Here we review possible sources of motivation.
Direction
Vision
[TBD]
Purpose
A central source of motivation for doing some action is having a clear understanding of the reasons for doing it, the purpose it serves, how this can advance you in achieving your vision and desires. Especially strong is a purpose that is connected to something larger than yourself, such as your family, a group or community, contribution to humanity, etc.
Benefiting others
Humans are hard-wired to feel good about collaboration with and contribution to others they see as significant. So ask yourself: “If I do this action and achieve this goal, how can this benefit not only me but at least two other people I care about?” This can be done even on goals that seem to benefit only you. E.g. when you do physical exercise, you benefit your body, but by improving your health, you also benefit your loved ones because they can have better interactions with you, without becoming a burden on them.
Internal
Internal motivation means being drawn to do the action because you simply enjoy doing it for its own sake, you enjoy the process, and you don’t do it only because it yields beneficial results. Such internal motivation can be strengthened by putting an emphasis on the following perspectives.
Curiosity
You can adopt a mindset of curiosity, exploration, and learning. E.g. getting curious about the next steps to be done, or inventing new ways of acting more efficiently or in a more enjoyable way, or getting interesting about learning knowledge that can assist you in your performance.
Mastery
A good source of motivation is the desire to acquire a skill and improve your performance in this skill. You can focus on how acquiring this skill will help you grow, and you’ll feel satisfaction and pleasure that you have expanded your abilities and competency.
Autonomy
[TBD]
Support
There are various sources that can support you in your quest to increase your motivation for doing things that are important for you.
Motivational materials
There are various motivational speakers that give pep talks intended to motivate or inspire the audience. Watching videos of such talks, listening to their audio materials while you drive or exercise, and reading their books – these are great ways for you to fuel and “brainwash” your mind with very positive content that increase your belief that you are able to achieve much more than what your limited mind may assume, and induce positive emotional energy that leads you to action.
There are many other types of materials that may motivate you. It can be an inspiring work of art (music, paintings, fiction, movies, theater) that shows how someone overcomes adversity. It can be reading biographies of successful people, or articles about people who transcended their life circumstances and proved that the human spirit is more powerful than what most people know. You can find such stories here.
Guidance
You can work with a mentor, a coach, a therapist, or even a friend. Talking with another person can make it easier for you to figure out what you want and how you want to achieve it. Especially when they are experts in personal coaching or have experience in the specific field you want to advance. It is good to consult with more than one guide because different people may have different ideas and points of view that can contribute to your thinking.
Group
Getting guidance from a group meeting may sometimes be even more powerful. The group can brainstorm together and reach novel ideas. This kind of interaction also answers one of our social needs – to feel that we belong to a group. This is one of the reasons we created this website and are working to promote the idea of communities of personal development [TBD – complete].
Process
Visualization
[TBD]
Reducing blocks
[TBD]
Writing
It is very important to write down in an organized manner all the answers and conclusions you reach by following the advice above, so that you won’t forget. This allows you to review your notes and quickly regain motivation whenever you reach a point of low motivation.