ourselves? Following are four strategies to help build your self-esteem at work.
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4.3.1 PURSUE YOUR PASSIONS
One strategy is to pursue your passions every day – even if it’s only for ifteen minutes or
over your lunch break. Take a few moments to read a favorite book, research your next
travel holiday, or touch base with a friend you haven’t talked to in quite awhile. Do the
same outside of work – make time to watch that old foreign ilm you’ve been meaning to
see, take a stroll through an art gallery to broaden your view of the art world, or work in
the garden planting lowers or vegetables for the coming season.
Take a few moments out of every day to dedicate to something you are passionate
about – both at work and at home.
In your work, ind something new that you can learn about it. Even if you can dedicate
only a few moments a day to learning something new about your job, it can help you to
ind the passion that you once had for it. Viewing work as a learning experience keeps
your mind fresh and allows you to be pleasantly surprised by a job that you may have felt
was old and stale.
4.3.2 TRACK YOUR EFFORTS
It’s natural to forget what we actually accomplish in a week’s time. We all do more than we
realize, but we tend to just accept it as second nature and stop noticing it. A great way to
help build your self-esteem at work is to keep track of what you actually achieve. hink of
it as a personal ‘report card.’ Take a piece of paper and write it down whenever you give
100% efort to a work task. Try to write down at least three each day. At the end of the
week, you’ll have 15 diferent reasons to be proud of yourself for that week.
We all do more than we realize, but we tend to just accept it as second nature and stop
noticing it. You can build your self-esteem by keeping track of what you actually achieve.
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4.3.3 SELF-ESTEEM BULLETIN BOARD
Another idea is to create a bulletin board or poster in your work space that details your
achievements so that you can see a physical reminder of what you have accomplished.
Create a space on a wall that you will see every day and include evidence like a letter from
a satisied customer, a copy of an award certiicate, an email of praise from your boss, or a
picture of your child graduating from school. You should put anything there that reminds
you of the people who love you, the people you love, and the things you have achieved.
You should be able to look at it and know that no matter what happens at work, you have
a full, rich life and a lot to be proud of. Be sure to update the bulletin board periodically
so that you don’t stop noticing your special bulletin board.
Create a space on a wall that you will see every day and include evidence like a letter
from a satisfied customer, a copy of an award, an email of praise, or a photo of your child
graduating from school.
4.3.4 STOP THE NEGATIVE TALK
We all do it. We have that little voice in our heads that only knows how to say negative
things. It’s our ‘inner critic.’ However, you have control over that voice. You want to learn
to stop the unproductive negative self-talk and instead, focus on what you can do to move
past the situation. Focus on how you can solve problems, make a better choice next time,
or take any other kind of action that will help you focus on the positive rather than the
negative. You can even create a STOP sign and post it on your wall so that every time you
have a negative thought you can look up at it and say to yourself, “stop!” hen convert
that negative thought into something positive. For example:
“I’m so stupid” becomes “OK, I made a mistake. Next time I’ll know not to do the same.”
“God, I’m hopeless” becomes “Right, what can I learn from this situation?”
“I hate this place” becomes “OK, so right now I’m not very happy with my job. But it will pass.”
Learn to recognize and respond to your ‘inner critic’ to stop negative self-talk.
Allowing negative thoughts to fester does nothing for your self-esteem and your ability to
function at work. Instead, learn to shift quickly from the negative to the positive so you
won’t get bogged down or beaten up by your inner critic.
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4.4
ENHANCING YOUR SELF-EFFICACY
here are four ways to enhance your self-eicacy that have been well researched and veriied
as being efective. hese four methods come from research done on the treatment of those
that are struggling to recover from physical injuries, but they can be applied to your work
situation as well. hey are:
•
•
•
•
Skills mastery
Modeling
Reinterpretation of signs and symptoms
Persuasion
4.4.1 SKILLS MASTERY
he most efective way to build your self-eicacy is by mastering new or existing skills.
he more often that you experience success, the more self-eicacy you will gain, and the
more often that you experience failure, the more threat your self-eicacy will come under.
In fact, repeated, early failures can have a detrimental efect on self-eicacy especially if it
was not due to a lack of efort or severe, unusual circumstances.
The more often that you experience success, the more self-efficacy you will gain.
As you master more and more skills, you will ind that you sufer occasional failure with
much more ease because you know that another success is likely not far behind. When you
prove to yourself that you have the ability to master a skill, you will tend to see occasional
failures as less a factor of your own lack of skills and more a factor of poor or insuicient
strategies. In this case, we see that by improving our strategy we can improve our results.
