Motivation: how to keep it up or find a new one when you’re running out of steam?
We all go through phases — from being super pumped up to feeling burned out. How can you tell if you're on the verge of burnout, and what can you do about it?
In this article, we'll show you how to recognize when your motivation is fading away, and give you some tools to deal with it.
Our experience shows that almost every second person struggles with motivation issues or burnout. So, what exactly is motivation? Is it the key to moving forward, or just an emotional push to reach our daily and big goals?
In this article, we'll show you how to recognize when your motivation is fading away, and give you some tools to deal with it.
Our experience shows that almost every second person struggles with motivation issues or burnout. So, what exactly is motivation? Is it the key to moving forward, or just an emotional push to reach our daily and big goals?
Why is motivation so important?
Motivation isn't just about reaching your personal and professional goals. It also helps you stay persistent, come up with creative solutions to problems, be more productive and enjoy your job more.
A lot of things can affect a player's motivation. For example, being able to push through training, dealing with emotions during and after a game, winning or losing streaks — all these factors can inspire athletes and give them the drive to go on. But they can also lead to burnout and make people lose interest in continuing.
A lot of things can affect a player's motivation. For example, being able to push through training, dealing with emotions during and after a game, winning or losing streaks — all these factors can inspire athletes and give them the drive to go on. But they can also lead to burnout and make people lose interest in continuing.
Types of motivation
Scientists divide motivation into internal and external. This idea was proposed by a group of Canadian researchers led by the leading expert in the field of motivation, R. J. Vallerand. The model of sports motivation includes three components:
1) internal or true motivation;
2) external motivation;
3) demotivation (the combined influence of external and internal factors that reduce motivation to play sports).
Our internal motivation is always based on personal desires, values, and interests. It's always about finding something new. For players, it's about discovering new opportunities and training strategies, being genuinely interested in coaches' recommendations, staying curious, and observing. All these things will keep you motivated and give you pleasure.
Internal motivation also opens up opportunities for self-development. You constantly want to improve your level, technique, and results. That's why you show your best performance during training sessions.
When you're internally motivated, training brings a ton of positive emotions, which really boosts your performance. You can focus on improving and getting better results.
External motivation is all about the future rewards that push us to act. It's also about feeling obligated to do something to please someone or "pay back" in some way. Another big part of external motivation is needing others' approval, like when your actions are guided by what others think, including getting money, praise, or positive feedback from people around you. For example, some people play poker mainly to earn money.
Usually we think that success is cool. It’s great when someone moves forward and achieves their goals. But in sports, there are both good and bad sides to it. When a player has a clear goal and wants to achieve it, it gives their work structure. However, this can also lead to negative things like taking unnecessary risks. Players might deny their mistakes and ignore negative experiences, which stops them from playing at their best and eventually leads to burnout.
That’s where the motivation to avoid failure comes in handy. When players pay attention to their mistakes and analyze them, they can improve their game.
Speaking of motivation, there’s this thing called the Yerkes-Dodson Law. Basically, it says that when you try harder, you do better — but only up to a point. After that, trying even harder starts to mess things up and your performance goes downhill.
And guess what? Players often deal with not just losing motivation but also getting burned out.
1) internal or true motivation;
2) external motivation;
3) demotivation (the combined influence of external and internal factors that reduce motivation to play sports).
Our internal motivation is always based on personal desires, values, and interests. It's always about finding something new. For players, it's about discovering new opportunities and training strategies, being genuinely interested in coaches' recommendations, staying curious, and observing. All these things will keep you motivated and give you pleasure.
Internal motivation also opens up opportunities for self-development. You constantly want to improve your level, technique, and results. That's why you show your best performance during training sessions.
When you're internally motivated, training brings a ton of positive emotions, which really boosts your performance. You can focus on improving and getting better results.
External motivation is all about the future rewards that push us to act. It's also about feeling obligated to do something to please someone or "pay back" in some way. Another big part of external motivation is needing others' approval, like when your actions are guided by what others think, including getting money, praise, or positive feedback from people around you. For example, some people play poker mainly to earn money.
Usually we think that success is cool. It’s great when someone moves forward and achieves their goals. But in sports, there are both good and bad sides to it. When a player has a clear goal and wants to achieve it, it gives their work structure. However, this can also lead to negative things like taking unnecessary risks. Players might deny their mistakes and ignore negative experiences, which stops them from playing at their best and eventually leads to burnout.
That’s where the motivation to avoid failure comes in handy. When players pay attention to their mistakes and analyze them, they can improve their game.
Speaking of motivation, there’s this thing called the Yerkes-Dodson Law. Basically, it says that when you try harder, you do better — but only up to a point. After that, trying even harder starts to mess things up and your performance goes downhill.
And guess what? Players often deal with not just losing motivation but also getting burned out.
