How do I get More Motivation?
There’s three different types of internal Motivation:
1) Seeking Pleasure:
You do something because of the rewards it gives you, or the recognition it brings. It’s often transactional – there’s a positive pay off for completing the action.
You hear yourself say: “I HAVE to do…”
We do these things to feel Satisfied.
2) Avoiding Discomfort:
You do something because if you don’t then you’ll invoke someone’s displeasure, or it will damage your social standing. This is about conforming to rules and expectations, about being part of the tribe.
You say to yourself: “I SHOULD do…”
We do these to feel Relief and Acceptance.
3) It Brings you Joy:
You do something just for the pleasure of doing it. The actions themselves are reward enough. Like dancing, or singing in the shower, they offer no benefit other than to raise your mood and allow you to express your true emotions. To connect with your Inner Self.
You may say: “I ENJOY doing…”
We do these to feel Alive and to connect with our Passions.
Satisfaction and Relief are short lived feelings, which need to be frequently renewed…and are only achieved through external sources.
Some people chase them, over and over, for their entire lives, but never fully fulfilling them…always seeking the next ‘good’ feeling.
The things which bring you JOY however, sustain and revive you. They are the inner spark which lights your passion and purpose. These are the behaviors, thoughts and actions which make you feel Alive.
It’s important to have a good balance between the three, in order to build a healthy, effective life, to feel connected and avoid Burnout…but too often we neglect, or ignore those things which bring us Joy in favor of chasing temporary highs.
– What are you doing right now?
– What’s the motivation behind that; 1, 2, or 3?
– How could you begin to prioritize feeling Alive?
– What Passion or Talent are you neglecting which would bring you Joy?
Give yourself the gift of some time to review the things you do. In a standard week; how much time is spent on the things you ‘Need’ to do or ‘Have’ to do, compared with doing the things you ‘Want’ to do. Imbalance here is a certain road to Burnout and emotional fatigue.
Living a life where nothing fits into the third category? Struggling to find Passion, Purpose and Joy in life? Let’s talk….