So how do you begin to build your skills mastery? Simply begin by breaking larger tasks
into small, manageable tasks. hen successfully complete each smaller task. Remember that
you are aiming for mastery at each smaller task, not just the fastest or easiest way of getting
it done. Set a reasonable goal for when you would like to master each piece of the larger
overall task and reward yourself as you achieve your goals.
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4.4.2 MODELING
A second means of enhancing self-eicacy is to provide a model for what you are aiming
to achieve. Look for someone in your workplace or even in your personal life who has had
a similar problem to the one you are attempting to overcome or who is an example of
behaviors you would like to emulate. For example, if you are seeking to become a better
public speaker, look for someone who is an excellent speaker already. If possible, ask them
for advice. Or pay close attention to what it is that makes them good at public speaking
and attempt to do the same. If you can, ind a mentor who is willing to work with you
one-on-one to help you achieve your goal. hey can provide inspiration and feedback to
help you move towards your goal faster.
Look for someone in your workplace or even in your personal life who has had a similar
problem to the one you are attempting to overcome.
4.4.3 REINTERPRETATION OF SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
In the research conducted on patients in physical rehabilitation, this method of building
self-eicacy was meant to teach patients which of the signals they were receiving from
their body in the form of symptoms were perfectly normal. In the sense of the workplace,
however, you should be looking more at what signs and signals you are giving yourself.
For example, feeling a high level of stress under high-pressure scenarios is normal. Instead
of beating yourself up about it, creating a negative impact on your self-eicacy, recognize
that it’s a perfectly normal reaction. hen take steps to reduce your stress so that you can
keep moving forward.
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CONTENTS
PERSONAL CONFIDENCE & MOTIVATION
Recognize that your emotional signals and symptoms are perfectly normal reactions to
your situation, and then determine what you need to do to keep moving forward.
Another example is when you get angry, frustrated, upset, or experience some other negative
emotion. Your emotional reactions, sometimes including symptoms like headaches, backaches,
or stomach upset, are completely natural when you face upsetting situations. he key is to
recognize that you are having the reaction but that it doesn’t need to stop you from doing
your job and doing it well. Instead, you can acknowledge your emotions and your right to
feel them, and still choose the action that will help you move forward in getting your job
done. In this sense, we’re talking about a form of emotional intelligence, which is another
skill that you can learn to practice.
4.4.4 PERSUASION
Persuasion is the inal method for enhancing self-eicacy. It is also one that will be familiar
to mentors, teachers, trainers, and others who spend their time helping others to learn or
improve themselves. In this sense, persuasion means the act of convincing someone that they
are actually capable of doing what they have set out to do. he goal is to ind interesting
ways to persuade yourself that you are capable of achieving the goals that you want to
achieve. Some ideas might be giving yourself a pep talk, reminding yourself of your related
past successes, or asking others to tell you what they see as your strengths. You can ind
this kind of persuasion from others that you respect as well, such as a mentor or supervisor.
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5
5.1
HOW TO IMPROVE
YOUR MOTIVATION
REASONS WE LOSE MOTIVATION
It’s not always easy to stay motivated. We might start out strong, but somewhere along the
way we may falter. Even if external factors cooperate – we don’t lose our job even though
the economy tanks, we have a boss that supports us in reaching for goals and we have
colleagues, family, and friends that help to keep us focused, we can still struggle to stay
positive and moving forward. It’s part of being human to face anxiety, uncertainty, or even
depression. But what separates the truly successful person from the average person is the
ability to understand why you are feeling de-motivated, respond to that reason, and then
keep on moving forward.
What distinguishes the truly successful person from the average person is the ability to
understand why you are feeling de-motivated, respond to that reason, and then keep on
moving forward.
here are three main reasons that people tend to lose motivation from time to time. You
can refer to these as ‘motivation killers.’ hese are:
• Lack of conidence – why would you continue to try to do something if you don’t
believe that you can do it? You would only be setting yourself up for failure. his
makes sense – it’s actually a form of self-protection when you think about it. But
you will need to boost your conidence level if you are going to regenerate your
motivation and get back on track.
• Lack of focus – you don’t know exactly what it is that you want, so why should
you take action until you do? Or you might ind yourself scattered across so many
diferent goals that you are inding it diicult to complete any of them. You may
need to concentrate your eforts so that you can begin making achievements – even
if they are small – which will encourage you to move on to the next goal and the
next and so on.
