If you observe the people around you, some may appear to be highly driven and motivated, while others may seem to be apathetic and less motivated in what they are doing. The ability to be motivated and sustain that motivation is a vital life skill to master, as it is an essential pillar that underpins successful goal achievement and happiness in our lives.

This book is written by a university professor and a medical doctor, both well-established professionals who have successfully applied these motivation mastery principles to excel in their student years, professional careers, and personal life. This book provides you with a clear roadmap and scaffolded approach that empowers you to:

• Gain valuable insights into your current state of personal motivation
• Distinguish the differences between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation
• Identify and overcome the demotivating roadblocks that are holding you back
• Acquire practical strategies to become motivated and stay highly energised and focused

When you fully realise the nuances of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and harness their powerful forces, you will find yourself equipped with the relevant strategies that will enable you to be highly energised and much more positively driven than ever before. This will motivate you to work towards accomplishing your goals effectively and efficiently, and live a fulfilling life filled with purpose, clarity, and happiness.

 

Praise for the book

An uplifting book on igniting one’s inner energy to supercharge and sustain motivation! Turbo Motivation introduces us to the treasure of our own innate motivation and guides us to transform it into unlimited energy. A definite must-read for all readers on the journey of self-improvement and for leaders who want to inspire their employees to do their best!

– Dr Kong Jing Wen, Consultant Family Physician

 

This book came aptly at a crossroad in my life as I was reflecting upon my life and career goals. I was glued to the pages upon reading the first one!

The first part gives a concise yet comprehensive view of extrinsic versus intrinsic motivation and how we can evaluate our current personal motivation level. This is incredibly useful for anyone who wants to identify and align our major motivating factors to the goals we want to achieve. Next, the second part deftly introduces the variety of factors to feeling demotivated and clearly delineates the action steps to overcome these demotivating factors.

The scenarios illustrated are personable, down-to-earth, and wholly relatable to everyday life, which helps me to appreciate the subsequent actions I need to take to overcome these “motivation traps”. Indeed, the last part of the book delves into a myriad of wondrous, ready-to-use, street-smart strategies to stay super motivated. The crowning jewel of the book is the CAMP1 method which is a superb framework on empowering yourself with instant drive.

I highly recommend getting this book—it’s a treasure trove of solutions for you to get the “vroom” back in your motivation engine, turbocharge it, and start roaring on your journey to achieve your goals!

– Dr Sophie Cai, Dermatologist

 

There is no better way of learning about motivation than from two highly successful individuals—one a university professor and another a senior consultant in medicine. Master their highly practical tips and supercharge your progress, be it in your studies or your career!

– Dr Chung Pin Soon

Family Physician, Bethesda Medical Center

 

If you are seeking clarity on your motivational style and would like to learn tips and tricks on how to hack your life and super-boost your motivation levels, this book is written for you! The authors have thoughtfully broken down the abstract topic into digestible, bite-size pieces, with many personal strategies that you can easily adapt for your own use. Explore deeply within yourself as you work on the questionnaires and guiding questions. Discover the underlying factors behind what drives you, what hinders you, and learn how to “unstick” yourself and how to propel forward to achieve new heights. My personal favourite is the chapter dedicated to Newton’s Laws of Motivation—a simple, yet important reminder on how to stay motivated and achieve happiness in my everyday life!

– Liu Yuchun, PhD

Junior Principal Investigator

 

Turbo Motivation is a book that lives up to its title. This book examines the factors that motivate us, the barriers that demotivate and hinder us, and teaches techniques to keep ourselves motivated. In life, we all go through periods when we feel super motivated and times when we just feel like vegetating. Staying motivated is not easy and I personally have had many motivational highs and lows. Reading this book, I gained a lot of valuable insights into myself, on what motivates me and what stumbles me. This book challenges you to examine yourself and look at the factors that drive you and keep you going. For managers and leaders, it also teaches you how to motivate your staff and create an environment that can keep them motivated. I found the book easy to read, clearly presented and well-organised. I am sure that you will gain a lot from reading this book and hopefully it will truly turbocharge your motivation.

