Want to feel more motivated? Here’s how!

How to increase your motivation to take action on your goals….

As humans we are 100% motivated by pain and pleasure.
We want to avoid pain and we want to get more pleasure.

We can easily see this, in any behaviour that we do, or anything that we desire, that it is an attempt to avoid pain, or to feel better.

The only reason we want anything to change be different, or have something in particular, is because we believe that we will feel better in having it be that way.

The biggest challenge that we all face as humans, is overcoming short-term pleasure, for long-term pleasure. (Instant gratification instead of long-term reward.)

And our tendency to want to avoid short-term pain, that ends up creating long term pain.
(Emotional eating, ending up unhealthy and overweight)
(Spending the money on some whim, ending up with no savings or financial stability.)

The general status quo of the ego survival mind, is to stay comfortable and avoid pain.

And the truth is, we will do far more to AVOID pain, than we ever will to get pleasure….
Crazy but true.
Our ego/survival mind truly is hardwired for survival!

Your reason for taking action (long-term pleasure/reward), HAS to be bigger than your fears (pain), otherwise, you will never take action.

1. Increase awareness of the pain and consequences that you will feel if you don’t take action and who else this will negatively impact especially your kids, partner, and loved ones. (I’m not a huge fan of this level of motivation, as it is 100% fear-driven, and often comes from a “push energy”.

Yet it is often a huge factor in having people actually take action, because until they face off with the real and painful consequences of their inaction, they will tend to remain “lukewarm” and comfortable in their current state.)

Reminder this is not to drive guilt or self-hate but to get very real and honest with ourself, with what actually needs to change and why.

2. Increase awareness of the long-term reward/pleasure that you will get to experience by taking action. How proud of yourself will you feel? Who else does that impact in a positive way? How will this positively impact your kids, partner, loved ones?

3. Remove and annihilate limiting and fearful beliefs that are inhibiting you taking action. (Others will judge me, I may fail, I can’t, I don’t know how, etc. I use the Byron Katie work for this http://www.thework.com )

4. Get really clear on WHY you want to take action, what else will this mean for you and your life? What else is possible if you take action on this thing?
(This is similar to number 2, however I will keep asking myself “Why is this important?” until I literally cry and it moves me to tears, now I am deeply, emotionally connected with taking action.)

5. Imagine yourself right now, that you’ve done the thing, you’ve taken action, and you’ve achieved your goal. How are you feeling? What are you most proud of? What are you most excited about?
(This is my very most favourite way of “motivating” myself, because it creates alignment and it is love based, not fear based. It leads me forward and I feel inspired and excited to take action!)

What’s something that you know would absolutely change your life if you took action on it today?
What is the short-term pain you’ve been avoiding?
Why is it worth it to overcome that now?
What will it feel like to get the long-term reward?
How will you feel about yourself?
What’s one action you can take on this today?

Love and Blessings,
Sal x

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