The Mother Of Motivation

Let your dream devour your life, not your life devour your dream. Antoine De Saint-Exupery

So far this week we have discussed freedom and fear. We understand that to be free we have to seek personal freedom. To not live in fear we need to take action.

We know that to not do both of the above it is our motivation that will suffer, and through that everything else suffers.

But what do we need to become motivated? For some motivation seems to be linked to salary and hours, to others it is flexibility. To the entrepreneur, it may be working on a new product or service that will help mankind.

Whatever it is, for each and every one of us, it appears to be different. However, there is one link between all of the above and that link is the mother of all motivation.

What is the Mother of all Motivation?

Motivation is the one force that we all need. It allows us to move forward with our days, it is what separates good and bad days.

We all seem to be motivated by different stimuli. As mentioned above, but while all the stimuli might be different they all result in the same concept. Choice.

The choice is what gives us our motivation.

Choice?

What is meant by this word? Well, that is very simple, when we feel that we do not have a choice in what we do, we become unmotivated to do it.

Think back to a time in your life when you have had to make a choice. When you made that choice you followed it through, you did not back down, you were motivated to do the work because you made the choice.

Now think back to a time, where you were told what to do. Think about how you felt at that moment. Did you want to do that task that you were told to do? Especially if you did not agree with the task.

I know in the past I have not been motivated.

Motivation comes from having to take an action. We become motivated to lose weight. The action is losing weight.

We become motivated to write a book. The action is writing the book.

Motivation can only come when we are inspired to take an action of our own free will. It is why we want more flexibility, more money.

It is to open up choices for different actions we can take in life.

But more importantly, motivation stems from the why of the action.

The Why.

Once again this is a topic I have delved heavily into both on this blog page and on my Instagram.

The reason we take action is because of our why.

We go to work because we need to earn money to live. Our why is that we need to pay rent and buy food.

We want to lose weight the why is to be healthier.

Then why is important. And the stronger the why the more motivated we are to take the action required. We become more motivated to take the action.

The action then in turn also motivates us as we understand that this will put us one step closer to where we want to be.

Our mind has to choose a reason to act, it is in this choice to act and do the activity that we find our motivation.

We then can control that motivation.

Controlling Motivation:

Once the fire is stoked and we have chosen the action and the reason for our actions then we can control our levels of motivation.

As we get through one action to the next we can choose to stay motivated, remember the why, and continue on down our path. Or we become disillusioned with the activity, as the next task becomes too hard or too long.

This is when we have to control our motivation. This is when the greats are separated from the rest. As they understand the need to control their motivation and to continue to push forward.

Motivation is the same as any other emotion we feel. We have the ability to generate it in more abundance than before.

Writing this blog, I could do five hundred words, explain one crucial concept and call it a day. Or I can be motivated to write a thousand words, and do a deep dive into this area. Even though my hands hurt from already typing out two blogs.

I have the choice. I have to choose a reason why to continue and then I have to just continue no matter what. I have to control my motivation and realise I am in charge of my own feelings and emotions and I can choose to be motivated or to be unmotivated and sit around doing very little with my day.

When you begin to realise that motivation is a choice, finding a reason why then powering through that action increases your positive mindset and allows you to progress further. In my case writing all six blogs for this week today. Then a power like no other comes.

Just like on the Titanic those huge fires which pushed the Titanic forward, motivation is in your control.

Motivation comes from the choices you make and the reasons you define. So today pick your reason why and push forward.

Until tomorrow this has been your coach Andrew.