• Lack of direction – if you know what you want and you believe that you can do it,
but you just don’t know how to get started, you can get stopped instead of motivated.
But sometimes just staying in action can be important – even if you aren’t exactly
sure which actions to take. he good news is that if you can educate yourself on the
necessary steps, you should be able to restore your motivation.
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In the following sections we will examine how to improve our self-motivation by addressing
each of these ‘motivation killers.’
5.1.1 ADDRESSING LACK OF CONFIDENCE
We’ve already spent a great deal of time in this ebook looking at ways to address your
lack of conidence, but there are a few more pointers to include here. Some additional
suggestions include:
• Focusing on what you already have rather than what you lack
• Create your own personal positive mantra that you can tell yourself to boost
yourself up
• Repeat things that you already know to help remind yourself of what you’ve already
achieved
• hink positively even if you don’t yet believe what you are telling yourself –
eventually, you may start to believe it
• Learn to accept a compliment from others – and actually enjoy the feedback
5.1.2 ADDRESSING LACK OF FOCUS
It’s so easy to lose focus on what we are trying to achieve in today’s busy work environment.
here is so much going on that we can get anxious, distracted, and lose our ability to focus.
We end up sufering from what is called ‘fear-based’ thinking. We are afraid to lose our jobs
because we are afraid of being poor. We are afraid to speak our mind in a meeting because
we are afraid others won’t like what we have to say and they will hold it against us in our
relationship with them. We are afraid of taking a risk at work because we can’t guarantee
that the outcome will be positive.
It’s easy to succumb to a lack of focus when we engage in ‘fear-based’ thinking.
his kind of fear scatters our focus and makes it diicult to achieve anything because we
get stopped by the fear. We can spend a great deal of time worrying about all the possible
bad things that can happen to us or all the things that could possibly go wrong. he way
to defeat your lack of focus is to set goals for yourself that are clear and achievable. he
very act of setting goals puts some structure around your random thoughts and gives you
something speciic to focus on. Instead of worrying about random possible events in the
future, you can focus on what you can do at the moment to improve your situation.
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5.1.3 ADDRESSING LACK OF DIRECTION
Let’s say that you have developed your goals so that you have something to focus on, and
you feel pretty conident that you can achieve the goal. But still you ind it diicult to ind
the direction that you need. You might be procrastinating instead. his motivation-killer
can be a diicult one to overcome, but it is not impossible. It requires taking your goal
and breaking it down into the daily strategy that you will use to achieve it. You should
literally have steps written down in ‘to-do’ lists so that you have speciic tasks to focus on
each day. When you sit down to work, pull out your to-do list and get started and you
will ind that you now have a clear direction to move forward in.
5.2
BUILDING SELF-DISCIPLINE
For some of us, discipline is a dirty word. We conjure up images of a task master cracking
his whip or a drill sergeant yelling at his soldiers. But believe it or not, self-discipline
actually ofers you a sort of freedom. When you have the discipline to continue reaching
for your goals despite how you are feeling at the moment, you will enjoy all the results
of that efort and the time that it creates for you. If you lack self-discipline, you may be
aimless, wandering, starting one thing without inishing it and moving on to something
else. You may get frustrated and ind that you aren’t able to reach your goals even though
it feels like you are trying to do so.
Self-discipline requires the ability to act according to what you are thinking rather than
what you are feeling at the time.
Self-discipline requires the ability to act according to what you are thinking rather than
what you are feeling at the time. Sure, we have days when we don’t want to go to work,
but we know that if we don’t, there will be consequences. We might lose the day’s pay – or
even lose the job – which would have its own consequences. he same is true when we lack
self-discipline in reaching for our goals. he consequences are varied, depending on what
the goal might be. If I am not practicing the piano, I’m wasting the money I’m spending
on lessons and I also have the consequence of not being able to play the instrument. If
I am not exercising self-discipline towards a task at work, the consequence may be that
I don’t get as high a commission as I had hoped for, or I might not be chosen for that
promotion I want.
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Self-discipline helps you with things like:
• Working on your daily tasks even if you don’t particularly feel like it
• Going to the gym even though you’d rather sit at home and watch a movie
• Waking up early to truly prepare for the day ahead even though you want that
last 30 minutes of sleep
• Turning away temptation when you’ve committed to a healthy eating plan
• Checking your email at speciic times during the day rather than every time you
get a new email – something which helps keep you productive at work
• Walking away from time-sucking gossip at the water cooler even though you’d
rather hear the scoop
• Checking your work meticulously even though you feel like it’s ‘good
enough’ as it is
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here are ive basic characteristics of people who possess self-discipline:
•
•
•
•
•
Self-knowledge
Conscious awareness
Commitment
Courage
Internal coaching
As we look at each of these traits, keep in mind that you don’t have to be born having these
characteristics. You can learn to be more self-disciplined by practicing each of these aspects.
