Morning thoughts on the most effective kind of motivation
The survival mode: motivation by fear
We, as humans are motivated by fear (fear to survive): meaning the perceived stress is motivating us to get shit done. And it goes further: it is even believed that without stress and suffering, we are not able to do big things. And just a few lucky individuals are able to achieve great things without straining themselves. We are jealous of those who have it easy, who seem to be always at the right time on the right place. And we admire and look up to those who even if having it hard reached big things. Those last ones are believed to have good resilience - a template of successful coping strategies.
We believe having those strategies, we will be successful, so we strive to have good resilience. But what if resilience was just a way to temporarily deal with stressful factors? A way to just put a bandage on an injury. But the injury remains in the form of a scar. The scar is there on an emotional, cognitive, or physical level. The presence of the scar means we are wasting our energy on this. And not just that, the scar entails a trigger. Anytime we are confronted with a similar situation, this scar can open again. As long as a scar remains and is not smoothed out, our bodies will be dealing with the same stressful situations again and again. The strong and resilient individual is wasting his/hers precious energy.
Don't take me wrong the motivation to survive is a very powerful one in the short term. You can be very effective and focused, having a lot of energy. It can make you reach big things, but it is not the most effective one. On the contrary, using this motivation stress hormones like cortisol are released. And especially in the long term, it will have an adverse impact on your body and mind. Debilitating your immunity, high blood pressure, fatigue, anxiety, and weight gain, just to mention a few.
There is an addictive factor in this fear-oriented motivation. It is a vicious circle. Anytime you succeed, the reward mechanism in your brain releases dopamine, making you feel amazing and happy. This is the moment when the following association is created: Stress → success → feeling good. As it is our nature to seek for the “feeling” good we seek for more of it. This leads to an even crazier association: The more stress we are able to support and succeed - the more positive and happy feelings we will experience.
“No pain no gain”, they say. This concept claims: that it has to be hard, you have to suffer and sacrifice in order to reach the top and succeed. But what if this was the least effective and most harmful way to exist? What if the contrary would unleash potentials and energies, you have never dreamt of? What if by letting go of struggle and survival you set an immense amount of energy free? An energy that makes it possible to do much more than what you have ever thought of.
Motivation by pleasure, ease, and joy
So what happens if you let go of the fear? You stop trying to avoid the possible negative outcomes. Would you lose the purpose, by letting go of the drive on survival? This is one of the possible outcomes. But Imagine finding your true purpose. The activity that brings you the most pleasure.
It can feel challenging, but this state of feeling lost is an incredible opportunity to be compassionate and kind to yourself in order to encourage your intuition and let yourself the time to body find out what is it that brings you the biggest pleasure and happiness. The values and activities that truly suit you are a good validation for your purpose.
By just following the activities that bring you the most pleasure and shine directly out of your heart, you will be able to reach horizons you have never even dreamt of. You would be able to reach anything you want with incredible ease and effectiveness.
The very natural process of releasing fear and the need to act based on survival, you will feel lost, without purpose. You are leaving the zone of comfort where you feel safe and at home.
If you open yourself to your intuition and follow it with ease, following what truly makes you and the people around you happy, you will be able to enjoy the process of flow towards the goals of your purpose with never experienced ease and effectiveness.
Let's use the reward mechanism to release dopamine and do more of the comfortable and pleasurable. Be grateful for every step you make. This is just the beginning.
Neutrality is the key
Letting guide you by the perceived pleasure is just the beginning. This way you will be able to find your true purpose. It is not the immediate reward of your dedication that brings you to the very top and enables you to achieve the exceptional. It is the neutrality. Once you have found your purpose, you need to enter a state of body and mind of absolute neutrality. This is the most effective and productive one.
OUT OF PEACE AND NOTHING → YOU CAN DO ANYTHING