Motivation – Action Toward a Desired Goal
Looking up the definition of motivation, I found this:
The psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and the condition of being motivated.
Action Toward a Desired Goal – If we are going to take action there has to be a desired goal already in place, so the first thing that must be crystal clear is the answer to this question – ‘what is your goal?’ It’s not sufficient just to say ‘I want to drop 20 pounds’ – if it was that simple then all the years we have said that would have gotten us to our goal. Maybe a better question would be ‘WHY do I REALLY want to drop 20 pounds?’ We have to keep asking ourselves that question until we have a complete and clear answer.
If you feel you are clear about your goal, then physically write it down (there is a whole other article to be written about the physical act of WRITING your goals down on a piece of paper) – when you write it, be aware of your emotions, are they stirring? Do you feel compelled to break your bad habits and kick yourself in gear to get to your goal? If not, then you need to spend a bit more time on the ‘WHY’ part of your question because the ‘Why’ is the foundation of the motivation.
There are people that are naturally motivated by pleasure (I want to look good in that cute little polka dot dress by the end of summer) while there are others that are motivated away from pain (I don’t want to be a diabetic and give myself a shot everyday) – the trick is to find out which one you are.
Tomorrow I will spend more time on the two different types of motivation and how it can help you define your goal, but for today, I would like for you to contemplate which type of motivation you prefer.
Are you one to be motivated by pleasure or away from pain? Think about it and answer.
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Biz
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GT gram Said,
August 19, 2009 @ 6:28 am
Interesting about the motivation…always felt i needed a “legitimate” motivation that was something logical…not just because I wanted to “look better in that cute little polka dot dress”. Glad you talked about these and gave me what I felt was now a legitimate motivation…pleasure
Rhonda Said,
August 29, 2009 @ 11:05 pm
Your line about not wanting to be a diabetic hit me. That is pretty much my motivation also. Both of my Grandmothers died in their 60’s, both of my Grandfathers have had multiple heart attacks, one is dead. My Father has diabetes, my Mother is hypothyroid and probably adrenal fatigued, my sister has MS. I’M hypothyroid and adrenal fatigued. I want to live past my 60’s, and be healthy.