How to Motivate yourself for FMGE Preparation?

Keep in mind that your exam preparation is equivalent to a runner preparing for a marathon race, therefore, you have to be motivated throughout the preparation not to let your body and mind slack off until your entire exam is over.

A. What is motivation?

“An aroused state to act in a specific manner & direction” (In Greek “Movere” means “to drive forward”)

B. 3 major components of motivation (Hockenbury.D.H & Hockenbury.S.E):

Activation: involves the decision to initiate a behavior.
Persistence: continued effort toward a goal even though obstacles & requires a significant investment of time, energy, and resources.
Intensity: concentration and vigor that goes into pursuing a goal.

C.The 3 critical factors that determine tour motivation according to Roy Baumeister:

Will power/self-control
Clear & specific goals
Track your actions toward the achievement of the goals

D. How do motivational conflicts lead to Demotivation?

Type	Details	Example
Approach/approach conflicts	Forced to choose between two desirable outcomes that are mutually exclusive (only one can be picked).	Intuitors conflict to choose between physiology vs biochemistry
Avoidance/avoidance conflicts	Forced to choose between two different undesirable outcomes	Intuitors conflict to avoid between microbiology vs histopathology
Approach/avoidance conflicts	Attracted and repulsed by elements of the same situation	Sensors/Intuitors have conflicts in dealing with PSM (epidemiology/ statistics vs facts based parts)

Psychological techniques that teach you How to Motivate yourself for FMGE Preparation (Handle the 3 critical factors needed for you to be motivated according to Roy Baumeister):

1. Will power/self-control: The ability to control your behavior is a critical part of achieving any goal.

Plan ahead: Anticipate situations where people have experienced the effects of ego depletion (Ego depletion refers to a state in which the self does not have all the resources it has normal)
Introduce challenges: regularly engaging in behaviors that require you to exert self-control will improve your willpower over time.
Try focusing on one goal at a time: best to choose one specific goal and focus your energy to prevent the ego depletion.

2. Clear & specific goals: Less likely to fail with a clearly defined goal & a specific motivation (Pick up concrete & realistic goals with details of deadlines).

The Goldilocks Rule of the golden middle

Humans experience peak motivation when working on tasks that are right on the edge of their current abilities (Not too hard. Not too easy. Just right)

- Chunk them up: break down a single task into actionable bitesize actions, reducing stress by making tasks more approachable.
- Avoid distractions that suck up your time (be away from phones & TV).

- Fortify yourself with a positive attitude: Positive attitude is a key to your confidence which will have a great impact on your preparation & direct you to achieve your goal but avoid negative attitude will drain your energy.
  - Introject inspiring people: Watch & listen or read about inspiring people, Introject their positive & successful exercises into you to keep you to be motivated.

- Manage your stress: Stress dampens your motivation & confidence therefore you should take all measured to manage your stress with various means.
  - Exercises & Relaxation techniques
  - Meditation
  - Guided Imagery (Visualize your Success): One of the key psychological methods to keep you motivated, confident & also desensitizes you to manage your stress.

3. Track your actions toward the achievement of the goals: monitor your behavior each day to ensure you on track (When you do not track & adjust with the feedback then you start to falsely believe that you are doing everything perfectly).

- Focus on the Journey (Not the Outcome): contrary to the common belief when students focusing the journey of how they focus to prepare than merely focus on passing the exams brought better results where most students developed the skills to study effectively & scored high in the exams.
- Use extrinsic rewards sparingly while motivating yourself.

References:

Nevid JS. Psychology: Concepts and Applications. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning; 2013.
Hockenbury DH, Hockenbury SE. Discovering Psychology. Macmillan; 2010.
Zhou Y, Siu AF. Motivational intensity modulates the effects of positive emotions on set-shifting after controlling physiological arousal. Scand J Psychol. 2015;56(6):613-21. DOI:10.1111/sjop.12247
Myers DG. Exploring Social Psychology. New York, NY: McGraw Hill Education, 2015.
Siegling AB, Petrides KV. Drive: theory and construct validation. PLoS One. 2016;11(7):e0157295. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0157295
Tranquillo J, Stecker M. Using intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in continuing professional education. Surg Neurol Int. 2016;7(Suppl 7):S197-9. DOI:10.4103/2152-7806.179231
Nevid JS. Psychology: Concepts and Applications. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning; 2013.