How One Little Word Can Improve Your Motivation

By Glen Allsopp

No matter what area of our life we are working on, there are times when we could all do with a little extra motivation.

It may be in getting out of bed at 5am in the morning, going to the gym on the weekend or even just working on our own projects. We all know the great feeling and results we get when we’re hugely motivated to work on something; it’s just that this motivation seems to rarely last.

Some people might say you just need some self-discipline and that once you get moving the motivation will come back, others say you’re chasing the wrong goal if you’re struggling to work for it. At times, both of these cases may be true. However, my own belief is that sometimes we just haven’t got to the root cause of why we want to do something.

A common goal for a lot of people is the desire to leave their jobs, to escape from the rat race. And, in theory, anybody who is reading this article can do just that. There are thousands of ways to increase your income both online and off. It is very possible for everyone on this site right now to fulfil this desire.

Yet, most people won’t.

Often simply because they lack the motivation. They could tell you how badly they really want it and how it has been a dream of theirs for a long time, but those same people rarely take action.

The reason for this is either a lack of belief in their own potential or a lack of the desire to change their current situation. After all, when people are in a safe and secure job, it’s easy to become complacent and accept your current position.

No matter what it is you want to achieve, there is one question you can ask yourself to get to the core fundamentals of your goal and massively increase your motivation.

That question is simply, “Why?”

We can apply this simple question in the example we have been covering, leaving your day job. All you have to do is look at your desires and keep breaking them down with the question “Why?” so you can get to the truth about why you want what you want.

Let me demonstrate how this might work out with this simple scenario…

I want to quit my job

Why?

So that I can become my own boss

Why?

So that I can increase my earnings potential

Why?

So I can work my own hours

Why?

So I can spend more time with my family

Why?

So I can watch my children grow up

Isn’t that last sentence far more powerful than the first?

Instead of just thinking about being your own boss, you’re now focusing on being able to watch your children grow up, and spend as much time with them as possible.

Aren’t you now much more likely to want to work towards something and strive for success, now that there is a real hunger and positive reason to do so? I certainly believe that to be the case and have seen a dramatic change in family members who I have persuaded to ask themselves this simple question.

I urge you to try out this exercise for any moderate craving you have in life that you would like to turn into a real desire.

If you realise you are being too laid back in one area of your life but want it to change, see if you can adopt the “Why?” mentality to get to the core of your desires.

It will also be more helpful and effective if you do this on paper, put the exercise into words and not just do it in your head. This forces you to take note of what you have put in ink and supplies you a written record of the new basis for your motivation.

This is exactly how I was able to leave the rat race and cultivate a real desire for my goals; I hope that it helps you as well. If you have any other examples of increasing your motivation, I would love to hear them in the comments!

Glen Allsopp writes about Personal Development for his blog, PluginID. He helps people realise they can be who they want to be through personality development.

Photo by aknacer

Tagged as: goals, motivation, questions, why