Are you demotivated? Or lazy?

99-SECOND READ

'Remember, demotivation is highly contagious.'

Pooja Agnihotri

Nearly everyone struggles with motivation sometimes, but the truth is, that motivation isn't well understood. She’s motivated, I’m demotivated or my partner is lazy are just unhelpful labels.

Understanding it, like everything, is the key to mastering it. Here is what you need to know:

1. Intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation feels personally rewarding or fulfilling - doing something you are passionate about or working towards a cause. Extrinsic is a type of external reward – money, recognition, or thanks.
2. Short-term vs long-term motivation. Short-term is when you are motivated by immediate desire – feeling cold, hungry or needing rest or comfort. Long-term motivation is working towards a future goal – running a marathon, changing careers, or getting promoted.
3. Towards vs away from motivation. Towards means moving towards something you want – a more fulfilling life, a pay rise, or a chocolate bar. Away-from means moving away from something you don’t want – a job you hate, being bored or cold.
4. Conscious vs unconscious. Conscious motivation is rational; things that you know will benefit you - exercising, being more organised, going to bed on time. Unconscious motivation is normally irrational – fear of failure, not being enough, or losing what you have.

Key Points:

1. Unconscious motivation is ALWAYS responsible for your problems and the things you aren’t happy with.

2. People are generally more motivated to move away from bad things than towards good things – that is why more people book calls when I talk about problems rather than goals.

If you are struggling to consistently do the things you want, you need to understand your unconscious motivations. What you're moving away from, what's driving you and why. When you do this, you can build a strong, conscious motivation and let go of the unconscious blockers that are getting in your way. Then you will get the results you want.

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