Bulletproof Motivation - part 1

Follow this blog series to Bulletproof your Motivation

Emotions Rule Motivation

Here’s something that shop owners and sellers know about human psychology: our decisions are driven by emotion and NOT logic.

That is to say, that you will buy something not because it is great value because you need it, or even because you particularly like it You buy something because you get excited by the cool packaging. Because you think the materials used look elegant. Because you imagine how cool or elegant you’ll look You buy it because it’s something other people have. You buy it because you’ve had a hard day and you need a treat. And you buy it because you are worried that it will be out of stock if you hesitate.

Take a look at any marketing materials and you’ll see that this is true. The fact of the matter is that we are ruled by our emotions, which you can think of as being a compass for the thing our body thinks we should be doing

The problem? Our body is hard-wired to survive in the wild outdoors. As far as evolution is concerned, our main challenges are finding food, staying warm and dry, and procreating. We want to belong to a strong social group, and we want to be respected by others.

These core emotions can be roughly arranged according to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, but the point is that our thoughts stem from our emotions. And those emotions typically stem from our physiology and environment. This is what then determines actions.

For proof of this, consider what happens when you get “hangry.”

When you become hungry, this will make you grumpy, irritable, and stressed: and this can often lead to arguments, mistakes, and other problems.

So, what’s actually going on here?

Well first, the lack of food in your system causes your body to release large amounts of cortisol, while serotonin levels drop. That heightened cortisol leaves you jittery and anxious, and it is that hormone that causes your thoughts to become stressed and irritable.

Why?

Because in the wild, that hunger would be extremely dangerous, and it would be highly important that you seek out
food – even if it meant competing with other people to get it. You’ll now find yourself worrying about your boss firing you, you’ll think about all the things your partner has done recently to irritate you, and the mess on the side in the kitchen is going to really annoy you.

Your thoughts will now begin to race, and you’ll find yourself struggling to concentrate on anything. You’re looking for danger, you’re looking for problems, and you’re tired. You think you’re angry because your boss/partner/housemate is
an idiot. But you’re actually angry because you’re hungry.

What Does This Have to Do With Motivation?

So, what does this have to do with motivation and discipline? Why does it matter? The problem is that if you now try to get work done if you now try to focus, then you are going to find it extremely difficult to do so. Consciously, you want to work on your project and get work done. But unconsciously you’re just looking for food!

There are countless other examples of this.

What if you’re tired? What if you’re cold?

Or what if you’re stressed about something that you said to a friend last week? In these scenarios, the hormones and
neurotransmitters running through your body are going to make it very difficult for you to focus on what you need to focus on. Motivation then is the ability to overcome that emotional drive to focus on what you need to.

The Problem With Dull and Dry Work
What happens when you aren’t hungry? When you aren’t scared or stressed? When the temperature and your energy levels are just right?

That’s the point at which you begin to focus on the things that you need to do to be successful: that’s the point where your motivation actually comes through.

Remember that hierarchy of needs?
It looks like this:
1. Self-Actualization
2. Esteem
3. Love and Belonging
4. Safety Needs
5. Physiological Needs

This list shows us the order in which our “needs” must be met, where the bottom item (physiological needs) takes absolute priority over all else. After that, you’ll look for shelter. Ever noticed how you don’t struggle with motivation to get up and go to work in the morning?

That’s because you know that if you DON’T go, then you won’t be able to afford to eat because you’ll get FIRED.
That creates an emotional response (stress), which drives you up and out of bed. And it works nearly every time unless you’re so sick that you’re too unwell to go.

Once you’ve finished work, you tend to spend time with your family (love and belonging), or perhaps hanging out with
friends/dating and you tend to look for esteem by buying nice clothes or by trying to advance your career.
Self-actualization is everything else. This is the feeling of fulfillment that comes from having a goal or a passion. It is self-improvement. It is “the desire to be the most that one can be.”

But you can’t be the most that one can be if you’re starving to death, or if nobody loves you. That’s why this hierarchy must be structured from bottom to top. You need to satisfy your most base desires and needs before you can start looking after the soul. The emotional drive to eat will always be stronger than the emotional drive to diet. The emotional drive to be warm and safe will always be stronger than the emotional drive to work out. And the emotional drive to hang out with friends will always be stronger than the emotional drive to go to work.

BUT it also just so happens that the items at the top of the pyramid are also the ones that bring the most lasting contentment and happiness. And this is why so many of us struggle with our motivation – we struggle to tell our bodies that no, today comfort and hunger take a back seat to the things we really need to get done to be happy.

“Get comfortable with being uncomfortable” - was always a bit of a mantra for me on long races, because self-improvement very seldom comes through comfort, when the chips are down, we find out who we are.