The Many Layers of Motivation
What is motivation? Where does it comes from? What does it mean when you lack it and what can you do about it?
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What do we mean when we say motivation? When I first asked myself this question, I went to Merriam-Webster seeking help.
Motivation (n): The act or process of motivating
Motivate (v): To provide with a motive
Motive (n): Something that causes a person to act
So, Motivation = The act or process of providing with a cause for action.
To be Motivated is to have a cause for action.
Did that clarify it for you?
No?
Me neither.
Motivation is complicated. It’s core to why we do anything. Yet it can evade us when we most want it.
In episode two of No Clear Answers, we explored Motivation.
These are some of my favorite takeaways from our conversation.
Apple:
Spotify:
“Feeling” Motivated
Motivation is a Fleeting Emotional State…
Corey opened the episode with a series of mic drops:
“I don’t know anybody who’s ever done shit with their lives who’s like ‘yeah motivation has fueled me through everything.’
Motivation is a fleeting emotional state.
It’s great when it comes your way! We all feel motivated occasionally.
But you can’t bottle it, you can’t schedule it, you can’t rely on motivation.
And that is what fucks most people up. They think they have to wait for motivation to come their way before they can take action.”
One of the biggest traps around motivation is waiting to feel motivated to do the thing.
That’s rarely how we as people work, even for things that we genuinely want to do.
There are all sorts of things that can happen in our mind and body to keep us from actively feeling motivated to do the things that we want to do.
…and it’s not coming to save you.
Rikki doubled down on this point:
“A lot of people are like, I want motivation first.
And that’s the thing that comes up with a lot of people I work with. They’ll say: ‘I’m not doing the thing because I’m not motivated yet to do the thing and I’m searching for motivation in order to do the thing.’
That’s my bullshit in the space: It’s never coming. That’s not where motivation comes from. Motivation comes from taking action.
Motivation comes from doing that first step; aligning it with your values and purpose. That’s where you get motivated.”
The idea Rikki is pointing to is known as Behavioral Activation. It’s the notion that we create pleasant motivated states by taking action, not the other way around.
Brad Stulberg says it well:
Well we got right into the tactics there didn’t we?
While the discussion of motivation as a feeling state if a useful one, we can go such much deeper on it.
Do you know what you want?
One of the more foundational questions we explored, and in my opinion the best starting place for motivation: What do you actually want?
Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation
Extrinsic motivation is motivation driven by external rewards. I act in the interest of getting something that is outside of myself be it recognition, status, prestige, external validation, winning in competition, or receiving some award or payment. We can genuinely want these external things, or believe that we should pursue then.
Intrinsic motivation is to do something for the inherent satisfaction it provides you. I act because it is something I genuinely want to do and that gives me internal purpose and value, regardless of the external.
In episode one, Rikki mentioned a study where two groups of college students were observed. One group was intrinsically motivated and the other was extrinsically motivated.
While both were able to accomplish their goals, Intrinsically motivated individuals reported greater happiness throughout and after.
Intrinsic motivation is often a more powerful motivator. When we genuinely want something cognitive dissonance is removed, and we are more willing to endure discomfort.
Should you even want to be Motivated?
In the episode, I told a story about a founder who was beating themself up because they were struggling with Sales & Marketing.
They struggled because they neither liked nor were good at it.
No wonder they weren’t motivated!
It’s nearly impossible to get motivated for things we neither like doing nor are good at.
A good question to ask: should I even be motivated to do this? Or is this best delegated to someone else?
Sometimes when you’re struggling with motivation, it’s because that thing isn’t aligned with who you are or what you want. The desire to be motivated sometimes comes across as the desire to be a robot who will be happy to do anything and everything.
You’re a human. And sometimes, as a human, you’re not motivated because you’re not meant to be. The question is: do you really want this?
Exploring Layers of Motivation
Assuming you know what you really want, here are your options.
If that upper level goal is sufficient to get you motivated and moving, great! You’re there.
If you’re not motivated to put in the effort, you can force yourself to do it anyway. This is the camp of discipline. I’m just going to push myself to do it. In my experience, this works for a specific type of person and not for others
If you’re not motived and not wanting to force yourself, adjust your approach. What is a version of it that’s not your ideal, but that you’d be willing to do that still moves you toward your goal? This is the idea that perfect is the enemy of done.
Lastly, if none of that works for you—evaluate if you actually want what you say you want. Because it sounds like you’re not willing to do anything to get it! Sitting in the reality that you want something but aren’t willing to put the effort in can be uncomfortable, and often yields a lot of insight.
There may be more options, but this ladder is a good place to start.
Getting Tactical
Assuming you know what you want and are still struggling to get into action, here are a few tactical tips you can experiment with.
Lower the effort for action. Action is a function of available energy versus required effort. Assuming you can’t control your energy, the other strategy is to minimize the effort required in advance. Prepare your points for a difficult conversation in advance. Prep your gym bag the night before and put it by your door. Setup a delightful environment for a challenging task ahead of time. Make it easier for yourself in the moment of action.
Identify your energy leaks. What if you could better control your energy? Sometimes a lack of motivation relates to a specific task, and sometimes your energy is just leaking. Review your calendar and task list over the last month and place everything you did in one of two categories: Net Positive Energy or Net Negative Energy. For everything that is net negative, re-evaluate if this is something you need to do or can be delegated or dropped.
Align expectations. Lower the bar for “done”. Are your expectations of yourself realistically achievable? One way we chronically demotivate ourselves is by expecting too much. When we fail to hit our own targets, we feel like a failure, and unmotivated to continue the work. We talk ourselves out of acting in the first place. This is an argument for realistic expectations for yourself. By doing so, you can build psychological momentum in hitting your goals. Contrarily, lowering the bar for yourself can help you achieve more.
Get clear on what you actually want. You may not want to have a difficult conversation with an employee or work on a challenging project. But you likely do want a high functioning team and a business that is successful. Make crystal clear in your mind the link between the task and the authentic desired outcome. Your psyche loves clarity.
Thanks for reading! Good luck getting motivated (or deciding not to!), and don’t forget to let me know what you think of the show!