Being recognized, being motivated, and having someone, especially your boss or superior telling you that you are doing a good job could sound really good. But waiting for these recognitions, waiting until someone tells you that you’re doing a good job could become traps that can derail and delay your career progress.
As a manager and a superior who oversees the work of others, I know how to literally put smiles on the faces of my workers, boosting their morals while helping them to give their best to their job enthusiastically. But far too often, I see people relying so much, on some of these external validation to feel motivated and move forward. This mindset can lead to career stagnation and failure.
Relying on others for motivation irrespective of who or what position that person occupies in your life, or in the organization where you work can be disheartening and end in frustration especially when these recognitions are not forthcoming. This can lead to a lack of self-confidence, decreased productivity, and missed opportunities.
The truth is, the most successful people are those who have learned the art of self motivation. They are open to feedback of course, but they don’t wait for other people’s recognition to do what they should; they simple celebrate their own wins irrespective of how small, and keep pushing forward.
This article will explore why self-motivation is crucial for career success and how you can cultivate it. We will discuss some of the challenges of not being your own motivator, some of the things you are currently doing wrongly, and those things you should be doing instead, to stay motivated.
How Not Being Your Own Motivation Affects Your Career
Like I had said earlier, feedback-driven motivations are good, but they may not always come as expected. Sometimes, these motivational feedbacks may be delayed, and some may get affected by other factors around the giver. This is why you should be your own motivation.
Here is how not being your own motivation affects your career and job delivery
1. Stagnation and Lack of Progress
When you rely on external validation, you place your career progression in the hands of others. This often leads to stagnation. What do you think will happen if you’re waiting for your manager’s approval before taking on a new project. If that approval never comes, your interest and passion for your role may begin to die off.
2. Decreased Self-Confidence
Lack of self-motivation can erode your self-confidence. When you constantly seek others’ validation, you might start to doubt your abilities and contributions. Over time, this can lead to imposter syndrome, where you feel like you don’t deserve your achievements or position.
3. Missed Opportunities
Opportunities often require quick action and initiative. Waiting for external motivation can cause not just you, but the entire organization to miss out on these chances. For example, if you allow the fact that your superior have not said anything positive on your previous achievement to keep you back as a Sales Rep, another Sales Rep may do your job for you, and who knows, he/she might be from the company next door.
So you see, while you are missing opportunities that could accumulate to better incentives and commissions, your organization is losing out on potential leads, and if these losses continues, a day will come to let go redundant Sales Reps, and who knows, the compass might point in your direction.
4. Increased Dependency on Others
Relying on others for motivation creates a dependency that can be difficult to break. This dependency can make you vulnerable to the moods and biases of those around you. If your source of validation is having a bad day or simply doesn’t recognize your efforts, your motivation and performance can suffer.
What You Are Doing Wrongly and What You Should Be Doing Instead
In summary, and in addition to what has been said above, here are some of the things you are currently doing wrongly and what you should be doing instead;
1. Waiting for Recognition
One of the most common mistakes employees makes, is waiting for recognition before taking action. This can manifest in various ways, such as waiting for praise from a manager before starting a new project or needing constant feedback to feel confident about your work.
Instead of waiting for recognition and validations, start taking initiative on projects that interest you or align with your job role. For example, if you’re passionate about improving a process at work, propose a pilot project to test your ideas. Even if it doesn’t receive immediate approval, the act of proposing it shows initiative and can set you apart from your peers.
2. Not Setting Personal Goals
Without personal goals, it’s easy to drift and lose direction. Relying solely on organizational goals or external expectations can leave you feeling unfulfilled and demotivated, especially if those goals don’t align with your personal aspirations.
Instead you should define clear, personal goals within your job description and goal. For example, if you goal as a sales manager is to bring in a specified mile of sales per quarter, you can convert this goal into your own by breaking them into smaller, actionable steps. For instance, since the organization’s goal is quarterly, break yours into monthly or weekly.
3. Neglecting Small Wins
Failing to celebrate small wins can significantly impact your motivation. Small achievements are building blocks of larger successes. Ignoring them can make the journey toward your bigger goals feel daunting and endless.
Instead, you should acknowledge and celebrate your small achievements. This could be as simple as completing a challenging task on time, or achieving a set goal enumerated in (2) above.
4. Lack of Self-Reflection
Not taking the time to reflect on your journey can leave you disconnected from your progress. Reflection helps you understand what works, what doesn’t, and what you need to improve. Without it, you’re likely to repeat the same mistakes and fail to recognize your growth.
On the contrary, you should regularly take time to reflect on your progress. This can be done through journaling, meditation, or simply taking a quiet moment at the end of the day to think about what you’ve accomplished and what you’ve learned. Reflection helps you stay connected to your achievement and appreciate your growth.
Conclusion
Not being your own motivation can be a significant reason behind career failures. By relying on external validation and waiting for the ‘right’ moment, you hinder your progress and miss out on opportunities. Cultivating self-motivation is essential for career success.
So begin by setting personal goals, then celebrating small wins, and reflecting on your achievement. These steps will help you to take control of your career and achieve the success you desire, and you can start doing all these right from right now.
