In Week 2, we explore motivation. Being motivated is challenging because many things can thwart our driving force and render us incapable of acting upon our desires. Some people are naturally motivated and can complete tasks like machines, while others, like me, are motivated purely by desire, and others are so easily distracted and get overwhelmed by the noise of life that their motivation is unstructured. 

As I always mention, which is something that should never be forgotten, there are systemic, societal structures that impede our motivation. There are also health reasons, mental or physical, that can take away our energy so drastically that we are depleted and have no means to motivate ourselves to do anything constructive. I mention this because many people like to gloss over this part and blame people for their inability to do things when it is a more significant problem than just the will or desire. Many people have their hands tied, and through sharing my thoughts here, I hope to assist where I can, whether it is in understanding one’s limitations, forgiving oneself for being too hard on the self or trying to work around the challenges that have most of the population too exhausted to be nurturing to the self.

Again, like last week, in the newsletter, I will share strategies that have helped me be motivated despite life's challenges. It doesn’t have to be a considerable overhaul of one’s daily routine. Still, it can be as little as taking an hour away from the time on your phone weekly and using that hour to do some exercises that can assist you in making your life manageable. 

The key here is making life manageable enough to get your motivation back to do the things that bring you joy. To understand how motivation works, you need to know how pay-offs work. We become more motivated when we get something meaningful out of it. Often, we aren’t motivated to do things that give us nothing in return, which is perfectly logical, because why would you do something that gives you nothing meaningful?

Quiet contemplation is essential to knowing what puts fire up your arse. You need to know where and how you get your “dopamine boost” and ensure that it is a healthy source that doesn’t lead to addictions and toxic, codependent behaviour. Once you have figured that out, you will know how to get things done and be motivated enough to get up and do them because you will be rewarded mentally, physically or spiritually. 

Ask yourself these questions. Am I:

• One who needs external validation to be held accountable, or one who is an efficient self-critic who can hold oneself accountable? 

• One that is motivated by serving others, the self, or both, and in what proportion? 

• A person who hates unsolicited advice or loves input from others? 

• One who is prone to starting a task, doing 90% of the task and then not completing it?

• One who hyperfocuses and works in bursts (a sprinter)?

• One who works in small chunks over a long period (a long-distance runner)?

• One who finishes a task when motivated by the rush of a deadline? 

• One who plans or freestyles or does both in varying degrees?

• One who needs micro-management or complete independence to complete a task?

• One who is constantly tired and can’t finish tasks due to exhaustion?

• One who experiences a dysregulated nervous system and seems to be in constant fight/flight or freeze?

You can ask yourself these questions to try and understand what type of beast you are and work around that. There is no right or wrong way to be. There is just what you are now and whether what you are can be used for your benefit. From that knowledge of how you operate now, you can then STRATEGICALLY and SYSTEMATICALLY work on removing obstacles between you and your motivation. 

As an artist and creative, I have many things that motivate me. One of the greatest motivators is being paid money to produce artwork. Knowing that someone found my artwork worthy enough to pay for it makes me feel motivated to please the client, complete the transaction in record time and make it worth their money. Another motivator of mine is deadlines. However, I derive the greatest motivation from having a clear picture of what I desire to FEEL from my creations. Seeing my work transform from nothing to something is the most fantastic feeling I have ever known. Another motivating factor in my life is service to others (including myself because being a martyr is unwise). Knowing that I can be of service to someone who may benefit positively from me is a huge reason I readily share myself, my thoughts and my art. It is part of my desire to be the change I want to see. 

In closing, all motivation comes from knowing the self because what motivates me is not what motivates another. Knowing what gives you that payoff, that thrill, that pleasure, and that sense of accomplishment is how you will get things done! Motivation might elude you if you do not invest time in knowing yourself and the type of animal you are. If you don’t know that you are experiencing a dysregulated nervous system, on the verge of burnout, in fight/flight/freeze or how much the oppressive systems that govern us have you in their clutches, you can’t free yourself enough to do anything. Self-knowledge may take time; however, it needs to be done.

May the strategies in the newsletter be helpful. 

Have a super week ahead. 

Tanya

xo