Warnings and threats have limited impact, and often does not prevent people from doing things they aren’t supposed to. In fact, research tells us that threatening does not encourage action but inaction. Fear immobilizes people, so they tend to choose avoiding the problem instead of facing it head on. Since people usually change their beliefs towards the desirable opinion, we should motivate people in a more positive way. This includes social incentives, immediate rewards, and progress monitoring.
We tend to compare ourselves with others too much, but it comes in handy in situations like motivation. People dislike feeling that they are inferior to others, so when they see others that are better, they feel discontent. Nobody likes being looked down upon or being underestimated. It ignites action and it drives people to be more like them, to do what everyone else does. They willingly push themselves to change and improve.
People are more willing to do something when they know they will gain something. They’ll tell themselves that their hard work will be worth it. This is also why people prefer immediate rewards over getting a benefit in the future. The future is unknown, but the present is predictable. When they see that their work pays off, they’ll want to work more. If they don’t see the results of their work however, they lose the hope and motivation to do more work, to change.
We are motivated when we see progress, as we feel that we are improving. It gives us a feeling of accomplishment, and it makes us crave for more. Hence, we continue to work hard to see how much more we have done and rejoice in the achievements that follow. So when motivating others we should highlight, emphasize their progress and not the decline.
When motivating others we should keep in mind that threatening them and making them feel wrong won’t change the problem. You should use positive means to lead them out, instead of unintentionally making the situation worse through fear. Focus on helping them make the changes and not leaving them on their own after stressing about all the problems they will face.