All of us experienced difficulty
feeling motivated to do certain things.
When this is the case,
it feels like drudgery.
We can't get the energy to do it,
and doing it feels like it depletes us instead.
I teach a lot about how important it is
to do the things that really do motivate you intrinsically.
But today I'm going to give you another tool.
There's a way to actually intentionally and consciously
stir up inspiration.
So that even when you're doing something
"you don't really want to do",
doing that thing can actually
fill you with energy instead of deplete you.
And you can actually feel motivated to do it.
Find the Self Serving Motive
Being incarnated into an individual identity,
people are naturally focused
on their own best interests.
They're naturally focused on whatever gives to them.
Now, when it comes to motivation
in this particular tip,
what you're going to do is work with this tendency
for people to be self-interested
instead of against it.
What you're going to do is intentionally find
the self-serving motive
that would allow you to feel inspired to do that thing.
Doing this boils down to an intention
or a goal.
So you can understand this concept,
I'm going to give you a whole bunch of examples.
In this first example,
let's say that somebody
doesn't really like being a helper.
The idea of helping someone
isn't something that resonates with them.
But let's say that this person
loves problem solving.
If somebody asks this person for help,
obviously,
they're not going to feel inspired to do it.
The motivation is not going to be there.
But if they reframe this
so that they can see it as an opportunity
to become even better
at problem solving,
and that's the intention or the goal they go into it with,
suddenly they feel the motivation to do it.
Suddenly, they're getting something out of it.
Suddenly, pouring that energy into "helping" someone,
is actually feeding right back into them.
Now, from the outside
it would look like this person is being a helper.
But really what they're doing,
what their focus is on
is honing their skill
of problem solving.
Another example is that
somebody might feel completely unmotivated
to do errands.
But they might be completely motivated
to create a sense of autonomy.
Now if their purpose for going on errands
is to figure out how to become
more autonomous in life,
then they will suddenly feel motivated
to go on those errands.
Another example is that
a person might feel completely unmotivated to cook,
especially given all of the beliefs they have around cooking
based on their childhood.
But maybe this person
loves to create art.
If they reframe this
so they begin to look at all of the ingredients
that could be included in whatever dish they're making,
as if they're artistic elements
or artistic mediums,
suddenly, they're not cooking,
they're creating art.
Then they'll feel motivated to cook.
Another example,
a person may absolutely hate conflict.
When conflict occurs, they're just like:
"Yeah, and that is not happening right now."(exit)
Well this person might actually find
that they're completely motivated towards creating
a sense of safety within themselves.
When this is the case,
they might be able to see
that avoid in the conflict entirely
is just gonna lead to more unsafety
and so suddenly they feel a commitment
to staying there for as long as it takes
for the sake of creating
or intentionally consciously creating,
their own safety.
Safety within social connections.
Another example,
any of us who have played sports
know that there's parts of playing sports that are awesome
and parts that let's say, that we have less confidence in.
Now if a person's overall intention
is to become the very best that they can at that sport
and that's what their intention is,
suddenly they feel motivated to do
even the parts of the sport that they don't like.
Another example,
a person might feel completely and totally
unmotivated to do the dishes,
after all chores suck, right?
But maybe this person is completely motivated
towards meditative practices
that bring them into the now.
If this is their intention,
they can actually use this experience of washing the dishes,
not for the sake of taking care of the chore,
but for the sake of turning it into
a meditative practice of getting into the now.
They can pay very special attention
to the feeling of the water flowing over their hands,
they can pay attention to the smells
and the sounds of doing the dishes.
They can go very slowly and deliberately at it.
Keeping themselves with what they're doing right here and now.
They can watch the way that the light refracts off of the suds and soap bubbles.
Because that's their intention,
suddenly, there's a motivation to do the dishes.
Another example,
somebody may absolutely hate to go to work.
They don't like working for money,
but they must love
the feeling of abundance.
Now if creating that feeling of abundance
is something that actually motivates them
and that's the intention with which they walk into work,
suddenly they feel motivated to go to work for money.
This kind of motive reframing
is something that successful people do naturally and automatically.
To start this habit,
make a list of what currently really motivates you.
Something you're committed to
for your own sense of well-being and personal benefit.
Then see if any of those things on the list
can be found in the things that you don't like to do.
Another accessory to this motivational exercise
is when you dislike something immensely,
try to find somebody who loves it.
Try to put yourself into their perspective.
Try to see through their eyes
and through their experience,
deep into understanding
what exactly this person sees in this activity or the thing
that you don't see.
You just might grow a whole new appreciation for that thing.
In every situation that you find yourself unmotivated,
see if you can find something Inherent in that situation
that really does motivate you
and really does feel like it's in alignment
with your personal best interests.
In other words,
find things that interest you within the things that don't.
You can find a goal that motivates you within anything.
It can even be a goal
to not have a goal while doing something.
When you find a goal
or set an intention that really does motivate you,
even when you're doing the things
that you wouldn't at face value necessarily want to do,
doing those things will fill you with energy,
instead of deplete you.
Have a good week.
Subtitles by: Tanya Duarte www.tanyaduarte.com