There have been numerous times I have wanted intrinsic motivation in my day, and I can say that all the below factors in the motivation equation, have all played their part. Recently I have been thinking differently and connecting with being a person who leads a healthy lifestyle. In the past, I was easily distracted and gave in to immediate gratification of non-healthy activities. I know this is not going to disappear, as I become more aware of it happening and I move into the identity of a healthy person, one who doesn’t act on these impulses, knowing that my long term goal is more important and preparing my environment for success I will get closer to my goals.
“You'll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” John C. Maxwell
Let’s break down this motivation equation and see if you can relate to any of the factors in the equation. It is from the work of Piers Steel, Ph.D. in his book, The Procrastination Equation, and a guru I love, Brian Johnson.
The equation has both a numerator and a denominator:
The Numerator: V * E
“V” is Value. What do you want and value in life? Science shows if you don’t value it or want it in life you may not go after your goals. A lot changed for me when I took the time to understand what I valued in life and I made that connection to how I show up.
“E” stands for Expectancy. Do you expect that you will be able to reach your goal? What do expect that you can achieve? The Henry Ford quote always sums this up, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right.” What do you believe?
The Denominator: I * D
“I” stands for Impulsiveness, distractions that will diminish your motivation. How often do you pursue immediate gratification? How distracted do you get throughout the day and seek impulses and little pleasures? Can we eliminate our distractions.
Something I am going to work on this year, I love shiny new things and I get stuck on social media looking at new learning materials – next thing 20 minutes have passed on by! What do you get distracted by?
And lastly, “D” stands for Delay. How far delayed into the future is your goal? How far away from today is your deadline? The further away from your goal the harder it is to sustain motivation. Chunk it down in micro-goals – make the delay as soon as possible. You need to know today what is going to support you in the future. What are you doing today to move towards your ultimate goal? It is a great question I find I ask myself often – is what I am going to do right now going to get me closer to my ultimate goal? What are you working on today?
To make this motivation equation work we need more of the numerator and less of the denominator to fuel our efforts to set and achieve our goals.
What action can you take today?
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