5.2.1 SELF-KNOWLEDGE
If self-discipline requires that you act according to what you think is best rather than how
you feel at the moment, then you need to know enough about yourself and your goals to
understand what the best course of action is for you. You need to determine what kind of
behavior, choices, standards, goals, and values are the best choices for you and your future.
In order to do so, you need to take the time to get to know what is important to you.
Try writing out a list of your goals or dreams, or even write a personal mission statement.
his will help you decide how to structure your time and eforts when you have to make
choices between options.
Self-knowledge will help you understand what is important to you and to identify the
areas where you’ll want to spend the most time and energy.
5.2.2 CONSCIOUS AWARENESS
Now you’ve looked at yourself and identiied what is important to you. But before you can
become more disciplined, you need to pay attention to what you are already doing and
not doing. Where are you using your time well? Where are you wasting it? Where are you
spending time on things that aren’t really important to you and aren’t of value to you or the
organization? Until you know where your behavior is undisciplined, you won’t know what areas
you can improve upon. he better you get at identifying the areas where you lack discipline,
the faster you will get at nipping that unproductive behavior in the bud. Eventually you’ll get
to the point where you can stop undisciplined behavior before it happens.
Before you can become more disciplined, you need to pay attention to what you are
already doing and not doing.
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5.2.3 COMMITMENT
Without commitment to your goals and values, your self-discipline won’t last. he irst
time that a temptation comes along to take you away from your goal-driven activity, it is
your commitment to your goal that will keep you going on the right path. If you ind that
you can’t commit to a goal that you’ve set for yourself, go back to the self-knowledge step.
Perhaps you have attempted to instill discipline around a goal that you don’t actually want.
We may think we should want to reach a goal, say, at work we might think we should want
a promotion, but perhaps we aren’t committed to it because deep-down, we don’t really
want it. We might be happy where we are, or maybe we actually want to change careers
entirely. hough commitment can take work, you can also tell a lot about what is truly
important to you by how strong your commitment is.
Self-discipline won’t last if you aren’t truly committed to the goals that you are pursuing.
If you find that commitment is wavering, you might need to go back to the self-knowledge
step and make sure that your goal is something you truly want.
5.2.4 COURAGE
Standing up for something that is important to you in the face of all of the challenges and
temptations that we face in life takes a great deal of courage. You may have to negotiate
with your spouse or other loved ones to pursue your goal, such as if you decide you want
to go back to school at night. Or, you might have to change your behavior that others have
come to expect from you. For example, maybe you’ve always been the life of the party and
now you have decided to focus on eating right, limiting alcohol, and getting a full-night’s
sleep every night, so your friends start wondering who you are. here’s no guarantee that
self-discipline will be easy. But if you are committed to something important to you, you’ll
need to ind the courage to say ‘no’ to things that attempt to dissuade you from your course.
There’s no guarantee that self-discipline will be easy. But if you are committed to something
important to you, you’ll need to find the courage to say ‘no’ to things that attempt to
dissuade you from your course.
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5.2.5 INTERNAL COACHING
he self-disciplined person also needs to discipline the negative voice that is in their head. As
we talked about before, we all have an internal critic. So when you face a challenge to your
self-discipline, that critic will start shouting things at you like, “See, I knew you couldn’t
do it!” or “Go on, just skip the gym this one time!” Instead, you want to start training that
‘internal critic’ to become your ‘internal coach.’ You should practice cheering yourself on,
encouraging yourself, and reassuring yourself that you are making the right choices. hink
about how you would talk to a friend or child you were encouraging to achieve their goals,
and be at least that kind and supportive to yourself!
To help your self-discipline, you’ll need to turn that ‘internal critic’ into your ‘internal coach.’
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PERSONAL ChANgE AND gOAL SETTINg
PERSONAL CONFIDENCE & MOTIVATION
6
6.1
PERSONAL CHANGE AND
GOAL SETTING
INTRODUCTION
When we are motivated to make changes in our lives, there are certain steps or phases that
are common. You’ll want to understand the factors involved in change and how to take
action to strengthen your chance for success. In this chapter we’ll look at a formula for
personal change, common steps when going through a change, and then how to set goals
that will help guide your success.
