Motivating yourself to achieve your goals

The motivation that drives us to achieve our goals comes from two very different sources. These two sources areinspiration anddesperation.Either of these two motivating factors can help move us towards our goal when employed correction.

Firstly let’s look at motivation driven by inspiration. A person might see a problem in their particular market that they could fix with an innovative new product or they may see an opportunity to help people with a service they could offer. Both of these would be examples of motivation by inspiration.

On the other hand we have motivation lead by desperation. Some of us will get into such desperate situations, where we are financially or physically broke, that we feel like that we can go no lower. In this state we feel that we have nothing left to lose. If you find yourself in this situation you will be desperate for change. And this can drive you to change your lives no matter the cost. While the circumstances leading up to it might not be ideal desperation can be a very powerful motivator.

It would seem that the rewards offered by being well motivated would in themselves be enough. We almost all know that if we drive forward with enough energy that we can achieve great wealth and a life of pleasure for ourselves. Despite the fact that the prizes may seem great it doesn't seem enough to motivate many people. Part of the problem is that there are many tasks along the way that must be completed which we take no pleasure from. It is these completing these tasks that require us to be well motivated.

The two types of motivation mentioned above are quite different in their qualities. In NLP they are defined as “away from” and “toward” motivation. We are either moving away from some perceived danger or unpleasantness or towards something greater. While everybody is motivated by both to some degree, each us favours one over the other.

You might at first think that the “toward” motivation seems so much better. At first glance it appears a much more positive mind-set. But don’t be fooled “Away” motivation can be a very powerful force. It is often the memories of terrible poverty that drive people to great wealth. It is the humiliation of being fat that drives people to a healthier weight. “Toward” motivation can have its problems too, some people are so blindly focused on their goal that they tend to overlook certain steps they need to take. This is of course not a terrible problem as long as the person is willing to keep going.

This is not too say that “Away” motivated people do not have their issues. Firstly there is a tendency sometimes for “away” motivated people to concentrate too much on the problem they are in rather than moving to something better. Also the stress of their situation can sometimes overwhelm them. Another problem is that once someone moves out of pain there is a tendency to stop without achieving all that is possible.

Both types of motivation have their place. “Away” motivation is good at forcing us to make a change. Once we have gained momentum we need to use “towards” motivation to ensure that we achieve our full potential. By understanding what drives us we can maximise these motivating forces.