– Dr Colin Theng

Consultant Dermatologist, The Skin Specialists and Laser Clinic

 

The book contains really clear and simple-to-understand concepts of motivation, and also provides simple and easy-to-practise tips for our daily lives to try and improve the way we work, live, and play. It is helpful across many aspects of our daily lives and not only on the career front. For example, I found it very helpful to see how I can motivate my kids in their daily schoolwork or other activities! Certainly a good and useful read.

– Ching Ting Wei

Global Procurement Director

 

Turbo Motivation offers practical advice using real world examples. The authors are knowledgeable and engage the reader with well-placed metaphors and witty anecdotes.

– Choo Li Lin

Applied Linguist and Educator

 

Motivation is an important element that drives one to live a fulfilling life, and this book explains the fundamentals of motivation and how anyone can sustain it simply. Excellent read for those striving for self-development and growth.

– Cynthia Tan

Content Creator

 

We are living in a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) world, especially during this pandemic and even post-pandemic period. During these times, we may need to take a step back and reflect on where we are and where we want to go. Self-improvement books provide a way to systematically guide us through this process—and there are lots of such books. What makes Turbo Motivation stand out from the crowd is that the know-hows are evidence-based. Dr Rajaram and Dr Tan have distilled the essence of state-of-the-art research on the psychology of motivation and combined that with their corporate and consulting experiences to offer excellent advice on how we can achieve our goals and aspirations. More importantly, the authors offer clear and simple steps so that we can move from knowledge to actions to reach these targets. Right off the bat, the book includes a personal audit for us to discover what drives us intrinsically and extrinsically, and what demotivates us. Following that, Dr Rajaram and Dr Tan suggest guidelines on harnessing these motivators and overcoming the demotivators. I also enjoyed the stories that they tell throughout the book, making going through the steps to motivate oneself a fun process. I highly recommend Turbo Motivation to those who aspire to propel themselves to attain their goals, be resilient, live a meaningful life, and develop good relationships (and especially avoid toxic ones). This book is also highly recommended for managers and leaders who want to propel those around them to achieve similar ends.

– Foo Maw Der, PhD (MIT)

Professor, Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University | Director, Asian Business Case Centre | Director-Designate, Nanyang Technopreneurship Centre

 

A book for a hopeful tomorrow. In this present era of reset, this book will guide the reader to achieve holistic health (mental and physical) through its “hacks” and “stratagems”. I found the read to be nourishing and motivational. It inspires me to be a better person immediately with the necessary scaffolding.

– Mr Baiross

Advocate & Solicitor and Managing Partner, IRB Law LLP

 

If you struggle to build motivation because of a lack of inspiration or are not sure where to start, this is the book for you. In this book, the authors use their personal experiences paired with extensive literature research to provide readers with actionable tools that serve as a jump start for people who are trying to sustain motivation, seek inspiration, or simply get back on track with the book’s essence, “Get started and keep going,” which revolves around the paramount importance of building a constant stream of motivation in one’s daily life where the levels of motivation that you have can make the difference between reaching your goals or falling short. After reading this book, you will better understand the science between motivational theories and how motivation works along with a clearer self-awareness of what truly motivates you through the help of the various personalised actionable activities. All in all, the book will give you a better understanding of which motivational strategies are better suited for you and how to effectively overcome obstacles and demotivating factors to sustain motivational levels over the long run.

– Lee Jeryl

Business Undergraduate

 

Turbo Motivation is a wonderful contribution to the increasingly important field of positive psychology by two learned and distinguished authors. Dr Rajaram’s stellar academic credentials and background and Dr Tan’s astute and observant clinical insights work beautifully here to offer readers an easy-to-read manual on how they can, firstly, better appreciate the potential roadblocks that may stand in the way of them feeling motivated to pursue their dreams and goals and, secondly, develop and incorporate time-tested and science-backed strategies and tools to turbocharge and stay motivated so that they can increase their well-being and achieve success in all aspects of their lives. Turbo Motivation is an important and timely book, particularly given the difficulties and challenges many of us are facing due to the ongoing pandemic. This beautiful book is a gift and a blessing to those of us who wish to navigate the road ahead in the most optimal and beneficial manner, notwithstanding the inevitable setbacks and curveballs that have been thrown at us, and to clothe ourselves with life-affirming skills that ensure we remain steadfast and fully motivated to make the best of the situations we may find ourselves in. I fully endorse this excellent book which I intend to keep close to me and refer to often, and I am certain you will find the book to be as insightful as I have.

– Associate Professor Samtani Anil

Head, Division of Business Law, Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University

 

Some people around us seemingly possess an unwavering drive towards achieving their goals. They understand the fundamentals of motivation—why they do it and how they can continue to sustain this motivation. The processes underlying this motivation are simple to understand yet barely internalised and embraced to aid in formulating motivational strategies. Everyone derives motivation from a myriad of influences and harnesses this subsequent motivation differently. This book goes down to a personal level—guiding you to audit your own personal motivations through questionnaires to assess your motivation level and what factors influence your motivation the most. Common motivation traps such as distractions and unrealistic expectations can befall anyone, from students to adult learners and working professionals. Actionable steps that are easy to comprehend are suggested in order to prevent your motivation from derailing. Can we set aside the factors hindering our motivation, and turbocharge our motivation way more than we thought we could have? Look for the compelling approaches and handy strategies to find the “motivation behind your motivation”. There would be days which seem omnipresently gloomy, but this book teaches you how to brush the dust off and regain your momentum in working towards your goals. No matter what your present circumstances are—reeling from a failure or making mighty progress; motivation is the process which ultimately links your goal-setting to goal-achieving. This book can help you transcend basal levels of motivation and make enduring positive change in how you work to achieve your goals in life.

– Mr Amit Kumar Garg

Head of Partner Management

 

Do you find it easy to start working when something needs to be done? Are you clear about the goals you want to achieve in the short-to-medium-term future? We are challenged to ponder these and other questions in Dr Rajaram and Dr Tan’s Turbo Motivation. This superb book takes readers on a personal journey to discover the optimal balance of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation needed to fulfil their aspirations. Each chapter distils the latest research from motivational psychology into an action plan for personal growth. The regimen begins with a personal motivation audit, in which the reader gauges their own motivation baseline and identifies their major motivators. From there, Dr Rajaram and Dr Tan outline strategies for elevating one’s motivation level by expanding the presence of their major motivators in their daily lives. The authors train us to detect various situations that inhibit motivation—the absence of “push” and “pull” factors, distractions, unrealistic expectations, unconducive environments, and toxic relationships—so that we can prevent them from setting us back on the path to realising our full potential. Dr Rajaram and Dr Tan’s message is unapologetically empowering. They affirm that we all have the capacity to enhance our motivation by judiciously curating our environments, by cultivating a growth-oriented mindset, and by injecting motivation-reinforcing behaviours into our routines. In short: today’s level of motivation need not be tomorrow’s. The authors guide you through every step of the way forward with specific, measurable strategies to turbocharge your motivation. Far from setting unattainable standards, this is a book that equips readers with the tools to become the best versions of themselves.

– Associate Professor Andres Carlos Luco

School of Humanities (Philosophy), Nanyang Technological University

 

Dr Kumaran Rajaram and Dr Eugene Tan have written a practical and enlightening book on motivation strategies. If you have a goal to strive towards or want to achieve more in your life or work, this book will help you overcome key barriers to motivation and implement strategies to stay motivated. With the rise of social media and the development of a more fast-paced world, it has become easier to be distracted or feel like one is chasing the wrong goals in life. Many of my peers and colleagues regularly experience career or life “crises”, no matter their age. This book provides you with a quick and structured way to take an introspective look at your motivation factors in life and evaluate your personal motivation level. Even as a working adult with set career goals, I found it very helpful to run through the exercises in the book and realign my goals with my motivations in life. The strategies shared in this book are displayed in clear frameworks and are easy to implement. To stay motivated towards my goals, I build motivational strategies into my daily routine and have integrated the strategies in this book into my own routine. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to boost your career or achieve personal goals in life. Dr Rajaram and Dr Tan have outdone themselves with another solid book on motivation strategies!

