Why do we do anything? There has to be something in it for us or we wouldn’t do it. Even if you do something for someone else you do it for that feeling of feeling good. Us humans are not that selfless as we might like to think. Another thing about humans are that we are pretty basic when it comes to motivation or getting motivated.
We really only do anything if the pay-off achieves one or both of the following:
- PleasureA
- Avoidance of pain
Stop and have a think about this. Think about whatever you do and what you have done and the motivation behind what you do and have done would have yielded either pleasure or avoidance of pain.
If you are ambitious you may want the pleasure of having nice things or security thus avoiding the pain of insecurity. If you are generous to the people around you you may do this for the pleasure you get from the feeling you get or the avoidance of the pain of the judgement that you may be selfish. If you buy a new car you may do this for the pleasure it gives you from driving a new car of the avoidance of the pain of the judgement that you are not doing well.
Ask yourself which motivates you more? Pleasure or avoidance of pain.
Have a look at these motivating reasons for losing weight and see which strikes a chord with you:
