Motivation

What Is Motivation About

The general consensus has it that motivation is something that we "muster up" within ourselves. But what is the core -the essence- of motivation? What's it made out of?

Questions:

What does it mean when a surge of energy passes through you when the love of your life walks through the door?

What does it mean when the anger in a room stands the hairs on the back of your neck on end?

What does it mean when you know something good is going to happen, and it does?

There's a world of energy swirling around us, and it's playing a big part in our lives. Correction : It is our lives. This very energy is the core -the essence- of motivation.

The facts and premises are there. Physics. Chemistry. A kazillion laws on this dynamic, and that dynamic. We get it. This is an ordered, and structured universe.

And yet -it's the things we don't see that have the most pull. And this is exactly what motivation is : a pull, from within.

This book is about SELF motivation via energy dynamics. Why "energy dynamics"? When we look at the dynamics of the mind, or of the spirit, or of feelings, the one consistent variable inside all these areas is ENERGY.

I'm a firm believer in getting to the root of an issue when a question burns in my soul. I wanted to know -I've always wanted to know- why so many things don't make sense while at the same time, so many things do. I learned that my eyes "do deceive" me when I rely on only what they see.

And I needed to know why, and how, a dream could burn inside me, as I sat and watched my life go by. So -I sought to understand "this burn" inside me.

Some where along the line I began to "sense" that my rational, logical mind didn't have, or couldn't find all the answers. I began to become aware of a part of me, way deep inside, that held a knowing, or a "know to do" inclination. The closest word I can think of to describe it is instinct.

It was an instinct born of self, and born of the world around me. It then became apparent that "this burn" was connected to the world around me just as richly as it was connected to me. It was Energy. It was my source to motivation. And it was made up of MY power to change the world around me.

Energy ...it's something you can control and understand without having to drag in issues, or ideas, or dramas from the past; the same issues and dramas that brought you to this point. Sometimes -sometimes- a clean start is the best approach.

This approach can utilize past issues, but only the "energy" contained inside them. Thoughts, ideas, and beliefs stay there -in the past.

We see, we feel, we work with energy -with vibes- everyday. This series seeks to work with the energy that's seated inside of us. This same energy, that ultimately determines our quality of life, and motivates us in the expression of our dreams.

An Exercise In “Learning Motivation” The most comprehensive method of “learning motivation” lies within the personal connection we hold with our dream.

There is a depth -a richness- to the energy contained in the yearnings of a dream; and it connects directly with the Essence of who, and what you are.

These feelings -this Energy- are gifts, in a sense. And in one way or another, they do define us, whether it be in a constructive, or destructive light. As we become more familiar with the energy inside these feelings, the easier it will be to direct towards a goal. “Learning motivation” then becomes an experience instead of a process.

*********Take a moment here to focus on whatever feeling is attached to your dream.

If it's anxiety, focus on it. Plug into it.

If it's despair, focus on it. Plug into it.

If it's excitement, focus on it. Plug into it.

Now feel -look for- the energy, the sparks, behind the feeling. Just the energy. It's movement. It's heat, or lightness, or airiness, or heaviness. Just stay with that for a little bit.

Now you're connected with your feeling -your Energy- on a different level. A level where it doesn't have to make sense. This is how we experience, or learn of, the motivations that live inside us as individuals. The purest form of a thought, a word an idea, an act ...is it's Energy.

The closer we can get to this "pure form", the easier it will be to let it "act" through us -instead of against us.

This practice of "connecting" (or learning) is something that can be done whenever, or wherever you want. Commuting to work, in line at the checkout, as you drift off to sleep at night, are all easy times to practice.

However ...the very best time to "connect" with your dream is when your mind is in its critical mode. Granted, this may the hardest time to do it, but it's still all about the Energy. The sooner and harder you hit the negative portrayals of this Energy, the easier it will be to fall into this practice.

Just remember ...it's always all about the Energy. Learning motivation is an experience, and not a process.

Your Motivation Dynamic

THINK IMAGINE FEEL DO FLOW

More than anything else, it's in the actual carrying out of a plan that we need the most support.

We can choose a goal, and imagine it. These are always the first steps.

It's the roadblocks along the way that drain our steam and make what was once a reall possiblility into an evolving lesson in failure.

And because our thoughts -our minds- can be our biggest deterrents, a "deeper", more personal awareness of our individual presence -our essence- can be invaluable in overcoming whatever patterns, or themes are rooted in our day-to-day life experience.

We can all tap into energy. It's an instinctual ability that we use all the time whether we know we're using it, or not. It's instinctual because energy is what makes this universe what it is.

