how do you recognize authentic motivation?

[LoveandPurpose]

How do you recognize authentic motivation? 

Example:

I want to be even better in school.

I don't know if I'm doing that just to please my parents. I was very bad a few years ago and those feelings of not being good enough, mainly in school, are still there, although I have pretty good grades now.

However, maybe I'm just projecting the desire of myself onto my parents, I am the one that wants me to do better, not them, because I don't know what to do after school yet and the safety of good grades would be comforting.

[Sir Raz]

Motivation has a feeling like, you know a 100% you'll feel better about yourself if you (from your example) do better in school!

Again it's about improvement: you inprove youself in a certain area!

But, motivation isn't everything! Work should follow! 

[Salvijus]

Imagine yourself living on an island alone. Would you still care about your grades?

You live on an island and you look at the stars and you want to know more about the astrology, mathematics. But you live on an island and you want better grades... That's not authentic

Basicly all the desires that are coming from wanting to achieve status is not authentic.

When I imagine myself living on an island alone I would like to explore the area, i would still be interested in self descovery and truth. That's authentic desire. But desires like I want to make 100push ups are not authentic. You would not care about this if you lived alone on an island. You want to do 100 push ups because it's relevent to somebody else. Because you want to be better then somebody else. 

If you would've sayed. I want to be smarter and be more knowledgeable about something i'd say it's authentic. But because you sayed i want to have better grades..... That's useless desire that has no real significence thus, not authentic.

[Hellspeed]

@LoveandPurpose Motivation comes as a byproduct of Health and feeling good. Otherwise is false. If i where you and still in school, i would drop it the next day. I have a college degree, not worth the environment and the brainwash from people there. On the knowledge side you will be able to learn 10x by yourself than preached to you by authorities. 

[LoveandPurpose]

@Salvijus I agree with you 100%. However, we're not living on an island  Grades are important in the sense that they open certain doors in certain areas for you later. I just want to be free to do whatever I want (if I'd choose to go this route where these documents are necessary). Would you say that this is an authentic desire? Trying to live the best life possible, where these grades are a part of?

[Salvijus]

54 minutes ago, LoveandPurpose said:

I just want to be free to do whatever I want

That's authentic desire
what would you do if you could do whatever you want and money was not an issue? That''s also an answer to what is your authentic desire.

 

[LoveandPurpose]

16 minutes ago, Salvijus said:

what would you do if you could do whatever you want and money was not an issue? That''s also an answer to what is your authentic desire.

Yes! Currently doing the LPC to answer this question. 

One idea I have that I want to do something with Psychology/Personal Development. But I'm not quite sure if the motivation behind my appeal to these fields isn't just because I have to work on quite many things on myself, hence negative motivation. How do I know if it would actually be an authentic motivation?

[Salvijus]

Like i just showed you. 
just try and see where it takes you, what your life would be like if you were absolutely alone, if there were nobody to compare yourself with, what would you truly long for? would you still care about being a psychologist? Do you genuenly care about how human brains work? It could be true. Some people are really interested how human behavior is happening and why. Some just go there because they dont know what else to do. Some goes there who knows why many reasons you see... If on an island youd still be trying to figure it out how the human behavior is happenin then its authentic.

Edited February 25, 2019 by Salvijus

[LoveandPurpose]

@Salvijus But I want to study psychology to improve the lives of other people and myself. That wouldn't be an option on an island alone, mainly the first one. You got another analogy?  

[Salvijus]

So basicly you want to create joy and happyness in the world. that's authentic if it's not done just boost your ego  and why do you want to help people? Why not the trees?.the air? The animals? I think it's because you want recognition, respect and status. I think these things are playing a role here..if it's true then your desire is not authentic. You just want to play a hero

That's why this question is still relevent. Would you want to create beauty in the world if you lived alone? Would you care about the environment if you were the only one on the planet?

Or imagine if you had to work really hard to help people and they just spit on your face. Would you still be satisfied? Or do you want to be appreciated? Because authentic desire to help others is such that all you care is to do good for others. You help someone in need, he spits you in a face but you're still happy that you were able to do a good act. That would be authentic. that's powerful way of living. Only sages can do this mostly.

Have you seen futurama by any chance? It's geniuse episode about helping others vs playing a hero

Just skip to 16.30 it's fucking geniuse.......

 

Edited February 25, 2019 by Salvijus

[ivory]

Inauthentic motivations often lead to struggle, fatigue, and disappointment. That's how you identify them.