The Path to Agency and Self Worth. How to Discover Your Passion and Strengthen Your Need for Achievement
Three essential qualities needed for more productivity
In my path from ignoble to noble (not noble, simply better, healthier, thinner, and freer of unhealthy habits), I have chosen various self-initiated actions that worked for me.
This essay offers valuable tips based on what I know will help you to have more power and agency in striving for personal goals.
I have been an agent of change, though I did get assistance from coaches, therapists, and teachers, to guide me on the passage to a more worthy and self-respecting self. As a result, I became thinner, free of addictions, sober, and more assertive.
These accomplishments inaugurated a progressive series of steps towards more self-fulfillment and personal change
My performance has been more centered and empowered by the future promise of more worthiness.
I have experienced more agency since I have finally identified a purpose or defining goal.
If you have experienced striving for any goal, you have experienced agency, the power of making things happen by your efforts.
Need for Driving Motivation
I have achieved the same thing in habit change and personal improvement. My efforts were instrumental in making these changes happen. Still, it was not until I discovered a driving motivation based on my need to rectify an injustice that my efforts reached an elevated level.
This injustice stemmed from prolonged disrespect from a parent, which produced a profound sense of inferiority.
In short, what started as a vague wish, got strengthened by the arrival of a mutative insight that my destiny was to correct an injustice. I had to regain my dignity and self-worth.
This raises the question: what can you do to find the superpower to fire up your agency? Mine is the prospect of more worthiness, more self-approval, and more self-esteem. What can it be for you?
To help you find it I recommend asking yourself what drives you to do your best.
Commitment to a Larger Purpose
You may dream and aspire to do more with your life. Or it might mean being more productive or reaching your near-term goals. You might seek to do more in daily tasks, or you are interested in tackling larger goals like running a marathon or getting a coveted promotion.
For many, hopes and good intentions don’t translate into action. Self-doubt is a common culprit.
You might think it does not matter, but self-belief can motivate you and will impact your willingness to execute what is necessary to achieve your goal.
Positive Mindset
Research indicates that if you have a more positive attitude and feel confident that you can achieve your goals, these beliefs increase your likelihood of success. Here are three strategies for improving self-belief.
· Create attainable goals. It works best if you break down a large goal into small steps. Make a list of achievable goals for the day and carry them out as best you can. If you carry through with your intentions, this is more satisfying.
· Reward yourself. By rewarding yourself with one thing at a time, or at the end of the day, you can teach yourself to be more motivated. This is called “operant conditioning with the use of reinforcement.” In layman’s terms, it’s about treating yourself for decent work.
· Create Positive habits. The best source on habit formation is Duhigg’s work. His three-step formula works wonders. Sustainable behavior patterns serve to strengthen your motivation for other projects.
No discussion of motivation would be complete without mention of Murray and McClelland and the need for achievement.
This personality trait consists of an enduring and consistent concern with setting and meeting high achievement standards.
The need is influenced by the internal drive for action (intrinsic motivation) and the pressure coming from the expectations of others (extrinsic) motivation.
This need drives an individual to succeed in competition and excel in essential activities.
In sum, self-belief is essential to be an effective agent for what you want in life. A clear purpose provides a necessary foundation for a consistent long-term effort. And a positive mindset creates the push that can lead to successful outcomes.