How to Stay Motivated
Think back to the last time you felt unmotivated. Perhaps it was due to performance pressures, fear of an unwanted outcome, or you just couldn’t get out of bed in the morning. No matter the reason, feeling unmotivated is a common experience that athletes encounter from time to time.
What’s the Best Approach to Motivation?
The direction and intensity of one’s effort can be defined as motivation (Sage, 1977). In sport and performance psychology, there are three main approaches when speaking about athlete motivation: trait-centered view, situation-centered view, and interactional view. Research demonstrates the best way to help an athlete enhance motivation is to consider both the athlete and the situation and how the two interact.
As you may have noticed, motivation for participation in sport can change over time. As a child, our motivation for sport might center on being with our friends or having fun, and as we continue to progress in sport, our motivations will change. It’s recommended that you continually assess your motivation in sport. Consider the following questions to help reassess your motivation:
● The day after I participate in sport, what do I want to say about my participation?
● What are three reasons why sport is important to me?
● After a competition, what do I wish I would have done differently to prepare?
Should I be Extrinsically or Intrinsically Motivated?
It’s especially helpful for athletes to consider their intrinsic and extrinsic motivators for participation in sport. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation exists on a spectrum, and each is made up of different forms of motivation (Pelletier et al., 1995).
Intrinsic Motivation
Knowledge → motivation is formed from learning, exploring, and trying to understand something new
Accomplishment → motivation is formed from creating something or mastering difficult skills
Stimulation → motivation is formed from pleasant sensations such as fun, excitement, and aesthetic pleasure
Extrinsic Motivation
Integrated regulation → activity is personally important due to valued outcome
Identified regulation → the behavior is highly regarded by the individual and is performed even though it is not enjoyable or pleasant for the individual
Introjected regulation → individual is motivated by internal pressure (regulated by external contingencies)
External regulation → behavior is solely controlled by external sources (i.e., rewards and constraints)
While both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation have a time and place in an athlete's career, scholars have demonstrated that intrinsic motivation is associated with sustained motivation in sport (Mallet & Hanrahan, 2004).
Strategies to Cultivate Intrinsic Motivation
There are a few strategies that athletes can take to cultivate intrinsic motivation:
Understand your “why” for participating in sport.
Ask yourself - what do I love about my sport? Doing so will uncover the desire behind your engagement (or lack thereof) with your sport participation.
Focus on the small aspects of your sport that bring you joy.
Perhaps it’s being with your friends, playing outside, or the energy of the game/performance. Use these aspects of sport to recenter yourself when you’re feeling a lack of motivation.
Consider your long-term goals…and use them to help you create your short-term goals!
Remind yourself of why you’re so dedicated to your sport. Use visualization and imagery to consider exactly what you want to accomplish.
Rely on your support system.
Training partner(s) or teammate(s) can be a source of support when your motivation for sport is low. Knowing that they are counting on you and sharing your goals with them aids in accountability.
Takeaway
There is a time and place for both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Each type of motivation can be helpful at different times of an athlete’s career. Although this is the case, increasing intrinsic motivation can lead to a sustainable and fulfilling relationship with sport. How can you incorporate the above strategies into your sport performance?
Should you want to work on increasing your motivation, please click here to schedule a free consultation with one of our expert consultants.
Blog written by: Dr.Kelsey Varzeas
References
Mallett, C., & Hanrahan, S. (2004). Elite athletes: Why does the fire burn so brightly? Psychology of Sport and Exercise Science, 5, 183-200.
Pelletier, L.G., Fortier, M.S., Vallerand, R.J., Tuson, K.M., Briere, N.M., & Blais, M.R. (1995). Toward a new measure of intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and amotivation in sport: The Sport Motivation Scale (SMS). Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 17, 35-53.
Sage, G. (1997). Introduction to motor behavior: A neuropsychological approach (2nd ed.). Addison-Wesley.