Energy is a flow which aligns and realigns itself continuously, to whatever forces are in play. This is the nature of our universe.

Each of us has our own individual source of this universal energy ...and the rules stay the same.

Attending to the enrgy that we each carry -attending to our essence, our individual presence- allows our own natural power and magnetism to work in our lives.

You Energy Dynamic is completely under your control.

Pay attention to IT ...instead of the thoughts we use to define it.

-SEIZE your Energy-

Spontaneity …A Motivation Technique Imagine ...this is the blueprint for whatever you're wanting to change ... this is the Mother to the process. To imagine is the best motivation technique of all.

Now it would be absolutely wonderful and great if you could kick back -escape- for a good solid hour everyday, and put together a finely detailed picture of what you want. But that's now always possible on a day-to-day basis, if ever.

If you can, all the better. But what we're aiming for here is to make sure that this "blueprint" -your ultimate want- becomes a real part of your daily life NOW. This motivation technique will work within whatever your current routine is now.

A Personal Example :

My very first time encountering this technique actually happened all by itself, out of nowhere. And every time I think back to this incident, I relive the rush I experienced in those few moments.

I'd just gotten off work, and I was walking across the parking lot towards my car. It was late fall so I had on a coat, my usual work attire, and my trusty bookbag hanging from my shoulder. Now mind you, this was not my dream job by any means, so I was happy that another day there was done.

Right as I reached to open the car door, I caught a reflection of myself in the window -me,coat, bookbag- and it was as if my "dream persona" entered my mind and body in that instant. I ...was a writer ...heading home at the end of that workday.

And in that instant, I realized there was absolutely no viable reason why I couldn't be a writer heading home at the end of her workday.

I felt it. I knew it. It was real.

These are the "kinds" of moments that birth life. This is motivational energy at it’s finest, and it’s a technique that works “behind the scenes” of your everyday life.

Simple moments ...that pull a person towards whatever that Energy is about. And these moments can be planted like seeds throughout your daily routine. They hold the essence of whatever it is that you want.

The objectives in this motivation technique are to -

1. acknowledge these moments, and 2. initiate these moments

...as often as possible within any given day's routine.

Self Motivation – The Power In Connecting With SELF Quality of life grows out of the moments we choose to connect with; whatever they may contain. Though imagined they may be, the moments in which we connect with our dreams are the seeds to a very REAL future. These moments are the essence of self motivation..

Using the imagination as a motivational tool means allowing the brightest facets of your dream to dictate how you experience, or connect with, the dream itself. All’s you’re doing here is creating a channel for the dream to find expression in your life.

The type of connection you're looking for inside these moments is really no different than the connections you've felt in the past.

For example -being in love. That's a felt connection.

Have you ever been to a really good party? Where everything and everybody just flowed? It was good energy. It was easy to feel. It was easy to connect with.

It's the "feel" that you want. The "feel" is your connection. The feel of your dream -the Energy of your goal in your heart. Moments of these "feels" throughout your day will steer your life in that direction. And if you look around you -at the circumstances of your life right now- this is exactly what has happened.

Somewhere along your yesterdays, your "moments" contained the seeds of what your life is right now. It works whether you're aware of it, or not.

All we're doing here is establishing an awareness of a process that's been taking place all along. Establishing a "relationship" with the "moments" that shape your life is the most powerful step a person can take towards self-empowerment. This is self motivation in its finest hour.

This principle is one that successful, and/or happy people apply continuously, in order to get where they're at. They've repeatedly connected with that part of themselves -the feeling, passionate part. Doing this over and over again not only made them feel good about themselves; it opened their lives up to the circumstances that they're living in today.

They've learned to maintain and nurture this "connection" regardless of what the outside circumstances of their lives were at any given time. Some might call this a Faith Principle, and it is in a sense. But still, it's more than that.

When we connect with someone, or something, or a thought, the principles of physics come into play. And thoughts -thought "moments"- are very real, life-shaping variables. They are the precursors to anything physical and present, now.

So all those worn out phrases you've heard :

* "Like attracts like" * "Birds of a feather flock together" * "Luck attracts luck"

and my personal favorite -"you reap what you sow" -are dead on the money.

These are not just sayings. These are fundamental principles that matter. And they're so simple. It's just a matter of paying attention to the forces that are shaping your life.

This is not some "forced" belief system where if you think it and think it and think it long enough, it will be true. This is about connecting to something that's already there inside you. Self motivation is about getting in touch with the deepest most fundamental aspects of “what” you are.

