Ted Audio Collective You're listening to Ted Talk's Daily, where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day.
I'm your host, Elise Hugh.
I know I'm not alone in feeling unmotivated, more often than I'm like.
In her 2023 talk, social psychologist Ayaylet Fishbok shares the science we need to maintain motivation, and the surprising findings that we can all put to use to do better when it comes to reaching our goals.
That's coming up after the break.
Support for this show comes from Capital One.
Banking with Capital One helps you keep more money in your wallet with no fees or minimums on checking accounts and no overdraft fees.
Just ask the Capital One Bank guy.
It's pretty much all he talks about in a good way.
He'd also tell you that this podcast is his favorite podcast too.
Aw, really? Thanks Capital One Bank guy.
What's in your wallet? Terms apply.
C capital1.com slash bank.
Capital One NA member FDIC.
Support for this podcast comes from the Defender 110.
For those who embrace the impossible, the new Defender 110 is up for the adventure.
This iconic vehicle has been redefined with thoroughly modern design, with an exterior that's reimagined, with really compelling proportions, and really precise detailing.
The interior is built with robust materials, built with integrity.
The Defender capability is legendary, whether you're off-roading or dealing with harsh weather conditions.
And the Defender family features the 2-door Defender 90, the Defender 110, and the Defender 130, which seats up to 8 people.
Really great for trips and big families.
A vehicle made to go further is the Defender 110 Learn More at Land Rover USA.com-FORWARDSLASH-DIFENDER.
Ted Talks Daily is sponsored by ADT.
ADT knows a lot can happen in a second.
One second, you're happily single, and the next second, you catch a glimpse of someone and you don't want to be.
Maybe one second, you have a business idea that seems like a pipe dream, and the next, you have an LLC and a dream come true.
And when it comes to your home, one second, you feel safe, and the next something goes wrong, but with ADT's 24-7 professional monitoring, you still feel safe.
Because when every second counts, count on ADT.
Visit ADT.com today. These days, we're surrounded by photo-editing programs.
Have you ever wondered what something or someone actually looks like under all the manipulation?
It's me, Elise, and this October, I'm giving a Ted Talk in Atlanta about finding true beauty and a sea of artificial images.
I'm so excited to share the stage with all the amazing speakers of the Ted Next conference, and I hope you'll come and experience it with me.
Visit go.ted.com-flash-tednext to get your pass today.
And now, our Ted Talk of the Day.
A good friend has recently shared that she's feeling tired, like really tired, not I did not get enough sleep tired, but something deeper than that.
She said she feels and I'm quoting as if I have lost my motivation.
She quite called her breath because she's so clearly dedicated to her job and conducts herself with professionalism and kindness.
She's a wonderful parent who cares for her children.
And she's very responsible when it gets to her finance and health.
She is not alone in feeling unmotivated.
Millennial and Gen Z employees tell me that they feel uninspired at work.
Some admit that they just don't care.
Half of American employees are currently looking for a different job.
Think about that. Tell their employees, tell me that they can't wait to retire.
And when I ask about life at home, people say that they struggle with their finance and health to you.
The national data suggests that chronic diseases such as diabetes and how disease are on the rise.
The Indian American family has only bit over $5,000 in savings, barely enough to pay next month rent.
Did America lose its motivation?
Well the answer is no. Tell her not you cannot lose your motivation because you never owned it in the first place.
Even that children surprise you, isn't your car key or wallet.
So what is it? Well, motivation is not about being strong, it's about being wise.
Let me explain. You may think of motivation as a muscle thinking some people have strong motivation muscles others are weak.
But this is not a good metaphor.
Motivation is knowledge.
You learn how to be motivated.
And so today I would like to help each of you and America become wider so that you are more motivated and hence better able to achieve your goals, your dreams, your aspirations.
And giving what the world has been throwing at you, that might be a good time to refresh your knowledge.
To be motivated, you either change the situation or the way you think about the situation.
This is the science in one sentence.
You change the circumstances or the way you think about the circumstances.
So if you want to be more physically active, there is no point in yelling at yourself.
I yell at you. You should walk more.
Instead, I got a puppy. He loves long walks.
You journey starts with setting a goal.
My friend wanted to be motivated at work so she identified a project she wanted to complete.
That was a goal and it's a good motivation strategy.
It goes polio. The problem, my friend identified a project she wish he had already completed.