6.2
A FORMULA FOR MAKING CHANGES
Another way of looking at motivation and how it is involved in making changes is
demonstrated by the formula in Figure 4.
C=D×M×P
C stands for Motivation to Change
D stands for Dissatisfaction
M stands for Model
P stands for Process
Figure 4: A Formula for Motivation to Change
he translation of the formula is that motivation to change occurs when you have a level
of dissatisfaction with the way things are, a model for how you want them to look instead,
and a plan or process for getting to that model result. When you are not happy with how
things are at the moment, you will want to change them. But unless you have a vision for
how you would prefer things to look and a way that you believe will get you there, you
are unlikely to be truly motivated to make a change. hink for a moment about what this
equation says about change:
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• In any case of change, all three elements (D, M, and P) must be present. If any
of them are absent (=0), change will be zero.
• When the amount of motivation to change is high, the amount of at least one
of the elements on the other side of the equation must be high if the equation is
going to balance out (if change is going to be successful).
• Alternatively, if any one of the elements on the right hand side of the equation is
high enough, change will eventually be brought about.
The equation means that motivation to change comes from having a level of dissatisfaction
with the status quo, a vision for something better, and a plan for how to get there.
You may may have an idea for a change, but if dissatisfaction with the current way of doing
things is not there, you’re not going to be motivated to take the steps necessary to make
the change happen. If you lack the model for what you want things to look like, you will
have nothing to direct your activity towards. And if you have the dissatisfaction and the
model idea but no way to get there, how would you even beging to make the change? All
three of the elements need to be present for change to take place and be successful.
6.3
THE PROCESS OF CHANGE
Figure 5 demonstrates the general process of change that an individual goes through, from
denial, to resistance, to exploration, to commitment.
Figure 5: The Process of Change
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6.3.1 DENIAL
he process begins by the change being identiied or suggested. here may be a general
attitude of denial. houghts arise such as ‘this isn’t necessary,’ ‘the way I’ve always done
things works just ine.’ In this way, the focus is on the past. You have a kind of ‘if it’s not
broke, don’t ix it,’ attitude. You might still be in denial of the need for the change.
Other emotions you might experience could include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Shock
Discouragement
Disbelief
Anxiety
Depression
Grieving
Uncertainty
Immobilization
6.3.2 RESISTANCE
At this point you might feel resistant to the change. You might start wondering what you
are doing and your motivation to make the change will be absent or will lapse. It will take
being attentive to what is happening inside your head in order to successfully overcome
your resistance. Some of the behaviors or ‘symptoms’ you might experience at this stage
could include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Sufering, anger, or stress
Loss of productivity
Confusion over roles and future
Self-sabotage of the change
Bargaining
Loss of commitment
Lethargy
6.3.3 EXPLORATION
he next stage occurs when you begin to accept that the future will involve the change.
You now begin to consider what the change will actually mean to your life and lifestyle.
You may begin enjoying some of the beneits of the change, even if you’re not completely
convinced yet that this is something you can do. his is a sort of learning phase for you.
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At this stage you should try to focus on the good side of the change. What will the strengths
of the new change be? Will you be able to speak a language you couldn’t before? If it’s at
work, will the change position you to be stronger against the competition in the future,
which will in turn foster job security? What beneits and opportunities will there be that
there haven’t been before the change?
6.3.4 COMMITMENT
In the inal stage of the change process, you have become committed to the change and
to the remainder of the process in getting there. he commitment is now part of the
‘environment’ in which you are operating and is becoming the norm. You may even ind
that you are becoming a model for others.
6.4
SETTING GOALS
To maintain motivation, we need to have goals to focus on. Yet there is an art to goal setting.
here is one method that has stood the test of time – the SMART method. Although there
have been variations to what the acronym stands for over time, the main deinition of a
SMART goal is one that is:
•
•
•
•
•
Speciic
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Timely
6.4.1 SPECIFIC
When a goal is speciic, then you have clearly identiied what it is that you expect to be
accomplished. If you can’t say speciically what you want to achieve, then how can you
expect yourself to achieve it? A speciic goal will answer the questions:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Who? Who is taking action or is afected?
What? What is the result I want to achieve?
Where? Is there a speciic location?
When? When do I want to complete this goal?
Which? Are there restraints or requirements that have to be met?
Why? Why is this important? What speciically is the beneit of achieving this goal?
