Where is your push coming from?

I have not put out content in about a month.

I have been super busy with lots of good things. I wanted to post something even though time was not on my side and I still didn’t get to it.

Let’s talk today about WHY. Why do we do the things that we do? That “why” is referred to as motivation. Motivation is what gets us to do the things that we do. Motivation is the thoughts or impetus that drives our behaviors. Once we understand motivation, we can harness its powers to further ourselves along our goals.

There are two basic types of motivation: Intrinsic Motivation and Extrinsic Motivation.

Intrinsic Motivation is the motivation that comes from within. It is your internal guidepost that helps you to perform. I am hungry, I will be motivated from within to go get something to eat. I am tired, so I will lie down for a nap. These are things that you do not need anyone else to tell you what you need to do.

Extrinsic Motivation is the motivation that depends on things outside of yourself. Your boss wants a job done. Your parents are coming to see your apartment. If you are late to work, your pay will be docked. These are the things that the world around you can cause you to act on. Often, extrinsic motivators are more powerful motivators.

When you have a goal that you are trying to achieve, think about what is motivating you.

Often, it may be something that is important to you for yourself, but in order to be propelled to action, you will need an extrinsic motivator.

A clean desk is important for Nancy to be productive, but until she has a meeting scheduled, she is not able to actually clear off the desk.

Justin had a party in his yard and the tables and chairs were sitting and waiting to be brought into the shed. He wanted to put them away, but didn’t get it done until there was a storm coming with high winds. That extrinsic motivator (the storm) got him to put them away.

Many people take pride in their homes, yet I have heard from many people that during COVID, they had a harder time maintaining the organization of their houses because no one was coming in anyways. They didn’t realize how, even though it is an intrinsic value to have their home organized, the extrinsic push wasn’t there for them to keep things in tip top shape.

So what is it that will give you that motion to meet your need or goal?

For me to get this written, it was simply a block of time that wasn’t already accounted for by my myriad other responsibilities.

What are some motivators that work for you?