At one point or another everyone lacks the motivation to do something. Lacking motivation is not necessarily a problem - unless of course it becomes a constant theme of your life. When you lack the motivation to get up in the morning, something is definitely amiss.
If you're someone that feels they are always motivated then my hat goes off to you! You are one of the lucky ones. You've found that perfect level of inspiration, dedication and perspiration. But for most people (and most students) the feeling of low or no motivation is a really challenging issue.
If motivation is not present in the individual, simple uncomplicated tasks have a nasty habit of becoming huge complicated problems - ones that can end up being avoided for days (and sometimes weeks or months!) So how does this happen?
Motivation is a funny beast. When we have a feeling of "high motivation" we can be virtually unstoppable. Tasks are tackled with relative ease, our energy levels are right up, no problem seems too great, and everything seems to constantly fall into place. The problem is that the opposite is also true. A feeling of "low or no motivation" leads to failure to complete tasks, low energy levels, all problems seem incredibly hard to overcome and everything seems to be going wrong!
As a general rule, most people are operating on the base level of motivation - which is fear of negative consequences. What do I mean by this? Well, we act out of concern about what will happen if we don't act. For example, you may complete your homework because if you don't you will be grounded. You may strive to get an A on your Maths test because if you don't your average will drop which will impact your ability to get into University or College. It's not necessarily a "bad thing" but it's the way we are conditioned to behave.
You see, if there was no negative consequences what would happen to the world? Would everyone still behave themselves in an orderly way? Or would there be total panic and disorder? How would the world run itself if there was no negative motivation? It's actually a scary thought!
Fear of negative consequences (i.e. negative motivation) is important in the world. We need to have rules and social conventions. We need to treat each other with respect. But that doesn't mean you should operate your entire life this way. There is more to life than just constantly doing what everyone wants so that they (and society) will be happy with you. That's not a joyful life experience.
Acting only out of fear of consequences will not lead you to a positive and happy life. It will lead to "existing" - and existing is not the level of motivation you will need to take you to where you really want to go - all the way to the top (of whatever it is you want to do)!
Real motivation is borne out of a possibility. A possibility of what may happen from taking a certain action. The possibility of what can be created. For example, when you ask a girl or guy you like for their phone number, you are living into a possibility. The possibility you may get to go out on a date with them! Sure, you may not succeed. You may get shut down. But so what? The power of living into a possibility drove you to take that action. If you act out of fear, you probably won't ask for the number or take any action and you'll just feel regret. Why? Because fear of negative consequences (like being embarrassed or laughed at) won the day. By living in fear you don't really live. By living in fear you don't feel the amazing power of real motivation.
The answer to finding motivation is actually simple. Whenever you are doing something and don't feel motivated simply ask yourself "What is the possibility here? What positive outcome is going to occur from this?" If you can't find a simple possibility (like I could learn something new, I could earn some money which I can spend on something important to me, I'm a step closer to something I really want to achieve) then you really aren't searching hard enough. There is a possibility in everything. Good luck.
If you're someone that feels they are always motivated then my hat goes off to you! You are one of the lucky ones. You've found that perfect level of inspiration, dedication and perspiration. But for most people (and most students) the feeling of low or no motivation is a really challenging issue.
If motivation is not present in the individual, simple uncomplicated tasks have a nasty habit of becoming huge complicated problems - ones that can end up being avoided for days (and sometimes weeks or months!) So how does this happen?
Motivation is a funny beast. When we have a feeling of "high motivation" we can be virtually unstoppable. Tasks are tackled with relative ease, our energy levels are right up, no problem seems too great, and everything seems to constantly fall into place. The problem is that the opposite is also true. A feeling of "low or no motivation" leads to failure to complete tasks, low energy levels, all problems seem incredibly hard to overcome and everything seems to be going wrong!
As a general rule, most people are operating on the base level of motivation - which is fear of negative consequences. What do I mean by this? Well, we act out of concern about what will happen if we don't act. For example, you may complete your homework because if you don't you will be grounded. You may strive to get an A on your Maths test because if you don't your average will drop which will impact your ability to get into University or College. It's not necessarily a "bad thing" but it's the way we are conditioned to behave.
You see, if there was no negative consequences what would happen to the world? Would everyone still behave themselves in an orderly way? Or would there be total panic and disorder? How would the world run itself if there was no negative motivation? It's actually a scary thought!
Fear of negative consequences (i.e. negative motivation) is important in the world. We need to have rules and social conventions. We need to treat each other with respect. But that doesn't mean you should operate your entire life this way. There is more to life than just constantly doing what everyone wants so that they (and society) will be happy with you. That's not a joyful life experience.
Acting only out of fear of consequences will not lead you to a positive and happy life. It will lead to "existing" - and existing is not the level of motivation you will need to take you to where you really want to go - all the way to the top (of whatever it is you want to do)!
Real motivation is borne out of a possibility. A possibility of what may happen from taking a certain action. The possibility of what can be created. For example, when you ask a girl or guy you like for their phone number, you are living into a possibility. The possibility you may get to go out on a date with them! Sure, you may not succeed. You may get shut down. But so what? The power of living into a possibility drove you to take that action. If you act out of fear, you probably won't ask for the number or take any action and you'll just feel regret. Why? Because fear of negative consequences (like being embarrassed or laughed at) won the day. By living in fear you don't really live. By living in fear you don't feel the amazing power of real motivation.
The answer to finding motivation is actually simple. Whenever you are doing something and don't feel motivated simply ask yourself "What is the possibility here? What positive outcome is going to occur from this?" If you can't find a simple possibility (like I could learn something new, I could earn some money which I can spend on something important to me, I'm a step closer to something I really want to achieve) then you really aren't searching hard enough. There is a possibility in everything. Good luck.
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