This is about choosing to connect with parts of your mind and heart that give you hope, and allow you to believe in your presence, and reason for being alive.

All of the strings, and ties, and pressures in your life -they're gonna be there. That's life. But no one says we have to let them be the driving force in our lives, and that's what happens when strings, and ties, and pressures are all that we think about, and "connect" with.

When you connect with YOUR intentions -your passion, your essence, your dreams- YOU become the driving force in your life. You become grounded. You enter a space where nothing feels as if it is "more than You."

* * *

Self Motivation Recap :

1. These "moments" -placed and parcelled throughout your day- are the structural framework to whatever it is that you want. 2. The strength of that structure -that framework- will depend on your "connection" to these moments.

Power

Keypoint : If you have feeling, YOU HAVE POWER.

The stronger the feelings, the stronger the POWER.

There's a dichotomy in play here though. A paradox. An irony.

You see -before we even get to experience this power, we've already packaged it into a box, and labeled it.

Anxiety Despair Boredom

Fright Anger Restlessness

Most of us aren't experiencing our power until we've already "put it in its place." As in, "this burst of Energy goes here."

"Here," being whatever our mind normally associates with that particular situation and our "place" in it.

The major point here is -it' all Energy. Workable, moldable, ever changeable ENERGY.

• Seize this fact whenever a destructive (destructive to your goal) feeling is in you.

Whether it be anxiety, or anger, or feeling overwhelmed. Remember -

1. it's energy -plain and simple 2. it's just Energy 3. it's totally redirectable ...by you

Forget about wherever this feeling came from, or what it's related to.

Seizing this fact will allow you to stand back -take distance- from the feeling so you can see it for what it really is : ENERGY.

A neutral entity.

A raw force.

Raw power.

Once you have an objective, and unattached perspective on the energy inside the feeling, you are able to step in as a creator, and harness, and focus, and direct this energy -this power- in whatever direction you WANT it to go in.

Motivated To Achieve - A “New-Do” Energy All types of situations and opportunities present themselves to us within any given day. Doing things we wouldn’t normally do –trying new things- keeps motivation fresh and new. Achievement doesn’t have to be something grand –it just has to be. “...DO... the new”

Inclinations ...little ticklings about the brain ...out of the ordinary pursuits. Breaking out of old routines is freeing.

The experience can be akin to a soapy bubble breaking free from the water's surface. It breaks with a jolt from the baseline and floats up -maybe zigzags; bit it zigzags up. Freely.

Free. Light. Curious. Excited. Adventurous.

Dreams and goals are the desire for a newness of life. Our lives can oftentimes seem dull and mundane. Routine takes over. After a while, the routine is all we see. It becomes difficult, if not impossible, to see “the new” in the places, people and events inside these routines.

A person who is motivated to achieve is ready for “the new”, and so looks to create opportunities for new experiences. Being motivated to achieve becomes a self-perpetuating energy when we allow ourselves to be “new.”

Breaking out of a routine is a way of redirecting, or changing, the energy flow that already exists in your life. And once that happens -once that energy starts to move and change- your inner energy starts to move and change.

Dreams and goals are the desire for a newness of life. Newness of life occurs when routines are broken.

In a sense, we creating new channels of energy in our lives. Things -situations- we might normally take for granted (or not notice at all) start to catch our attention. Draw your curiousity. It’s an attitude that embodies the state of “being motivated to achieve.

Intrinsic Motivation Is About What You Want Think ...about what you want, how bad you want it, and how it connects with WHO you are. This is intrinsic motivation.

To get into an “energy-motivation” frame of mind, try and see your mind's usual activities -thoughts, beliefs, expectations, and the usual ongoing banter we all tend to listen to- try to see all it from a different perspective.

Try to see them as a function of a much deeper part of your Self. A part of yourself which "senses" the world around you.

It's the part that was mentioned in the introduction. It's the part that feels the energy around you ...

* when you're in love, and that person walks through the door * that part of you that can sense the energy in a room, immediately * that part of you that knows something's going to happen and it does.

These experiences happen at our Energy Level; a level that lies much deeper than where our minds can go. The Energy Level is where motivation is at its purest, and where the genuine expression of intrinsic motivation begins.

Granted, if you're like most people, stopping the barrage of thoughts running through your mind takes tremendous effort. What we're trying to do here is to merely "refocus" our mind on the energy behind the barrage.

It's like -instead of looking across a field at a forest, looking directly at the tree in the center of the forest. The tree in the center is your focus, while the forest becomes the blur.

