This post is written by Desreen Garbelotto, National Highways, MP Business Manager & EMBRACE Employee Network Chair.

  • The problem: Knowing what motivation is, and how to understand or recognise what motivates you can be difficult.
  • Why it matters: People need to feel achievement, performance, and contribution.
  • The solution: There are many ways and avenues for different people.

Motivation: what does it mean for me? Well, many things, in many ways, including the following:

“Motivation is what drives you towards a goal, gets you up in the morning, and keeps you working through a task, determined to succeed when things get tough.”

I often praise myself for being able to stay motivated in an often changing, reactive environment. Motivated to ‘show up’ not just physically but mentally, even with all the stresses that life presents to us outside of the workplace, such as Covid, the cost of living crisis, the war in Ukraine, and ‘partygate’.

I question: is this a skill or just the way that I am? I believe that it’s the person I am and have become, adapting to the environment that I’m in. I’m confident that I will adapt successfully to any professional environment that I work in. Flexibility, acceptance of change, building relationships, and identifying progress all help me to do this.

Who am I?

The person I have become is extremely proud of working in a very large team of civil servants/government employees to provide a public service, regardless of where I sit. Currently working within National Highways (previously Highways England and Highways Agency) is a contribution to the UK. This also keeps me motivated, as I am a normal working-class individual that contributes to society.

Motivation, for me, also comes from understanding and living according to the values and behaviours of the organisation and society. These are so relevant and powerful that reminding myself regularly why I work so hard, and why I am committed to going over and above at every opportunity, is paramount.

My motivation is helped by surrounding myself with positive people that are open and honest, being ourselves, and building strong and trusting relationships including mentors, both formal and informal. It also helps to have others that you can talk to, with the added benefit of being able to discuss challenging situations.

There are many more aspects of my daily life that can keep me motivated and focused including a healthy diet, exercise and regular breaks. Sometimes stepping away for a few minutes helps boost my energy and thought processes.

My motivation is helped by surrounding myself with positive people that are open and honest, being ourselves, and building strong and trusting relationships.

However, I know that my ultimate motivation comes from seeing that progress is being made in many areas, be it a national structural improvement, new legislation, better safety measures for everyone and progress in the space of equality, diversity and inclusion.

So, staying motivated seems easy when you know that you are making a difference, and when you see that progress is moving in the right direction – forward.

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(Image Credit: Unsplash)