How To Discover Your Motivations

Find the things that make you tick

There’s so much activity, so much noise all around us that it can be pretty hard to discover what someone said across the room; it might seem impossible to discover your motivations inside of your heart. So if you want to find the inner motivations that make you tick and turn you on, first find the silence. Remove yourself as much as possible from the noise that surrounds you. And if that’s not feasible, then teach yourself to find the silence and peace inside of yourself despite whatever may be going on around you.

Don’t be afraid to be quiet. Some people seem to unconsciously fill their lives with sound and action. From running around with an endless to do list, to just having constant background noise of television or radio, they make sure that there’s always something going on that distracts their thinking. It’s an easy trap to fall into. It’s actually the reason why you don’t hear a lot of long pauses in a conversation. People tend to fear the sound of silence. It becomes your challenge, then, to embrace what might be uncomfortable. You may find that by stilling all of the activity and chaos around you, your heart will speak up and share insights with you from within. Find the peace, find the quiet, and listen. What you learn might surprise you.

And, actually, the surprise element is important here. It is said that the definition of insanity is repeating the same activities and expecting a different outcome. Discovering the true motivation deep in your soul, you’ll probably need to shake things up a bit. Step outside of your normal routine and try new things to see what speaks to you. After all, if you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got, and this is not conducive to the self-examination that will uncover your inner motivations. So what if you never did something before? That’s actually more of an argument for than an argument against exploration into new territory.

But trying new things doesn’t have to be a haphazard thing, really. One great approach is to do some deep thinking about the elements of your current activities. What is it that you really like and really don’t like about your current job for example? Then do some research and talk to people to figure out what other activities share the elements and activities that charge you up. Apply the same principles to all of the current parts of your life. Don’t get stuck thinking that you have to keep to the same activities to enjoy these pleasing elements. Find what excites you and brainstorm for alternate possibilities. Finding your bliss and uncovering your true motivation can be a thrilling experience.

Finally, once you get a better idea of where your motivations lie, have the courage to pursue a new dream. It can be scary to realize that your current path does not lead to your heart’s desire. Many people have decided to not made a change, just because it was so much easier to maintain the status quo. However, with great risk comes the possibility of great reward. Act responsibly, of course, but face your fear enough to try a new path when it presents itself. Finding and following your inner motivations can take your life to an entirely new place, and I wouldn’t want you to miss that ride.