Not something she was looking forward to doing.
If you ever said a goal you wish you had already completed but had less interest in actually completing, most goals are abandoned because we want to be the person who has done it, not the person who is currently doing it.
When we are excited about doing the work, we are intrinsically motivated.
We care about the way as much as we are looking forward to the destination.
In our research, we found that most goals are abandoned not because they are not important.
People are not more likely to adhere to their important, compared to unimportant goals.
Most goal are abandoned because people don't enjoy pursuing it.
You know enjoyment is what predicts where you will stick with the goal.
So what makes goals exciting?
Exciting goals are never a chore or a minute.
Everyone that writes Chicago diners would circle the block for third-minute looking for free parking.
But we will not think twice before spending the money they have just saved on parking on ordering another cocktail.
White pay for drinks and not for parking.
Well we don't like to pay for parking or shipping.
Students don't like to study for prerequisite classes because all these are memes.
We don't like to invest in memes.
We did a study that showed us just how much you dislike to invest in memes.
In our study, we auctioned a book for some people and then we auctioned the University of Chicago tote bag to other people.
The average person was willing to pay $23 for the book but only $12 for the tote bag.
The catch, the tote bag contained the book.
And people knew it. Why would the people that were beating on a tote bag that contained a book be willing to pay less?
Well we don't like to invest in memes.
Okay. So you said a goal that is intrinsically motivated.
You are excited about the way just as much as you want to reach the destination.
A couple of weeks passed and you have not been doing much lately.
It has now been four or six months and your motivation is on the decline.
How do you sustain your motivation?
How do you get from here to there?
Well motivation is going to be high when we just start on something and toward the end but it will decline in the middle.
We call it the middle problem.
My friend, my starter project with much enthusiasm, then a motivation will decline.
Toward the deadline, it will pick up again.
She will regain a motivation.
A few years ago we asked people who observed their Hanukkah holiday to let us know whether they were lighting the first candle on the first night, the second on the second night, the third night, so on until the eighth night.
As you can see, most people admitted to only lighting the candles on the first and last night.
They were procrastinating in the middle.
The solution, make middle short, a monthly exercise goal, a weekly exercise goal, even a daily exercise goal, are easier because as the end is near, it is easier to stay motivated.
If only Hanukkah was just two nights.
And now back to the episode.
Another problem with middle is that you are going to experience saddecks and when experiencing saddecks it is natural to feel discouraged.
One wise solution is to remove your ego out of the picture, it is not about it.
When you remove your ego, it is easier to learn.
When I was helping my 10-year-old son win a video game, he awarded me the title, a failure expert.
I love this title. Why am I a failure expert?
Because I don't mind getting killed by virtual monsters.
He doesn't mind seeing me getting beaten by virtual monsters.
So we can both learn. At work, when you are not quite killing it, remove your ego and you will be better able to learn.
Another solution is to seek this comfort if only temporarily instead of trying to avoid it.
When you seek this comfort temporarily, you realize that you can grow yourself, that this comfort is a sign of growth.
No pain or gain is not just about the gene.
It's a general wise motivation strategy.
Let me tell you about a study that we conducted with Chicago's beloved improvisation club, the Second City.
We worked with the training center, which is where regular people like you and me go to learning improvisation.
We were specifically interested in one exercise, deep focus.
In this exercise, one person gets the center of stage.
Everybody else is frozen in place.
This person is moving around.
Everybody else is watching.
We invited some people to feel awkward and uncomfortable as they run through the exercise.
Others in the control group were invited to develop their skills.
Who was more daring, taking the stage for longer?
Well, as you can see, it was the people that we invited to feel uncomfortable.
In one wave of classes, asking people to feel uncomfortable double the time they took focus.
Those people were also more daring.
For example, they were dancing a little in instead of just walking around.
And they also reported they were growing themselves more compared to those in the control group.
Okay, but here's the problem.
You don't only have one goal.
For my friend, the challenge was balancing between working family.
Now if you have not experienced the work family conflict, you either don't have a job or that you forgot that you also have a family.
But it is wiser to think about these goals as balancing each other.
And my friend realized that doing well at work makes her a better family member.
She was more motivated and happier to do both.
Think about your goals like dishes around the buffet table.
You can create the perfect combination.
It is colorful, delicious, well balanced.
Maybe you exercise on the way to work.
