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June 16, 2006
What IS Motivation?
mo·ti·vate: to provide with a motive : IMPEL
mo·tive: to move, something (as a need or desire) that causes a person to act
Do I have trouble getting motivated? Yes. Sometimes I do. There are things I don't want to do. So I have real trouble with those things. Like cleaning or yard work, or something. Not that I don't like doing these things once I get started at them, but I may not want to start. Sometimes it happens with running or biking or swimming now. Training is hard work! Sticking to a schedule is hard! Especially when the body is weak. But I know in the long run, I want to accomplish something greater and know what I have to do to get there. So I do it out of sheer will power sometimes.
So one of the key ways I motivate myself is to convince myself I WANT to do it. I create inside of myself a need or desire to do it. And that causes me to act on it. It moves me.
In studying myself, I have learned a few things that de-motivate me. One is a lack of sleep. I don't feel like doing anything until I recover physically. Drinking too much would do the same thing. I spent four days once not wanting to exercise because I just felt blah. And that really messed with my training schedule.
I don't know sometimes what moves me into action. willpower really means, the will to do something, which means to want to do it. So, I have to find ways to WANT to do something.
Like right now, it's late, but I really WANT to clean the bathroom so I won't have to do that tomorrow along with my other chores. I didn't want to do it, but we are having company tomorrow, and I want to have a clean bathroom for guests. So I want it done. I want to clean it now so it's not left to the last minute to make sure it gets done.
Now let's see how good of a job I can do on it! I'm going to clean the bathroom now. ;-)
Posted by carl1236 at June 16, 2006 11:16 PM | motivation