MOTIVATION

"Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it." — Lou Holtz

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Motivation is something that is either ingrained in you or is fostered through discipline, and your approach to motivation is determined by these two types: Intrinsic or Extrinsic

• When you have intrinsic motivation (ingrained factors) you are motivated to act simply for the pleasure derived by the activity itself.
• When you extrinsic motivation (external factors) your motivation to act is influenced by secondary concerns.

If lately you've been lacking motivation then the first step is to figure out what kind of motivation is available to you.

HOW?
For example, weight has been an ongoing issue for me all my life. The number one reason is due to lack of adequate exercise. This is the perfect example of where extrinsic motivation will come into play, because there's no way that intrinsic motivation will ever be a factor for me in this domain! To make it work I applied layers of extrinsic motivation. Here's how I did it:

I realized that losing weight was not a sufficient motivator, so I tapped into other things that I cared about. I discovered that I really enjoyed hiking and climbing mountains. The view from the top of a 12,000 foot mountain is just simply unreal! But in order to climb that high you have to be in good physical condition, so I'm motivated to workout every day—even if it's just a run around the neighborhood or 30 minutes on a treadmill. Doing some activity every day ensures that I stay in shape to keep climbing to mountain tops to see incredible views. And as a side effect, I also happen to lose weight!

Even though the primary goal was originally to lose weight, I made it a secondary goal so that the primary goal would be strength to climb mountains. I wasn't intrinsically motivated to lose weight or to run, but I did those things so that I could achieve my primary objective which was to gain an amazing perspective of the world.

REFLECTION

• What most motivates you?
• What do you want or need to do, but lack intrinsic motivation to do?
• How might you apply extrinsic motivation to do what needs to be done?