ON OUR DEMOTIVATION
When we cave in under the weight of our own contradictions
And tend to act in a way which leads to de-motivation
When we are not ready to face the challenges
Whilst the unpredictable time throws
A time-tested googly at us
When we least expect it all
Thereby we fail to take the challenge thrown onto us
Because we are not having total confidence in our potentials
To hit the ball head-on with confidence so suffusing
For a full-fledged sixer, so to say
But are bowled over clearly
Because we have not sweat perfectly
On the ground to gain sound traction on the bat and ball
Proving unprepared attempts lead to results so unpredictable.
Some demotivating factors are of our own creation
Like lack of self-created inertia
Of not moving ahead when given the opportunities
Instead of moving ahead we tend to do an about turn
Thus resorting to unplanned procrastination
Owing to our own off-putting attitude indeed
Due to the negative mindset of our own.
Thence this demotivation is created
By the environments in which we’re constrained to reside
With the people who are habitual offenders
Steeped in poverty of ideas due to their misdemeanors
Of gambling, committing a variety of sins
Which come in the way of our progress
And meet challenges which are thrown at us.
ON DEMOTIVATION
The word demotivation or non-motivation means becoming a dampener or decelerate or putting brakes in the progress of an individual or group of people. The factors for demotivation may be manmade, financial, physical psychological, environmental etc. But these impediments remain haunting us and prevent or put brakes in our further movement to acquire success. The antonym of the word motivation is demotivation and has negative overtones.
I got a proof how demotivating factors can come in the way of progress of an individual or a family. These factors could be financial stringency, repulsive tendencies of an individual, negative mindset due to inertia in the personal drive, lack of stimulus and initiative besides being placed in uncongenial environments. These non-motivational factors could be partly man-made and partly due to circumstances in which a person is placed.
AN EXAMPLE HOW ONE TURNS HIS DEMOTIVATION INTO MOTIVATION
Recently I had a chance of meeting an individual named Shyam. This person proved that if we have the personal drive, resolve, solid determination and impetus to grow, we can succeed. He is a sole earning member who has to support five members of his family – consisting of his spouse, three sons (aged 23, 21 and 18 years old elder one knowing driving, second and third undergoing training as Electrician in an Industrial Training Institute). He used to be financial stringent; worked as a tailor in a tailoring shop whose manager was cruel in his behavior towards his employees, framed his own set of rules to be broken at his own whims and fancies and to top it all, never believed his employees. Besides he was living in an environment which is not congenial for the growth and development of the family as a unit. But Sham had no option but to live there and co-exist with all the people and environment since he could not afford to take a house in a good locality with the very high rate of rent charges.
He had to work from morning till late in the evening stitching clothes for his clients. Here too, he was facing heat since he was constrained to spend part of his earnings on medical expenses of his wife’s ill-health. With only himself as the bread earner for the entire family and with too much financial stringency as the demotivating factors to move on, one day he decided to take loan from the bank for starting a business so that at least one of his sons could be adjusted in his life and help supplement his earning which could be ploughed back in upbringing of the family besides meeting the expenditure on training of his other two sons. He succeeded in getting the bank loan and one son is earning now by driving his own taxi. There was a glimmer of hope and satisfaction writ large in this face when hee told that his sons are very obedient and do not have any bad habits.
In essence, I was really impressed by his passion to work despite impediments. He wanted to convert the demotivating factors into motivating factors. According to him, his line of thought worked well. Now all his sons are working and earning for themselves and he is now having his own tailoring shop where he pursues his profession as a manager of the shop with three tailors to assist him. He treats his employees well because he knows how he was treated earlier on and also how he had risen due to sincere efforts and with the grace of God despite demotivating factors working against him.
When I persisted about the query as to how he could turn de-motivation into motivation, he with all humility told me that it was partly due to self-belief and also due to the unflagging belief on GOD which made a huge difference and changed the negative situation into the positive one.
From the above, we can figure out the demotivating factors responsible for impeding our forward movement:-
FINANCIAL STRINGENCY
I have seen that there are students who are very good in studies but are not able to pursue their educational pursuits due to the unsound financial condition of their families. Many of the students fail to realize their aspirations because of this factor – they cannot afford costly books and other expenditure involved in their studies. I too faced financial pinch during my college days.
PASSION TO MOVE AHEAD DESPITE HURDLES
A person with traits of drive and passion to work will move ahead despite inertias on his/her way for further movement ahead. No non-motivating or demotivation factor can dampen his spirits to move ahead. He/she sweats despite hurdles on the path.
ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH WE ARE PLACED COUNTS MUCH
It is not merely the home ambiance which is responsible for our forward growth but also the environment in which we are living and brought up. An uncongenial environment where people resort to gambling, take drugs, drink in public glare besides following unhealthy lifestyle would surely have a negative impact on the impressionable minds. This really is a demotivating factor for many of the students, especially when they are in their early teenage years and adolescence period when their mind is most impressionable.
APATHY FACED AT THE WORKPLACE AND UNSATISFACTORY WORKING ENVIRONMENT
A workplace wherein the management is not considerate, make and break their own rules suiting their wishes, where career graph just remains stuck, where there is no incentive for the initiative, drive and hard work, an employee, in such work environment will get demotivated.
AN ENVIRONMENT WITH NO CAREER PROGRESSION
An organization where there is no incentive for working hard and where the management gets influenced by tall-talk and backbiting, an individual with drive and passion to work will be demotivated and cannot continue in such incompatible atmospheric and would like to leave this organization for a better workplace wherein his/her efficiency is recognized.
PROCRASTINATION IS A DEMOTIVATING FACTOR
When we are in the never-ending habit of putting off things, we give a blank cheque of lethargy and laziness to ourselves which will bounce back on us every time we tend to encash it. The disease of procrastination is too bad and proves to be a demotivating factor for our further movement.
WHEN CHALLENGES CHALLENGE YOU, YOU JUST CAVE IN
Sometimes we fail to accept challenges and we cave in under the weight of our own contradictions due to demotivating factors such as lack of confidence on our capabilities, lack of willpower and any other factor which the situation provides at the time and space.
LACK OF SELF-ESTEEM AND SELF-CONFIDENCE
It is essential that first of all, we have to be self-aware; know our potentials and weaknesses then bridge the gap that exists in the weak areas. We can enhance and maintain our self-esteem by removing the grey areas or impediments such as not taking initiative, becoming impulsive procrastinator, indecisiveness etc which prove a stumbling block in our progress.
Having self-confidence does not mean you go on flaunting your achievements or laurels. Anyhow, everybody knows about us and our capabilities or otherwise but those who know their limits remain within that LAKSHAMAN REKHA lest we become intrusive and barge into somebody else territory and get reprimanded in the process. This may prove demotivating.
NOBODY CAN DEMOTIVATE US TILL SUCH TIME WE LET THEM TO DO SO
Experience is a guide that we are responsible for letting others to demotivate us since we too tend to be intrusive in some form or other in their affairs. If we are not, then, how come we can tolerate others’ interference in our sphere of activities. The change for not interfering in others’ affairs should start from us only then nobody will interfere in ours and demotivate us.
Be that as it may, it should always be remembered that what we are is partly due to our efforts and partly due to God’s grace. In these scheme of things, if somebody barges in and tries to demotivate us then we should bear the following into our mind:-
- Listen to those who try demotivating you but only ‘listen’ just do not take their pep-talk or rants to the inner recesses of your mind. Nature also helps us in this by gifting us two ears – hear from one (inlet) and out (outlet) from other – so to say.
- Bear in mind, everything starts with you and ends with you only. If you work hard in order to fulfill your dreams, nothing can come in your way but one OMNISCIENT AND OMNIPOTENT power would always be with you. Have belief nobody can be the hindrance in your dreams. SELF BELIEF MAKES DIFFERENCE. In fact the positive mindset brings about positive results with the grace of our GOD.
INNER THOUGHTS 