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For example, let’s say that you want to improve customer relations. hat’s not speciic enough.
If you answer the questions above, however, it becomes much more speciic:
• Who – customers whose accounts I am assigned to (currently 750)
• What – I want to be the person that my customers think of irst when they need
to talk to someone about internet technology. I will know this is happening when
I receive at least 20% more inbound customer calls each month. I will email and
then call all 750 customers to re-introduce myself and our services.
• Where – In the ive states where I currently have customers.
• When – Within six months.
• Which – Starting with customers that I haven’t heard from in more than a year.
• Why – To increase sales, reduce customer complaints, and increase customer satisfaction.
6.4.2 MEASURABLE
Each goal that you set should be measurable so that you have a means of ascertaining how
far along you are in reaching the goal as well as when the goal will be complete. If you
have a measure for the entire project, as in our example above of reaching 750 customers,
then you can also determine how much of your daily work load should be dedicated to
achieving the goal.
So, for our example above, 750 customers need to be emailed and then called in enough
time that we see a 20% increase in the amount of inbound calls within six months. Of
course, that means that we should complete our outgoing contacts as soon as possible in
order to allow time for the customers to respond. Let’s assume that we can complete 50
emails in a day in addition to maintaining normal customer service. hen we know that we
can email everyone in 15 workdays or three weeks. But, we might not want to wait three
weeks between emailing and calling. So let’s say we decide to alternate emailing and calling.
In the irst week, we decide to only email 100 people. he second week, we call those 100
people. hen we alternate doing the same thing over the following weeks until we have
completed our list. Not only do we now have a measurable goal, but we’ve determined the
work that needs to take place in order to achieve that goal and how we need to implement
that work into our regular routine so that we have the best chance of success.
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To ind the measures for your goal, ask the questions:
• How much?
• How many?
• How often?
Or, just answer the question, “How will I know when I’ve reached my goal?”
6.4.3 ATTAINABLE
As we saw in the last section, having a measure for your goals lets you plan the work that
is necessary to achieve the goal. But before you begin working, you need to be certain that
the goal is truly attainable. What if in our example above we had said that we wanted to
see a 20% increase in inbound calls in just six weeks? How would our plan for reaching
the goal have changed? Given our existing resources and the workload that we have to
maintain while reaching for the goal, would that even have been possible? If a goal is not
attainable given the constraints that you face, you either need to work towards removing
those restraints or lowering the level of the goal so that it becomes attainable.
6.4.4 REALISTIC
If a goal is to be realistic, it must be something that you are willing and able to work
towards. his doesn’t mean that all your goals have to be low and simple. It just means that
you have done a thorough analysis of the task at hand and you have come to the conclusion
that the goal is realistic. Some questions you could ask yourself during this analysis include:
•
•
•
•
Do I have the resources (inancial, personnel, equipment, etc.) to reach the goal?
Do I have the support of others?
What knowledge or expertise am I lacking that I will need to locate or learn?
Have I prioritized this new goal with existing goals?
In some version of SMART goals, the R actually stands for ‘relevant.’ In this case, you are
comparing the goal to the overall mission of the organization and to your personal goals,
objectives, and roles. Is the goal something that you should actually be completing or is
it better suited for someone else? Will it improve your overall skills and ability to do your
job? If not, why are you pursuing it?
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6.4.5 TIMELY
he inal component of the SMART goals strategy is ‘timely.’ Without adding a time
restriction to your goals, you don’t have the necessary motivation to get going as soon as
possible. Adding a realistic time boundary lends a sense of urgency to your goal and will
help to keep you focused. Since organizations and people change regularly, so can goals.
Making sure your goal is set with a time limit also ensures that you complete the goal while
it is still relevant to what you are doing on the job or in your personal life.
Lighting, beyond
illumination
In 10 years 2/3 of people will be living in big cities.
At Philips we focus on providing lighting beyond illumination
to make these cities more livable, enjoyable and safe.
#makeitmeaningful
What will be your impact?
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RESOuRCES
PERSONAL CONFIDENCE & MOTIVATION
7
RESOURCES
Arrod.co.uk. Motivational Needs.
http://www.arrod.co.uk/archive/article_motivational_needs.php
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Netmba.com. Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene heory (Two Factor heory).
http://www.netmba.com/mgmt/ob/motivation/herzberg/
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http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/10-ways-to-instantly-build-self-conidence/
Pickthebrain.com. How to Build Self-discipline.
http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/self-discipline/
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