Motivation Is Fuel For Action

When most people think about the concept of motivation, conventionally they picture a motivational speech that gets them fired up… An inspiring video that talks about the importance of living a disciplined and virtuous life… Or the energy that comes from setting a new goal to pursue a new idea that they’re excited about. 

While that’s one way to cultivate motivation, it doesn’t represent what it actually is: Motivation is fuel for action, and the things you do at any given moment are evidence of the ways you’re being motivated.

Ever wonder why some things are easy and effortless to do, and some aren’t? It’s because those things align with your motivated to do. The unconscious mind uses motivation to help you take action in the direction that increases your likelihood for survival. That’s why if you’re in a threatening situation, like being chased by someone dangerous, you don’t need to will yourself to run away. You do it automatically with no mental effort. 

It’s the same fuel source that explains how a single parent works double shifts to put food on the table, or how a son finds extra hours to do research about his mom’s medical diagnosis. Our motivation comes from our necessities, driving behavior to meet our physical and psychological needs.

However, it’s possible to change the conditions around our motivation. Jim Rohn uses the metaphor of casting sails on a windy day - “You cannot control the way the wind blows but you can control the way you set your sail.” We can choose to create an environment for ourselves that aligns desired actions to meet basic needs.

Take accountability for example - You leverage the human need to belong to support you in taking consistent action toward something you normally don’t feel like doing. It’s the risk of letting someone down, and the threat of social isolation, that creates motivation for the commitment. 

What’s ironic is - One of the things we’re most motivated to do is to be lazy. Again our unconscious mind is hyper-vigilant about keeping us safe, so in order to maintain a safe environment and ensure our survival, it wants to conserve energy at all costs. That way, should we encounter a threat, we can respond to it effectively.

In other words, motivation isn’t something that we’re supposed to get more of, it’s something that we always have. Ironically, it just so happens that our motivation is naturally directed toward a state of laziness and energy conservation out of an instinct to survive. 

But that’s not permanent! It’s within your power to change the direction of the wind more than you realize, and certainly set your sail, so that the things you need to do to be healthy and successful come easily. It’s what I help people to do in the 21 Day Super Habits Challenge, step by step, and it just might unlock your fullest potential.