3D Motivation, how to get and stay motivated any time, any place, anywhere!

In these stay @home times we face many challenges; motivation, being a major one on them.  Our work, family and social lives are lived out daily under one roof.  Living in the current world where variety is scarce, is both overwhelming and monotonous, so motivational boosts become essential for everyday life.

Life @home has now become the current norm and today, you went about your activities as you did last week, and as you will do next week.  Over time, the emotional shock which came from the rapid change to your life will have diminished; after all, human beings are very good at adapting and we have adjusted to the style of living thrust upon us.

Emotions are good motivators even negative emotions. Regularity is not highly motivational because the emotional intensity is less.  Routines are practical, but not exciting or inspirational.

You can, however, choose to give yourself a motivational boost to stay focussed and energised and gain a sense of achievement with your day to day activities.  3D motivation is ideal to give you the lift you need and deserve immediately.

The components of 3D motivation are desire, drive and determination. When present in equal measures the 3Ds compound and grow naturally stronger to build motivation for any task.

To be motivated, there has to be a desire to achieve what you are setting out to do.  Desire is what focuses attention on the target.  Examples below

  Desire to complete the project to a high standard
  Desire to gain the top grade in your University essay
  Desire to exceed the sales target by 20%

The clearer the outcome in terms of seeing, hearing and feeling what you will be achieving, the greater the level of desire.  Clarity with the target increases desire to make it happen.

Your drive to achieve the outcome produces energy to propel action for the tasks.  There are two distinct forms of motivational energy which determine the style of unconscious drive you apply to the actions needed to reach your goals. There is ‘away from’ and ‘towards’ energy

Away from energy â€“ this is where attention is focussed on the negative consequence of missing the target.  The ‘away-from’ drive is motivated by a fear of messing up and can be more intense than the emotional reward of achieving the target.  Examples below.

 If the project is not complete I will face disciplinary action
  Poor marks in an essay will affect your overall grade in the course
  Missing the target means I will lose you the promotion or your job

Away from motivation is intense because your back is against the wall.  The emotions associated with loss stimulates digging deep into your resources, it’s often a fight against time.  When the job is completed, the sense of relief and reward is enormous, so is the burnout.

Towards energy, this is where attention and energy are focused on achieving the target as opposed to the consequences of missing it.  Usually, time is on your side, so the negative factors of missing the target timewise have not kicked in yet.

For many without that emotional intensity of potential failure, motivation is weaker.  The trick here is to emotionally connect with all the strong sense of achieving and act with the same urgency and energy present when the deadline is close.

Overall towards motivation is more balanced, the peaks and troughs are not present and overall feel-good factor associated with achieving.  People tend to be towards motivated get their drive from focussing on how good they will feel when the task is complete and set up rewards for themselves when the job is done.  Examples below

When the project is complete I will feel good and you will receive good feedback from my boss.
  High marks in the essay will give me a good overall grade and
  Hitting the target increases my promotion prospects.

Determination gives the focus and durability to stick with the target when challenges emerge, and they will.  Determination is your positive, can do anything mental state.  With determination, you just keep on going and find a way around obstacles.

Determination is your will power and gives you the ability to stay on track and not get sidetracked.  Determination gives you the courage to surpass the goal and achieve even more.

To summarise, desire sets the goal, drive provides the energy to achieve it (or not miss it) and determination is your mental state to stay focussed all the time or how to bounce back if you lose focus.

So welcome to 3D motivation, your ticket to success and fulfilment when working @home and also when we return to the world after lockdown.

If you are looking for the 3D motivational boost, to smash through your targets, you can attend my two hour â€˜Stayin Motivated’ online workshop.  For sure, the day to day activities will be easier and more productive after.

Click the link below to make your motivation 3D

A two-hour live motivational workshop with Michael Carroll

7 May 2020 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm UK time

Michael Carroll, 2020