Motivation = Motive For Action
We all the know the feeling of being deeply motivated to do something. There’s an energy to it that allows us to experience heightened focus, concentration, and effectiveness on a certain task. The time to do it is right now and there’s no exception. Typically you think of motivation through the lens of productivity and doing positive activities, but motivation exists within everything you do. You’re motivated to ease the burden of emotional pain, so you cry. If you have OCD you’re motivated to line things up just right to feel a sense of organization. You’re motivated to find a bathroom when you really need to go. Ultimately, all of this motivation inspires you to take a certain action that helps you on some level psychologically.
That’s why today we’re focusing on this equation: Motivation = Motive For Action. And while the examples I provided were more related to subconscious motivators, I want to also touch on conscious motivation, because if we cultivate the right motivation we can get ourselves to do the actions we know are best for us.
When it comes to creating motivation there are a few important things. First is the reward. What is the payoff of doing the action and what need is that satisfying? Remember we’re more likely to avoid discomfort than pursue pleasure. And also keep in mind how likely is it that you’ll get the reward. This all interfaces with the second piece, which is your emotional state. How you’re feeling influences what your short-term needs are. If your current mental state isn’t sold on the value of the action, that leads to procrastination, the enemy of motivation.
There’s a lot more to explore here but I’ll leave you with this: What actions do you want to be most motivated to do?
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