| Expectancy Theory of Motivation– think of it as a reminder that you can control the parameters that determine what you can learn.
Any skill is learnable. |
Learning is simple: you go from a point of “not-knowing” to a point of “knowing.”
Most people will never learn another language, how to swim, the art of creating a business empire, etc… Why not? Thousands have.
- Steve Jobs revolutionized many industries, because he controlled his motivation.
- Michel Thomas- world renowned interpreter, teacher, soldier, spy, writer, and overall bad ass- flipped the language acquisition world like a pancake.
- Jay Z built a net worth of over $500 million- through talent, passion, and hard work.
- Sir Richard Branson recently created a business that will fly people into space.
Mediocrity isn’t easy, but excellence can be even more challenging, without the right tools.
How do the rich, wealthy, skilled, and triumphant people of the world stay motivated?
The Expectancy Theory of Motivation
The Expectancy Theory of Motivation breaks down that divine spark within us into 4 variables.
- Expectancy: your belief that what you are doing will actually work (read: lead to X or Y.)
- Value: perceived gain or loss aversion.
- Impulsiveness: your inclination to prefer to do other things.
- Delay: procrastination or distraction.
Learn How to Stay Self Motivated
If you are an avid student of Habit Transformation, then you like to stretch your mind and body to reach new levels.
Expectancy Theory can help you bridge some gaps.
7 Ways to Balance the Scales
Until you value yourself, you will not value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it. – M. Scott Peck
More goals die than ever get accomplished, simply because people wait until tomorrow.
I suggest keeping a written or mental checklist of how well you are doing with keeping the 4 variables of Expectancy Theory balanced. While you discover your sweet spot, here are 7 ways to balance expectancy, value, impulsiveness, and delay.
- Surround yourself with the dreamers and the doers- those that have great goals and do interesting things.
- Set up weekly and daily systems of accountability.
- Set specific behavior based goals.
- Control your environment. Use reminders, affirmations, and routine to serve you.
- Don’t just hit your head against a wall and expect to get through. Stop. Check your stats, see where you are at and adjust.
- Picture the type of life that you want and sit and visualize what you will do on a typical day in that life. Every detail you can: brushing your teeth, how you breath, your enthusiasm, etc.
- Set daily goals that will keep you consistent. Stay consistent. You won’t compete in professional sports or learn any new skill overnight. Don’t overshoot daily goals, do reach for heights in your yearly goals.
Life is a University
Keep in mind you may fail some tests and ace others- just do not give up. If you stick to keeping your motivation high (enough) to accomplish the small steps, the big leaps will almost take care of themselves.
In closing: listen to a man that has made more money and had more crazy adventures than most people will in 2 lifetimes.
“My biggest motivation? Just to keep challenging myself. I see life almost like one long university education that I never had – every day I’m learning something new.” – Sir Richard Branson
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