How do you define motivation?
To me motivation in a simplistic way is a fuel that provokes us to do something when we don’t feel like doing but we know that we should be doing it.
I have little to no doubt that all of us understand what motivation likely means.
It is an intrinsic calling from within oneself that acts as a driver to push through no matter what, when, where and how situations may arise. I believe without motivation the chances of manifesting your goals from your thinking to reality has little or no chance.
Here I will try to elaborate on what motivation entails; from the experience I’ve garnered till now.
Let's go over a couple of scenarios first.
Scenario 1: Goal - Lose weight:
You find a certain diet and fitness plan or consult an ‘expert’
You start executing the plan
You don’t follow the plan some days because you don’t feel like it
You don’t follow the plan most days now
You stop everything eventually
You find out that you’ve not accomplished your goal
Scenario 2: Goal - Become a software developer:
You find training materials
You start to learn programming
You find out it to be very complicated
You try again more but hit more walls
You stop doing everything eventually
You find out that you’ve not accomplished your goal
What is the reason behind the not achieving of these goals?
If you say ‘It was due to the lack of motivation’ - You would be correct.
If you say ‘It was a lack of consistency and the will to not give up’ - Fantastic answer
However, we haven’t necessarily come up with a solution.
How do we do that?
Well, first of all we need to understand that we tend to skim over difficult questions and leave it be.Therefore need to delve deeper. Most of the time we fail to ask ‘why’.
Question - Why was there a lack of motivation and most of all, consistency?
Subquestion - Why is consistency important?
Consistency is important because we know doing the same thing over and over again ensures that our mind will get accustomed to the rhythm and the activity will start becoming a second nature to us.
The answer to the question is; Lack of passion. We don’t have a defined purpose for the goals we set out in life; a clear one that motivates us to the bone.
Let’s go back to the scenario and start inspecting the basics and yourself some real questions to yourself before you set out your goals:
Scenario 1: Goal - Lose weight:
Do I really want to lose weight?
Do I really need to be healthy?
Am I correct in thinking that I don’t want to carry on with my life with a possible disease until it probably kills me?
Do I want to release serotonin in my body?
Do I want to celebrate little achievements daily from doing a form of movement?
Do I want to live a long life?
Scenario 1: Goal - Become a software developer:
Am I correct in thinking that I am not doing it for the sole purpose of making money?
Do I really like to solve problems via coding?
Am I meticulous in my approach?
Do I like constant learning?
Am I a conscientious person?
Am I creative enough to come up with different ideas?
Am I up to date with most technologies? Do I want to?
Do I love to build software stuff?
You might be wasting your time if you do not answer with a resounding ‘yes’ to any of these questions. Do your research as there must be several other similar key questions that need to be answered with a ‘yes’.
Furthermore, chances are you’ll answer yes to all of these and yet you will still be inconsistent after all going forward.
My follow-up question is “Do you really want it that bad?”
This is because if you’re inconsistent with your plan or whatever you do, it signals that you do not want it as bad. You could be either fixated in the present or simply scared to tackle what the future has to offer.
That’s why most things we want for an easier life requires our passion. There isn’t a single success story that hasn’t gone through hardship. In these dire times, having an impeccable passion motivates you; a feeling you get from being absolutely transparent in what you set out to do in your life, i.e. your purpose.
Everything you do ultimately traces back to your purpose. Your purpose fuels your passion and your passion fuels the motivation to wake up at 5 AM and go for a jog because you understand that being healthy means you can offer more to your family, society and most importantly; you. There may be a bigger cause to the things you do; you’re probably just not aware of it.
Summary
If you’re inconsistent, confused or lost, refer back to your purpose; the meaning to why you are in this world. If you haven’t found your purpose, now is the time. You’re not late. It is a sad fact that many of us will leave this world without knowing our purpose. Since you are alive as you’re reading this, let’s start taking some action towards finding it if you haven’t already.
Do you have a clear purpose set out for yourself?
Are you passionate about what you do?
If not, why not?