It takes practice, no doubt; yet still, it's a natural ability we all have.

It's a flow ...from one focus

* words, thoughts judgements

...to another

* vibes, energy, breath.

This is the mindset we want to be in when we think about our dream, or goal.

When we were kids, this is how we saw our dreams. We even went so far as to "experience" the dream right then and there.

As kids, we tapped directly INTO the Energy of our dreams simply because we could. We knew we could, it felt good, so we did it.

Same thing here. This is the root of intrinsic motivation.

Inspired Motivation – Embracing The Unexpected COINCIDENCE [Wordworth English Dictionary]

• fact, event or condition of coinciding • the occurence of events simultaneously or consecutively in a striking manner but without any causal connection between them.

This "official" definition is a prime, and genuine example of "being told" to pay attention -and only pay attention -to the limited parts of our being.

Sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell -are these the only things we can do, and do "reliably"?

God, I hope not.

The truth in this definition lies in the fact part, only.

The only causal connection missing is a "see-able" one; but this doesn't mean that a causal connection isn't there.

We humans are really two beings -physical, and spiritual- wrapped into one. We know this. We "feel" this. I - You - Him -Her, are so much more than eyes, ears, skin, tongue and nose. This is fact.

And accordingly, we have at least two sets of eyes. Two sets of ears. Two sets of everything. This "causal connection" then depends on what set of eyes we're using to see what's happening.

______________________________________________________

Coincidences are situations that we can't make "physical" sense out of; but this doesn't mean they don't happen for a reason. It's just a reason we can't see, or don't understand at that time of its occurrence.

Many of us can look back through our lives and remember some of the coincidences along the way. Oftentimes, an odd or eerie feeling accompanied them. This "feel" is not unlike the feel of your new "inclinations".

This "feel" is a different kind of knowing; a deeper, richer logic. and while our minds may not understand this of logic, another part of us understands it very well.

All of this is to say -when a coincidence happens, pay attention to it.

Don't wave it off as insignificant.

Everything -everything- happens for a reason.

Inspired Motivation – A Personal Path To be “inspired” to move towards a goal, or a dream is a wonderful and magical experience. Most of us tend to look for inspiration from our surroundings. However, the very best inspiration we can find is already inside us.

Questions :

Does it feel as if your heart dies a slow death with each passing day?

Is there a heaviness at the very center of your being that's always there, always pulling, always needing?

Do you feel suspended inside a realm where a clock is steadily ticking down precious moments of your life? As if you feel rushed to do something but you don't know what it is?

If you answered yes to any of the above, chances are you want something, and you want it in a big way. And even if you don't know what that "something" is, following your raw energy as it presents itself to you now is the quickest path to finding out what that something is, and getting it. The feelings contained inside the above scenarios ARE YOUR INROADS to your dream's energy. They are expressions of an inspiration that you already hold.

This does bear repeating :

"The feeling -the ENERGY- contained inside your 'want' is YOUR INROAD to your dream's energy."

A part of you already knows this. This is the part of you we're looking for. We need to get his, or her attention. Or rather -we need to pay more attention to this part of Self.

Anguish, despair, boredom ...anger, restlessness ...whichever one, or two, or all you're feeling -your dream's energy lies inside it. Inspired motivation sometimes comes in forms we don’t expect to see it in.

“How To Manage Our Emotions” Have you noticed how your life has evolved into a certain theme-like series of events?

How the same type circumstances, situations and people keep coming in and out of your life?

* bad relationships * a continuous lack of money * ongoing health issues * dead-end jobs

As individuals, we usually don't flip-flop in these areas, or any areas having to do with quality of life.

So what's happening here? Whe do we always seem to end up looking at the same life themes?

It's Energy ...it's a magnetic force.....

Energy will only "sit" for so long before it starts to move in one direction, or another; or many directions.

Whatever "casing" we place around it pretty much sets it in motion. This "casing" will then define whether this energy attracts, or repels whatever it's directed towards.

* Case in point : Someone you find attactive is in line ahead of you at the checkout. 1st Feeling : "Wow."

Now if we stay at this "Wow" point (energy) and go from there, at the very least, we can let a genuine energy of Self interact with this experience.

But most of us don't stop at this first feeling.

The brain kicks in. We start "telling ourselves" things that most likely have NOTHING to do with this present moment.

And this is where that initial feeling -that pure energy, "Wow"- begins to skew. This is where that energy begins to attract, or repel.

Look for the "feel" of the situation.

"Wow" is where you want to start looking for the "feel" of the situation. Most of us don't even start noticing the "feel" until after the brain's kicked in and told us stuff that has nothing to do with NOW.

