Motive and action: the essence of motivation
The future begins today, not tomorrow.
- John Paul II
I often experience a lack of motivation to do various activities, waiting for the moment when I am finally motivated. I set myself certain goals to achieve each day, but I usually don't complete them all, even though I know they won't take too much time. After such situations, I feel unpleasant remorse and wonder how good it would be to complete these tasks, since they benefit me and serve my development.
Meditation is an example of this - I wanted to start practising it some time ago. I have read about its many benefits, even described them in a post on this blog, but I still find it hard to motivate myself to devote even 5 minutes a day to it. After all, it's only 5 minutes, not much.
Understanding motivation can help you deal with the difficulties of daily tasks such as meditation. The word 'motivation' comes from the Latin movere, which in its basic definition means to move, to cause, to encourage, to stimulate. According to the Modern Dictionary of the Polish Language, motivation (motywacja) is defined as a factor that causes someone to act, encourages someone to do something, and justifies someone's actions. Depending on the factors that stimulate us to act, we can distinguish between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
When considering difficulties with meditation, it is worth considering what contributes to a lack of motivation. The key may lie in understanding intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, both of which can influence the way we approach daily tasks.
Extrinsic motivation causes us to engage in an activity because of external consequences. This could be studying a disliked subject in order to get a good grade, seeking a high salary at work, or gaining prestige. On the other hand, a person who is intrinsically motivated does not expect rewards - just doing the activity gives them pleasure and satisfaction.
A person with strong intrinsic motivation may meditate because the practice itself gives them pleasure and a sense of peace. A person with a strong extrinsic motivation may meditate in order to gain external recognition, such as praise from other people or even to become a certified meditation teacher.
Once we understand our intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, it is worth looking for strategies to help us increase our motivation to complete daily tasks. One approach might be to use time management techniques such as the Pomodoro method, which involves dividing work into short periods of time with breaks in between. In the case of meditation, instead of forcing yourself to meditate for 5 minutes at a time, you could start with 1 minute and gradually increase the length of your practice.
When we are aware of our own needs, it is easier to formulate goals and make choices in order to achieve what is most important to us. "A person with highly developed achievement motivation is mainly driven by striving motivation (the 'towards' motivation), whereas an average person is mainly driven by avoidance motivation (the 'from' motivation). (1) A person who is often driven by the 'from' motivation will not change his or her situation until it becomes unbearable, whereas a person with a 'do' motivation will pursue what he or she wants, taking advantage of opportunities and possibilities that will help him or her satisfy his or her needs and achieve his or her goal.
Therefore, our first task should be to identify the goal. In 1981, George Doran introduced the concept of S.M.A.R.T. This is an acronym consisting of five postulates and its name means wise, clever. According to this acronym, a formulated goal should be
"Specific - unambiguous, leaving no room for loose interpretation,
Measurable - to assess the extent to which the objective has been achieved,
Achievable - realistic and not too ambitious so as not to undermine motivation,
Relevant - important to the person who will achieve it,
Time-bound - with a fixed deadline for achievement". (2)
Often our goals are limited to the first step - they are specified but end with the idea itself. To counteract this, we should be guided by the right values. Although each of us has our own values, some core values may be common to all. Our values shape our lives.
Finally, it's worth remembering the words of the famous 'Wolf of Wall Street', Jordan Belfort, whose experience proved the importance of motivation in the pursuit of a goal: "The only thing that stands between you and your goal is the story you tell yourself about why you won't achieve it". Belfort certainly had no problem finding either external or internal motivation.
Bibliography:
How to stand up to people, Marek Grębski
https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/S.M.A.R.T._(zarz%C4%85dzanie)
The Nature of Human Values, Milton Rokeach
MUCH more important than the goal. Values in life and business, Slawomir Lachowski
Illustrated Calendar for 1873, by Jan Jaworski
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