Maybe you listen to an audiobook while you do that.
Other combinations don't work very well.
They might feel like a waffle covered with pastasos.
If you try to study for the baritone while talking to a friend and watching TV, this is destructive.
You need to find the right combination.
Some people might decide to pursue one goal at a time.
Sometimes you can't wait for retirement to start a family.
So look for the right balance and harmony.
Some goals let's call them temptations should take less form on your plate.
However, instead of trying to push them out of mind, it might be wise to anticipate them in advance.
When you anticipate all the alcohol that will be served here later today, you can better control your consumption.
When I anticipate that my colleague is going to be upset, I can better control my emotion in an eating debate at work.
When we anticipate temptations, we are less tempted when we get here.
In one study, when we minded employees of all the times they will be tempted to take office supply for personal use, they were less likely to do that compared to those in the control group.
Anticipate temptations make you prepared and hence less tempted.
Alright, what about the person sitting next to you?
Look at them for a second.
I will be waiting here. How can that person help?
Your friends, your family and other people that you love are critical for your motivation.
They are your lighthouse and you are also important for them.
Let me tell you a love story that resulted in four noble prizes.
When Marie met Pierre Kirich, she did not only meet the love of her life.
She met the person who pushed her to excel in a work on the theory of Friday activity and who later insisted that she will be named on the enjoyed noble prize.
That was her first. The second noble prize?
She won by herself with no man by her side.
The couple had two daughters and they wanted them to excel.
Their oldest year-end won a noble prize with her husband as was the tradition in the Kirich family.
Their youngest even by far the most autistic person in the Kirich family married someone won the noble prize and excelled in many other ways.
The Kirich family did not only teach us about radio activity.
They taught us the importance of feeling supported and supporting others in pursuing goals.
In your life you work with other people, maybe together you take care of your pet.
You work in the presence of other people, maybe those are the people in your gene class so in your book life.
You hold goals for others, they hold goals for you.
This might be a good time to say thank you to the person sitting next to you.
I will be waiting here. Give them a pat on the shoulder.
My friend came to me not only because I am a motivation scientist but also because I'm her friend and as such I wanted her to be successful.
You may wonder what happened to her.
When she was a child she stayed at her job, last time I saw her smile, seemed bigger.
She did not find her motivation.
She learned how to motivate yourself.
And so now America you did not lose your motivation.
Each fear is walking hard pursuing your dreams, balancing the different aspects of your life and it is so important especially in the world we live in today.
So, when you feel discouraged, when you feel unmotivated, remember.
Motivation is not about being strong, it is about being wise and now we are all wiser.
Thank you. Thanks. Ted Talks Daily is brought to you by Progressive, where drivers who saved by switching saved nearly $750 on average.
Quote now at Progressive.com Progressive casualty insurance company and affiliate's national average 12 month savings of $744 by new customer surveyed who saved with progressive between June 2022 and May 2023.
Potential savings will vary.
Support for the show comes from LinkedIn.
LinkedIn ads allow you to build the right relationships, drive results and reach your customers in a respectful environment they are not getting barraged.
This is very targeted. You will have direct access to and build relationships with a billion members, 180 million senior level executives, everyone is on a LinkedIn, it seems like, and 10 million C level executives.
You will be able to drive results with targeting and measurement tools built specifically for B2B in technology, LinkedIn generated 2 to 5 times higher return on ad spent than other social media platforms.
You will work with a partner who respects the B2B world you operate in, 79% of B2B content makers said LinkedIn produces the best results for paid media.
Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today will even give you a $100 credit on your next campaign.
Go to LinkedIn.com slash Ted Audio to claim your credit that's LinkedIn.com slash Ted Audio terms and conditions apply LinkedIn the place to be to be.
That was IA let fish box speaking at TEDx Chicago in 2023.
If you're curious about Ted's curation, find out more at TED.com slash curation guidelines.
And that's it for today.
Ted Talks Daily is part of the Ted Audio collective.
This episode was produced and edited by our team Martha Estefanos Oliver Friedman, Brian Green, Autumn Thompson and Alejandra Salazar.
It was mixed by Christopher Faisy-Bogan, additional support from Emma Tabner, Daniela Balorezo, and Will Hennessey.
I'm Elise Hugh. I'll be back tomorrow with a fresh idea for your feed.
Thanks for listening.