– Loh Cher-E (Jordan)

Nanyang Technological University Alumnus, Accountancy & Business Class of 2016

 

How should you plan on kickstarting a goal and keeping yourself focused and motivated until the end? Is it possible to be successful pursuing your professional goal and still attain optimal psychological wellbeing? In this book Turbo Motivation, Dr Rajaram and Dr Tan address these questions by focusing on practical know-hows and easy-to-implement strategies. The book offers a useful way of conducting a personal motivation audit as well as a pragmatic approach of finding out why you are not feeling motivated. The authors spice up their self-improvement book with some of their personal experiences and intuitive wisdom. If you keen to understand the correct mix of motivational strategies and nuances in achieving your personal and professional goals while maintaining your psychological wellbeing, this book is a must-read!

– Assoc Prof Marilyn Ang Uy

Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University

 

If you are drowning in lack of motivation, this book may just be the boost you need. Whether you are a student, working professional or simply want to improve your life, the comprehensible explanations inside will help you understand the mechanics of motivation and how you can sustain your motivation level to achieve anything you set your mind to. Simple, clear, and practical strategies are also given to incorporate into your everyday life. If you have a desire to make a change and are willing to write out answers to the questions asked, you’ll gain a lot out of the book. This book has motivated me to take an honest inventory of who I am and how I can build better habits to lead a more fulfilling and happy life.

– Ho Jia Xuan

Business Undergraduate

 

Kudos to the authors for their outstanding ability to translate an academically dense topic into an accessible book for virtually anyone without the pre-requisite knowledge to benefit from it. It is evident that the authors deliberately used less technical jargon and communicated clearly. Also, the authors purposefully incorporated a personalised, lived experience of having applied the motivational strategies, which is particularly useful for readers to adapt to their respective contexts. In essence, this book contains easy-to-comprehend know-how and motivational strategies, which is crucial for anyone who desires to be motivated to achieve their goals and aspirations. The methodical and structured approach in distilling the motivational strategies, juxtaposed with up-to-date examples that readers can quickly identify with, is another key strength of this book. Readers can appreciate the unpretentious framework applied consistently

throughout the book. For instance, the focus on people’s wellbeing and relating the motivational strategies to helping people manage their mental wellness during the Covid-19 pandemic is brilliant and relatable. Not only will such an empathetic approach benefit readers in the challenging time that we are in, but it would also be helpful for readers in the subsequent crises they may encounter in life. This book is instrumental in uplifting many to support their psychological wellbeing through motivational strategies and know-how. Anyone leading a team would gain from adopting these motivation strategies to propel their team members to greater professional heights.

– Dr Samson Tan

Head, Centre for Innovation in Learning (IN-Learning), National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University

 

In today’s world, everyone tries to be the best version of themselves every single day. However, the process gets tiring, especially if there aren’t any solid results. As a university student, I am often overwhelmed with tasks, and it is very easy to be demotivated or “burnt-out” throughout the semester. Dr Rajaram and Dr Tan’s Turbo Motivation highlights a few strategies that I find handy to keep along with me on my journey. By encompassing some of the valuable strategies in the book, I am confident that I will be able to able to build a stronger mental moat around my journey in both career and studies. I highly recommend this book to those who are feeling slightly lost in their path trajectory as the content helps them to shape and guide their process. For those that are on track, the strategies in this book apply in every setting and I am sure that there is more than a thing or two that one can easily take away from this book. Kudos to the authors of the book for consolidating years of experience into a simple but extremely useful guidebook for the rest of us.

– Jordon Woon Li Sheng

Business Undergraduate

 

Everybody benefits from an inspirational talk or read. Turbo Motivation will provide opportunities for its readers to be inspired. Starting out by exploring different types of motivation, and asking readers to evaluate their personal motivation levels, the book then guides us through a journey of self-discovery, helping us to analyse what makes us tick, and to think about issues that might be holding us back or perhaps affecting our psychological wellbeing. From there, we are turboed into a section that shows us how to boost our motivation and with it our productivity, propelling us to greater heights. This last section links natural laws such as Newton’s Law of Cause and Effect to everyday life, reminding us that to achieve a goal, we must invest the necessary input. It also provides us with effective blueprints for motivation such as the CAMP1 Method which offers steps to achieve high levels of motivated behaviour. Clearly written and comprehensive, the book offers valuable content for self-improvement, with easily understood know-hows and strategies vital for anyone to achieve their goals and aspirations. The result is a highly enjoyable and enriching experience for readers.

– Mark Brooke (EdD)

Senior Lecturer, Centre for English Language Communication, National University of Singapore