Burnout is what happens when you're constantly stressed out. You get tired, both physically and emotionally. And then you start to feel bad about yourself, lose interest in things, and feel alone and helpless.
Burnout is what happens when you're constantly stressed out. You get tired, both physically and emotionally. And then you start to feel bad about yourself, lose interest in things, and feel alone and helpless.
Burnout happens in three stages:
- At first, you get super into your work — like, way too into it. You forget about yourself and just keep going.
- Then you start to feel kinda meh about it all. Wins and losses don't really move you anymore.
- Finally, you might hate what you're doing. You could even quit your job, have problems with friends and family, and feel worse physically and mentally.
What should I do if I recognize myself in this description?
If you see yourself in this description, the first thing to do is think about your health. It’s easier to prevent burnout than to deal with it later. Remember to take breaks, recharge your batteries and enjoy the process. Not only should you take more breaks, but they should be better quality.
If you feel like your mood or attitude towards the game is changing, try to figure out what's going on. Thinking things through always helps! Think about what goals you set, what you did and what results it got you. This will help you understand where and how you went wrong.
But if you feel really bad, don't be afraid to ask for help. In this state, it's hard to take care of yourself. Remember, you need a break, you have to recharge. When was the last time you were happy or did something for yourself? Now is the time to start. You used to know how to enjoy little things, now is the time to learn it again!
One way to prevent burnout is to remember why gaming is important to you and what your long-term goals are. Also, pay attention to your feelings and thoughts.
Here are some ways to deal with tough situations:
If you feel like your mood or attitude towards the game is changing, try to figure out what's going on. Thinking things through always helps! Think about what goals you set, what you did and what results it got you. This will help you understand where and how you went wrong.
But if you feel really bad, don't be afraid to ask for help. In this state, it's hard to take care of yourself. Remember, you need a break, you have to recharge. When was the last time you were happy or did something for yourself? Now is the time to start. You used to know how to enjoy little things, now is the time to learn it again!
One way to prevent burnout is to remember why gaming is important to you and what your long-term goals are. Also, pay attention to your feelings and thoughts.
Here are some ways to deal with tough situations:
- CasePlayer A started playing poker a few years ago. At first, he was into it because of the emotions the game gave him, and he liked getting better at it. But over time, playing got old and stopped being fun. He started caring more about winning money than having fun.
With the help of a psychologist, A figured out what parts of the game still interested him and got him excited to play. We found things that not only were fun but also made him think and learn, which he really liked. So, A got through his motivation crisis and came out stronger and more determined to keep improving. It didn't ruin him; instead, it helped him grow. - CasePlayer N just couldn't make himself sit down and analyze the database in recent weeks. It was really hard not to get distracted during work. He realized something was up with his motivation, but he couldn't figure out why it was so tough to do what used to be easy.
After talking with a psychologist, he understood that his current state wasn't great and personal stuff was getting in the way. Setting goals, focusing his attention, and dealing with negative thoughts helped him overcome these problems and get back to playing in top shape. - CasePlayer K has been feeling really tired lately. Stuff that used to make him happy doesn't seem to matter anymore. He's also been having trouble with his friends and family, and he can't sleep well at night. So, he went to see a psychologist. The psychologist helped him take a little break, switch to different tasks, change his daily routine, and deal with some stuff that had been bothering him for a long time.
After this «reboot», player K felt a lot better. He came back to the game rested and ready to go, and the game didn't make him feel so bad anymore.
- CasePlayer A started playing poker a few years ago. At first, he was into it because of the emotions the game gave him, and he liked getting better at it. But over time, playing got old and stopped being fun. He started caring more about winning money than having fun.
With the help of a psychologist, A figured out what parts of the game still interested him and got him excited to play. We found things that not only were fun but also made him think and learn, which he really liked. So, A got through his motivation crisis and came out stronger and more determined to keep improving. It didn't ruin him; instead, it helped him grow. - CasePlayer N just couldn't make himself sit down and analyze the database in recent weeks. It was really hard not to get distracted during work. He realized something was up with his motivation, but he couldn't figure out why it was so tough to do what used to be easy.
After talking with a psychologist, he understood that his current state wasn't great and personal stuff was getting in the way. Setting goals, focusing his attention, and dealing with negative thoughts helped him overcome these problems and get back to playing in top shape. - CasePlayer K has been feeling really tired lately. Stuff that used to make him happy doesn't seem to matter anymore. He's also been having trouble with his friends and family, and he can't sleep well at night. So, he went to see a psychologist. The psychologist helped him take a little break, switch to different tasks, change his daily routine, and deal with some stuff that had been bothering him for a long time.
After this «reboot», player K felt a lot better. He came back to the game rested and ready to go, and the game didn't make him feel so bad anymore.
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