“I’d like a bottle of Motivation, please~”

Do you find yourself lacking motivation?

Do you wish you could just go to your favorite superstore and pick up an economy-size bottle of motivation?

Ah, if only it were that easy. If only motivation were something that could be bottled and sold. Whoever could pull that off would be rich!

Unfortunately, it’s a little more complicated than that.

I’d like to explore with you the topic of motivation. But before we can answer the question about how to get motivation, we have to take a step back and ask a more fundamental question:

What is motivation?

Basically, motivation is the reason for a given behavior or course of action. But this is a bit simplistic, as the concept of motivation is much broader than a mere cause-and-effect phenomenon. Properly speaking, motivation is restricted to human beings in its application, so that is what I shall consider here.

Motivation involves a reason for doing something, but it is much more than justification for one’s actions. Consider this: you could no doubt come up with a hundred different reasons why you should eat properly and exercise every day, but unless you have motivation, your gym shoes will stay in the closet, and your cupboard will be filled with junk food snacks.

Watch any reality show, and you’ll see this played out time and again—the morbidly obese woman who cheats on her diet; the hoarder who lives in squalor, adding to his tremendous collection of junk and trash; the teenager who is so engaged in substance abuse that she can only think about her next fix. Intellectually, these people understand that what they are doing is unhealthy and potentially self-destructive, yet no amount of haranguing by loved ones or medical professionals will result in them changing their ways—if the person lacks motivation.

We see, then, that motivation is important. In some cases, it can literally mean the difference between life and death. In any situation, though, a lack of motivation, signaled by a “Why bother?” attitude, logically devolves into apathy: “Who cares? Not I. Just leave me alone!” Once a person has crossed this point, his situation becomes all but impossible. The psychological inertia becomes so overwhelming that the person is locked on a downward spiral, and in most cases nothing short of a miracle can break that spell.

We see, also, that motivation must be internal. It arises from a decision of the individual, and, as such, cannot be imposed upon from the outside. This is why nagging seldom works; if it does, it is not because the nagger’s words were especially pithy or persuasive, but rather because the individual just wanted to get the nagger out of his hair. So even in those instances where it appears that motivation might have been external, in reality the individual merely acted upon an internal desire to ameliorate his own situation.

It can be said that motivation can be either healthy or unhealthy, but these categories are not as clear-cut as you might suppose. For example, fear, greed, pride, and the like may all appear to be examples of unhealthy motivation, whereas success, family, and self-improvement would most likely be considered examples of healthy motivation. But negative emotions like fear can nonetheless provide the basis for healthy motivation: fear of leaving your family unprepared might very well be a healthy motivation if it results in you taking better care of yourself and taking steps to secure your family’s financial future.

Regardless, any type of motivation is better than none, and a lack of motivation should be avoided at all costs.

Thus far, we have said more about what motivation is not than what it is. So: What is motivation?

Motivation is that which keeps you going after the initial excitement of a new endeavor has worn off.

We see this happen time and again with New Year’s resolutions. With the prospect of a new year and a fresh start, many people resolve to make all sorts of positive changes in their lives: lose weight, stop smoking, get out of debt, learn a new language, exercise more, take up a hobby, etc. But a few days or weeks later, the enthusiasm is gone and the resolutions fall by the wayside—unless, of course, you have some sort of motivation.

Motivation is that which keeps you going even when you “don’t feel like it.”

There are times when everything seems blah and even the things you normally enjoy appear to have lost their luster. You’d rather spend an extra hour in bed instead of going out for that five-mile run. You’d just as soon take it easy for a few days, hang out the “Gone Fishin’ ” sign and escape for a while. Motivation helps you to stick to your commitment and push through the “don’t want to”. Motivation is what goads you into action.

Motivation keeps you going when things get tough.

We all have struggles that we must face in life. Sometimes you just find yourself in a difficult situation, whether it be due to circumstances beyond your control, or thanks to your own ignorance, or as the result of those who would wish you ill. Motivation gets you to focus on your goal, reminding you of the promise of reward, the result you can achieve if you endure. It is what enables you to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and overcome those obstacles that life has thrown at you.

Motivation keeps you going despite the odds.

Other times, you’ll be tempted to give up completely. The task seems Sisyphean, the circumstances dire, the situation hopeless. You’d like nothing better than to walk away and let someone else handle it. You’re ready to admit defeat. But motivation is what stops you from waving the white flag. It enables you to ignore the voice of the naysayer whispering defeat in your ear. Motivation is what causes you to keep putting one foot in front of the other as you trek on your seemingly endless journey.

Motivation is like a guiding star that keeps you from straying off course. It lights a fire under you and gets you going, giving you that spark in your eye. It is the fuel without which you’ll find yourself stranded, just as a car that runs out of gas winds up sitting on the shoulder of the highway, unable to make any further progress.

Each of us is unique, with our own particular skill sets and our own particular dreams. The talents and tools that we need to achieve our goals are therefore as varied and unique as we are. But the one thing that we all have in common is the need for motivation. Without motivation, our dreams will be stillborn.

If I have convinced you of the necessity of motivation and got you thinking about what motivation is, then I have accomplished what I set out to do with this post.

“Well and good,” you may protest, “but how do I get motivation?”

That’s a good question! I haven’t mentioned anything about that, because that’s another topic for another day, a question that I shall explore in the near future. Stick around!

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