What Is Motivation?

[Karmack]

I guess the first place I should really start if I'm going to work on myself, is my motivation. Some days I sit there lethargically as if the whole world's against me and I just want to sleep. Some days I just feel as if doing SOMETHING, ANYTHING else other then what I should be is better. Like right now as I tap away at my keyboard. There's some better video I could be watching right?

So it makes me curious, is motivation really just bullshit. When it comes down to it, does everything just go off that Nike slogan of "Just do it!" I don't know. But i can't be fucked. So i'm going to stop writing. Why did I make this post again?

Seriously though motivation is hard for me to understand. What's your motivation for reading this post? what's my motivation for writing it? maybe for you, it gives you something to engage in and while you explore google and think about "motivation" you're rewarded by stimulation or maybe it's different, maybe you've been suicidal depressed before, and while staring aimlessly into the carpet you had a rapid-break-through that helped you understand the world and the universe along with it and for easy $50.95 you're willing to share it.. or at least write it into a reply-post because you feel people would be honored to read it as long as you're taken seriously and respected for your hard work.

So... what is it? I mean when I get hungry I stare blankly into the fridge as if meals are going to prepare themselves. Then eventually get to work.

But why don't I do that an hour ahead in the first place?
Why don't I prepare meals 3 days in advance?
Why don't I organize all the aspects of my life so that I can make it easier on myself later?

Right now on Amazon there are 

458,648 books for self-help, 

777,432 for Health, Fitness & Dieting and 

1,903,978 for Business & Money

So why do I just leave things to the last minute? if the information's right there? Right now I'm anxious mess who quit his day job because of anxiety. I do things out of the motivation of fear. I guess you could say, this post is motivated out of the fear that my anxiety will not improve if I don't do something now.

But why didn't I work on this part of who I am before? why did the walls come tumbling down before I did something

[Ayla]

I have good and bad news for ya!!

Lets start with the good one: Your psyche is setup to be able to live in the moment! YAY !!! 

Bad news: your conditioning/imprinting/experience have deceived you and make you doubt yourself, putting you in a state of anxiety, or what I call the "What if's"

"what if this won't work? " 

"what if I'm not good for..."

So from my own personal point of view, you do not have anxiety issues but self esteem issues and trauma to look into  

Best advice I could give you is to start right where you are, by accepting that it's all a manifestation of same Consciousness. Put it in a different language: "God says I AM" but devil also says I AM... Both are. So get the pressure off your insecurities and lack of determination, motivation, etc. Just make friends with them. Always start exactly where you are

 

[denselayman]

from exploring mind,awareness,consciousness and all these realms we can access with mind and thought we become overwhelmed and fall to nihilistic views only when we are unable to process and translate those things/principles/indeas into our everyday life. to be fully functional in our everyday life and world in general nowdays, we not only need to hear universal voice of cosmos through our minds and awareness/consciousness, but also speak it/do it/ bring it out in our physical realm, only then can one have meaning in life or say that they live complished/happy life.

 

also i am not talking about being smart exclusively, it applies to everyone in they're own special way.

[Davidus]

let me answer your question. So "what is motivation?" - motivation is bullshit! you don't need motivation to get things done. THE ONLY THING YOU REALLY NEED, is DISCIPLINE and COMMITMENT

Edited February 7, 2016 by David :)

[denselayman]

5 minutes ago, David said:

let me answer your question. So "what is motivation?" - motivation is bullshit! you don't need motivation to get things done. THE ONLY THING YOU REALLY NEED, is DISCIPLINE and COMMITMENT

if one wish to live, they will, if they do not, they won't. it is amount of life-force in us and way we use/manipulate it, that determines how we progress in our lifes. it can be lost as well as gained, it all derives from our inner will for life/living.

 

as an example, due to events, accidents and other circumstances one finds himself into deep depression and existential crisis of pure meaninglessness, hopelessness and complete worthlessness, then some major life/death situation happens to them directly or directly involving them in some-one's else's direct confrontation with life/death as in saving a life and then being able to see value in one's own life as well as coming terrifyingly close to death and all the brainstorming that goes on at that instant shows that there is still way to trully live and all this past dark moment was just a guidpost for future.

 

also, one does not need to come close to death to realise all this, bit by bit over the years small insights accumilate until one very dark day all the puzzle of that insight comes together and presents a opportunity for complete revival.

also, one just meditate until all this knowledge and understanding is gained, but even then with all the guru-like knowlesge, if one has not sufficiant will to live, it won't do any good to themselves. a poor man's/ sages remedy is to offer his wisdom to other's, because in grand totality it matters only if you were able to help others, living only for onself in world of many is a dimm path.

i am very sorry if any of this sounds offensive, i just lost my clarity and went on a selfrighteous rumble of my own...your post apparently triggered something in me, and writting all of this i will be able to help myself more. if anyone gets something out of this as helpful, i'm happy for that, but otherwise just don't take it personally =]

 

clearing one's skies of dark clouds, sure gives nice view afterwards, i'll concentrate on that skies and extract most that i can from it.

[Draconis Chaser]

Honestly, I don't see humans all that different from other animals.  What is a fox's motiation to hunt and eat a fluffy bunny rabbit? It is hungry and feels the need to satisfy the hunger. What is its motivation to go to the streem and have a sip of water? It is thirsty. What is its motivation to seek out another fox to make sweet love to? The need to leave offspring. 

I suspect it is the same thing with us. Why do we watch tv? We feel the desire to be entertained. Why do we play music? We feel the need/desire to create music. Why do we do personal development? Because it is a desire no different than the thirst or hunger.
Sure, the cicumstances might be different, but the basis is the same - there is an activity in your brain that makes you desire something and hence you develop motivation for doing (or not doing - equally important) the action. 

So my answer as to why haven't you done all that stuff beforehand is simply - because you were more strongly (if that is indeed a valid word) motivated not to do the thing. That motivation, however, is probaly not obvious to you and it might take some introspection to figure out, but I'm sure you will get there in time. 

I hope this makes sense.
Take care  

 

[Truth]

The way I see motivation is VISION, "When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you'll be successful." - Eric Thomas

being able to see yourself there, wanting it so bad you cut off all distractions from it, everything else becomes secondary.

and going even deeper and realizing that talking about it right now is a distraction from it.

knowing your values and what's meaningful to you really helps with this.

 

 

[Dangirdas]

Motivation is the turbo fuel for your goals.

[Mooders]

Personally for me anxiety and motivation are the same thing. I am constantly anxious i am wasting my time and i am constantly anxious about underperforming. I do have an anxiety disorder and whilst at first the anxiety would cause me to panic and not do anything productive I am now able to use it as a tool to get myself off my ass and get shit done, I very rarely feel the need to just get up and go without an external factor pressuring me to do something which is a thing about myself I am trying to fix but I hope through routines and discipline I will be able to make my productivity more stable. 

You might think wow, thats a really miserable way to live constantly anxious about everything coming up but i dont know, I find it hard to get joy from things when there is work being put off. When i sit in my room playing games that i would usually love i find myself bored and unable to even sit through what should be fun as in the back of my mind my anxiety is sitting there sucking the pleasure from my life however if i get the work done I am in a state of bliss for the rest of the day. The feeling of having the weight lifted cannot be appreciated without first living with the weight so whilst it sucks i kind of just have to get on with it. 

also my motivation for joining in with these forums is that its the one thing i can do in my breaks that is guilt free and enjoyable for me.

Edited February 8, 2016 by Mooders