Personal Motivation Makes Things Happen
Use personal motivation is to turn the future into the present
Personal motivation is a need, desire, emotion, or value that causes you to take action. It is your strongest asset for changing your life because it is always concerned with something you care about.
Personal Motives
If you are hungry, your need for food motivates you to look for it and buy it. If you enjoy playing golf, your desire to become a better golfer motivates you to take golf lessons. If you are angry about a parking ticket you, your belief in fairness motivates you to take your case to court. And if you value your health, the satisfaction you get from feeling fit motivates you to eat healthy foods, control your weight, and exercise regularly.
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In each instance, no one has to tell you do something. You do it because something within you that you care about moves you to do something. Personal motivation is easy to access when what you desire is easily available and something you enjoy. No one has to twist your arm to play golf on your summer holidays when the weather is perfect and your game is peaking. |
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But what happens when the actions you know you should take are inconvenient, boring or unpleasant instead of enjoyable?
How use personal motivation to turn down dessert if you find dieting stressful? How use it to go to an early morning class when you would rather sleep?
Promises and Obligations
Turning down dessert or going to class are actions we know we ought to take, especially if we have promised ourselves or others that’s what we will do. Trouble is, we live in the present, not in the future, and promises and obligations always feel as if they belong to the future.
They are about behaviors we will employ at some later date, not now. We’ll start our diet next week, not this week. We will be on time for tomorrow’s class, not for today’s class. We’ll apologize to a co-worker the next time we see them, not this time.
Each time we put off taking care of something we value, we put those values at risk. Do you really want to do that with your health, your career, or your personal and professional relationships?
Today not tomorrow
If we are to use personal motivation to do something when we don’t feel like doing it, we need to be able to turn the future into the present. How do you do that?
Use your imagination to describe clearly and fully the future that awaits you if you do not do something today about the things you value .
See yourself stuck in a job you can’t stand because you failed to complete your education. Tell yourself you are building a better future for yourself by getting out of bed and going to class.
See and feel yourself wheelchair bound because you suffered a stroke or lost a foot to diabetes. Remind yourself regularly that eating right literally helps you to stay on your toes.
Even more importantly, use your imagination to see the benefits you will enjoy tomorrow by taking new actions today.
Picture yourself enjoying activities that good health makes possible, like dancing, playing golf, going on camping trips, or visiting countries you always wanted to explore. See yourself going off to work on a project that taps into your potential and allows you to use your talents to the fullest.
The more you are able to use what matters most to you tomorrow to shape what you do today, the more you use personal motivation to create the results you want.
