What’s Your Motivation?
Have you ever been so motivated to accomplish something that you forgot to eat or sleep? What types of activities usually spur you to feel that way? What motivates you?
I’ve often heard that you can be motivated in two ways:
- You can be motivated away from something (pain)
- You can be motivated toward something (pleasure)
Amazingly, not everyone is motivated the same way even in similar situations.
For instance, one worker is motivated by the promise of a promotion. Another worker is motivated by fear of getting fired.
One child is motivated by the love and adoration of a parent. Another child is motivated by the discomfort of disapproval and discipline.
Both types of motivation can achieve results, but the person who is motivated away from something is less likely to achieve long term satisfaction. Why? Because you typically only do enough to stop the pain. Once that diminishes, motivation falls to a lower level. Motivation only activates again when you start to feel enough discomfort or pain to take action again.
The person who is motivated toward something has a greater chance of achieving more than he/she imagined. Why? Because as you’re moving toward one thing you can see other wonderful things off in the distance. You can set new goals or adjust your direction. You are moving toward feelings of pleasure.
What is your motivation? Do you tend to focus on the bad things behind you that might take a bite out of your britches or do you focus on the good things in front of you that are pulling you toward your potential?
By being aware of your innate motivation style, by changing your mindest (if needed), you can develop into a forward moving/thinking self motivational machine.
So your question for today is this: Are you running from or speeding toward things?