It's a sort of pre-programming that's pushing, or pulling certain themes into your life experience. This "casing" -this wrapping- magnetizes you. Magnetizes your presence in this world.

Extrinsic Motivation – Getting In The Flow Flow ...what is it ...how to stay out of its way. All the things that happen in the world around us can be used, or worked with, as sources of extrinsic motivation. A big part of motivating oneself, and staying motivated is finding ways for the motivation we do have to resonate within whatever environment we find ourselves in. Being able to adapt and flow with whatever is going on around us allows our best energies to be directed towards what’s important to us.

“Flow” is what happens, no matter what. The people and events in our lives go on, whether we are present, or not. The challenge is to step into, and stay in, the right current as determined by what are goals and dreams may be.

Extrinsic motivation is about the “flow” of the Energy around us, and how to take advantage of the personal connection we have with our environments.

CONNECTION.

Paying attention to the energies going on around us is connecting. Fortunately, this IS something we notice -and respond to- throughout the day.

Say for instance -when you walk into a room of people who don't get along well, or who've just had an argument, you can feel the tension in the room.

Or -when you're around two people who are attracted to each other, you and anyone else in the vicinity can feel the sparks.

It's easy to connect with the energy in these scenarios. It "fills" the air. And it's not any different connecting with the other energies around you. Consequently, allowing for “flow” and connecting with the world around you causes the same experience to take place inside you. In doing so, extrinsic motivation becomes the experience of life itself, rather than treats and tricks to keep yourself going.

The biggest part is remembering to do it, or being aware that you ARE doing it; probably without even realizing it.

Here's something to try -easy-

* Hop in your car and drive through different areas, or neighborhoods in your town. As you drive around, take in the sights, but look without judging. Judging, as in, the "automatic commentary" that runs through our minds when we see something different or of interest. * Instead, try and pick up on the energy of what you're looking at. It won't come in words, or thoughts, though. It'll come in "feels".

When I drive through so called bad neighborhoods, I can feel a heaviness, or a tension; whereas the more "affluent" areas feel light, and freer, and sometimes sterile, or frozen-like.

Something else to try if you like to take walks is noticing the energies coming off the different houses you pass. Or, if you're nearby a park, notice the "feel" in the midst of the air and the grass and the trees.

Once you get in the habit of paying attention to flow of the world around you, it becomes easier to identity how your dream –your passion- connects with your place in the world. Extrinsic motivation, in and of itself, is about connecting the inner dream with your outer world.

ENERGY ..... MAGNETISM ..... POWER

Power ...Essence ...SELF ...

It's all there. It's always been there.

Inside SELF ...

We seek, and we look for answers, for direction, for something to believe in. Something REAL. Something we "know" -we sense, we feel- is real.

This universe is ordered by very basic, fundamental principles. Energy makes it run the way it does.

Feelings are our power-packs; and only because they hold our individual sources of energy. They hold our pure energy -our raw energy. They hold our magnetism and our power.

A goal, a desire, a need, is about energy that's already inside you.

However that energy makes you "feel" is what will pull, or attract your desire to you.

All you have to do is "feel" it.

This is the power "in the need".

Flow with the Energy, and let your thoughts evolve from there. Let it be what it exists to be from the start.

Emotion Control Tip - Neutralizing Fear

Fear, anxiety, despair ...these are the "casings" that most likely appear when we're trying to do something that we're uncomfortable doing. Oftentimes, these feelings are a result of feeling inferior or "less than" what we're wanting to be.

Fear is a fierce, merciless emotion, while anxiety can be like a slow torture of the heart. Despair soon becomes the icing on these finely baked emotions. They get bigger and bigger and bigger until they eventually become a never-ending reflection of the world we live in.

BUT ...if we look inside these "casings" -fear, anxiety, despair- what's inside is pure energy.

* Try something here :

Pick a situation -an uncomfortable situation- and zero in on how it makes you feel. Stay with it for a while.

Now strip away the situation from your mind, and just hang with the uncomfortable feeling. Stay with it.

Now start to look for the energy that's fueling that feeling. Just the energy. Focus on the energy all by itself. Stay with it.

Now you're at the place where the uncomfortable feeling began.

If you continue to stay with the energy -inside the energy- it starts to blend in with the rest of you. And once this happens, you're at a place where you are in control of where it goes, and how it feels.

This is the crux of our presence -our wills, our dreams, our longings. This place -this space- is where it all begins, whether we're aware of this process, or not.