Have you ever wondered why you’re highly motivated and inspired about some things, but can’t get enthused and move forward in other areas of your life – even when you know that taking action makes good sense? Do you sometimes feel an internal tug-of-war and resistance to committing to that “something” that nags at you? It may be an exercise program, healing a relationship, going back to school, organizing your office, getting your legal will prepared, looking for a better job or just taking some time off to rest and get your head together. How do you get and stay motivated, so your brain and body cooperate to move you forward, seemingly without effort? The answers to these questions lie in practical neuroscience: how your brain is wired and what makes you tick.
Laws of Personal Motivation
1. Brain engagement is a voluntary function
Your brain must identify and experience strong value and benefits to voluntarily engage in an activity, particularly one that takes hours, days or lasts a lifetime. Common sense and intellectualization don’t always work. Look about you and observe people who say, “I know that I should be doing different things for better health and quality of life,” yet, they continue to repeat destructive behaviors. These patterns can be reversed, with simple, safe and practical neuroscience methods.
2. Your brain is naturally curious and attracted to challenges
What a wonderful gift to have a brain that is endowed with playful curiosity and attracted to challenges and fun learning experiences. Your brain is equipped to take in, remember and process sensory experiences through its Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic, Olfactory and Taste pathways. It is further gifted with cognitive powers to process sensory information in Sequential (logical, orderly) and Global (imagination, “big picture”) ways. Your brain is capable of making decisions, solving problems and virtually achieving anything it can think about, describe and attach with strong value. This is the miracle of the brain that can be tapped into by anyone using practical neuroscience.
How to get and stay motivated
The greatest deterrent to being the best you can be and living the life of your dreams is fear. Thoughts, feelings and emotions, associated with what you don’t want in life, are a paralyzing aspect of fear. Fortunately, this is the easiest component of fear to overcome. The solution is to replace thoughts of what you don’t want with thoughts of what you do want. If you fear poverty and lack, replace your worries with anticipation of prosperity and abundance.
Whatever you choose to get motivated about, be very specific about your desired outcome. If it’s money, establish how much and within what timeframe. Imagine what it looks, feels, sounds, smells and tastes like. Use all your senses, focusing on those to which you are most attracted and which give you the strongest and most positive feelings. Close your eyes, breathe deeply and relax. Imagine the outcome in rich and deep detail. Attach strong and positive emotions. Think the highest, best and grandest thoughts. Be sure to record your experience and thinking, because visual images, pictures, symbols, key words and colors become deeply embedded in your visual cortex. This process puts your brain on “auto-pilot.” Consider mind mapping because it’s a “whole brain” (Sequential and Global) activity; traditional outlining is a Sequential activity and bypasses the imaginative and creative Global hemisphere. Your Global brain operates about 10,000 times faster than your Sequential brain.
In summary, it’s simple and easy to keep yourself motivated using practical neuroscience methods. Provide your brain with an interesting challenge and it will naturally engage on conscious and sub-conscious levels, even as you sleep. Make your desired outcome real to your brain, by imagining associated sensory experiences, then get out of the way and let it get to work. The neuroscience message is to trust your brain to get and stay motivated.
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Winning the motivational tug-of-war is easier and simpler than you may think. Does it make sense that when you do things with the way your brain works, instead of against the way it works, you achieve higher levels of success? Brain PathWays, based on recent advances in neuroscience and personalized strategies, is the most comprehensive system available for work and personal success, your secret weapon. The report tools are customized to your brain strengths. Click to purchase your Brain PathWays online self-assessment and download your report today.
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Another post I’d love to explore with you – in the context of “intentional attending” and activation struggles common with Executive Functioning deficits. Leaving one last “breadcrumb” to remind myself to follow up!
Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, SCAC, MCC – (blogging at ADDandSoMuchMore and on ADDerWorld – dot com!)
“It takes a village to transform a world!”