Finding The Right Motivation
How It Dramatically Changes What You Are Capable Of In Your Life
Finding The Right Motivation
How It Dramatically Changes What You Are Capable Of In Your Life
Written by a human, for humans, always.
A lot of people struggle with motivation.
There is a small secret around motivation...
You cannot rely on it.
There will always be days and times...
Where you lack motivation in the moment.
But...
That is not really what I want to get into today.
I want to look at motivation in a broader sense.
Not just in that momentary struggle...
But with the greater long-term struggle to make progress toward something.
I was thinking about this today because I’ve been taking classes.
In these classes, I’ve been really putting in all my effort to do as well as I possibly can.
I become slightly disappointed when I miss 0.25 points on an assignment.
Despite getting near-perfect scores the rest of the time...
I want to completely master the subject matter.
But...
This is not how I have always been...
Especially when it comes to school.
I was a really good student until around middle school...
And I can really remember the class where things changed.
Geography.
My teacher was absolutely amazing.
Truly, she was fantastic and created a really enjoyable class.
Yet...
I really struggled.
To this day, I am quite atrocious at geography.
But I remember getting a C on a test...
And my mom, who is my biggest fan, said...
“I know you can do better.”
But what went through my mind...
Was that I really gave it everything I had.
I didn’t know where “better” could be found.
In the moment, it felt crushing...
To try everything possible to get a great grade...
And end up with mediocrity.
I am a bit wiser today to know that there will always be some things that we just are not good at...
Because there are too many things that exist, and only enough time to become amazing at a few.
But that crushing defeat...
Created a pattern where my mind said...
If I do not care about this...
Why put so much effort into it?
Is it really worth all that struggle?
That set a tone even through my bachelor’s degree...
Where I often did not try in classes that I felt I would not be good at.
I had no real motivation to become good at those classes...
So I did not even try.
That included...
Classes that had to do with the human body...
Especially, physiology and anatomy.
In fact...
If I could avoid those types of classes, I would.
In university, I chose to do astronomy so I wouldn’t have to be anywhere near the human body.
Yet...
Something changed.
It began when I started seeing a pattern in my work on leadership.
I kept seeing...
That the models that leadership development was using...
Rarely worked.
The areas the models “worked” were actually exceptions as opposed to the norm.
What that means...
Is that it was not really the models themselves that worked...
But what worked was the individual who just happened to get the right skill at the right time that they specifically needed under the right conditions.
The problem...
Is that it is not scalable...
It is not reproducible...
It cannot be repeated.
Which is exactly why the category of leadership development completely fails 80% of the time...
With “limited” success, the remainder.
But this led me to the question...
Why were the failure rates so high?
What was preventing things from working?
What was needed to create consistent, reproducible results?
The answer...
Was psychophysiology.
So, I had found a new motivation...
Understanding how humans are designed to work...
So that we could unlock their potential.
That...
Began my deep study and research into human psychophysiology...
Which led me to getting over 40 certifications and degrees in different areas...
Including my...
Doctor of Functional Medicine...
Doctor of Holistic Medicine...
Doctor of Natural Medicine...
And becoming a Triple-Board-Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner...
With some more Doctoral-Level programs I am working toward over the next two years.
And...
I’m obsessed.
I cannot get enough of learning about our psychophysiology.
In the past, I avoided classes...
Today I want to get 100% in my classes...
And nearly get there.
I have enough grace for myself today to know that beating myself up for small mistakes is not worth the effort...
Yet I still have that perfectionistic striving.
Missing the points does not deter me...
It actually motivates me to become better.
What I want to get at...
Is that sometimes...
Having the wrong motivations will cause you to fail.
But...
That failure may not necessarily be because you are not actually good at something...
Or mean that you are unable to become good at something.
It might just mean you have not yet found the right motivation to unlock your capabilities.
I cannot guarantee it...
I’m still awful at geography...
Unable to navigate myself to many places I’ve been to hundreds without a device...
Much to the chagrin of my wonderful spouse.
But...
It is worth asking yourself...
What are your motivations here?
You may be struggling and deeply enveloped in anxiety, fear, and hopelessness...
Because you have the wrong motivations.
When it comes to psychophysiology today...
I have no anxieties or fears...
And there are times when I look at what many consider a “hopeless situation”...
And I begin to question if it is justified...
Or if there are paths we just have not yet discovered...
That I want to pioneer in discovering...
Even if...
It does end up being hopeless.
That is the difference that having the right motivation can provide.
It can fill you with wonder and curiosity...
It can allow you to accept your humanness...
While simultaneously expecting yourself to have the capability to become better...
And as long as you are physically capable...
You will become better.
That becomes the difference between having the right and wrong motivation.
So ask yourself...
Have you found the right motivation?
To Your Sageship,
Cody
P.S. - It can be Difficult to Figure Out How To Achieve…
Stress Optimization
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