Pressure Vs Internal Motivation

[Amadeusz]

In Poland we have very known coach. He wrote book, I consider his material high, 'true growthy' stuff. In one of his articles he writes an idea that many people live under the pressure (external motivation) and that it blocks internal motivation and passion in life. So basically he encourages to shed all your pressure in life and then the internal motivation will start kicking in. He says that people are afraid to drop pressure because they are afraid of being complacent. Similar stuff was told by Leo in "Why youre not happy and you don't want to be" video. I tested it year ago and whoa! it worked I dropped my 'shoulds' totally and said that I'll do what I only want for 5 days. These 5 days became a month, a very good and peaceful month.  I made fantastic art about nutrition that was breakthrough for my life purpose. Then I moved to live with my parents (some projects that required living in my home town) and everything collapsed, pressure came back I couldn't get rid of it. I mean it's not high pressure, so I'm living with it and I still have plenty of internal motivation, but I could sustain full internal like I had year ago. So my question is what are your thoughts about it, can one drop pressure  tottaly? I tested it for 3 last months again but couldn't get rid of pressure, but instead I became frustrated and complacent, so now I'm back to my light self-discipline mode mixed with little rewards for no reason. Hope that explained the issue clearly.

[Wes Thoughts]

@Amadeusz I am not sure of what pressure exactly you are talking about, but I suggest looking at the pressure as being just being a suggestion of possibilities you could take. Your coach was right, pay attention to internal motivation not external motivation.

[Amadeusz]

I mean pressure in a sense that I feel painful emotion inside that wants me to do something. It's like Im bullying myself to do things. So this emotion appears when I don't do the things I should be doing (I think I want them so therefore should doing them). So I'm pushing myself away from bad circumstances. Sometimes I'm motivated internally, but sometimes I am not motivated internally and then when the emotion 'pressure' appears. Maybe I should embrace and listen to pressure and accept it's existance instead of getting rid of this bullying motivation system? I don't know... Hope that clarifies a little. If I gave up this pushing motivation system I'm afraid that I will become lazy.

Edited September 25, 2017 by Amadeusz

[Brimstone]

@Amadeusz sounds to me like you are just conditioned to have a strong internal voice pushing you along your path and you are quite receptive of it. Nothing wrong with that unless you are actually hurting yourself and others. 

What are the fruits of your labour?

[Amadeusz]

Thanks for the answer. Pretty good I'm on proper life purpose track (in my opinion) and I've been meditating for about 3,5 years. I've got my small company here and maintain myself although not from my life purpose yet. Of course I've got still many things to work on. The problem is that Leo and other coaches talk about this intrinsic motivation, but it just doesn't work for me, when I switch off my extrinsic motivation (the pressure) my productivity and overall robustness goes away. Sure I do some things but my bad habits come back big time then. So I have this bullying emotion like a guard, when doing bad thing then boom it appears and I stop it. I can't stop it cuz then I think my work will fall apart (but maybe I'm wrong). What do you thing guys?

Edited September 25, 2017 by Amadeusz

[Brimstone]

How could you not be exactly where you need to be in any moment doing exactly what you need to be doing @Amadeusz ?

It may be useful to follow the voice of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation as you label them and ask where they come from? Be robust in your enquiry until you have an answer just as you are when you wish to attain any of your goals. 

[Amadeusz]

You mean to develop faculty to distinguish between both motivations? I think I'm pretty good at it, but I'm not sure if that's the thing you were pointing out. For example I noticed that sometimes I push myself and then my mood is better (because there is no reason for pressure to exist anymore since the thing I should do is done) and it creates an environment for intrinsic motivation to appear. The problem is that every day I have to push myself and moreover I noticed that this pushing motivation is somehow addictive. I need to use it more and more everyday to satisfy my needs and to feel relief. So I practice more and more I do 'good things'  more and more and I need to do them more and more to feel happy. It's hard to explain, twisty stuff.

Edited September 25, 2017 by Amadeusz

[Brimstone]

No definitely not trying to "develop faculty to distinguish between both", although what you are saying points towards the same thing.

What was implied is to actually earnestly follow the thoughts themselves (it could be any thought to be honest) to see where they arise from. If you commit to this you may find that what you are enquiring about naturally resolves itself.

Also relentlessly asking the question as to what exactly is doing the pushing may be useful here also. Don't accept the first answer that comes to your mind, keep going until there are no answers left. 

Is fantastic that you continue to do more and more good things btw. 

[Amadeusz]

Thank you for your help! Unfortunately I'm not sure exactly what do you mean...  Could you explain in diffrent way? So I have to 'see where my thoughts arise from'. So thoughts about what? Thoughts when feeling the pressure?

[Brimstone]

Where does thought arise? It doesn't really matter what the actual thought is to be honest. Ask also, what is thought? Mind likes the attention, lol.

You clearly have a strong intent and drive, use that to earnestly seek answers and you will understand exactly what I am talking about. I can't tell you as you have to discover for yourself, but I guarantee the answer is within you, and it is not what you think. 

 

 

 

[Highest]

With enough pressure, a human being can achieve a lot. He can transcend everything if he wishes, all that takes is that push, that extreme insight, etc. The world is a joke, human beings are sheep, they cannot transcend themselves because they are afraid, they cannot fight the majority's opinions. But freedom is only the thing that comes by doing that, freedom. 

[dorg]

Observe that pressure is self applied. Pressure means that you think (believe) there is a problem or that something needs changing. (And even if you think that you don't just believe that there is a problem, that there really is one, that is still you believing there is a problem). Two solutions: change the world or change your mind.

In general I find the second one easier - there isn't so much heavy lifting . But that's just me.

 

Edited September 28, 2017 by dorg