A Man's Search for Motivation

Every day billions of people rise with the sun and move. They go about daily routines without very much thought of the motivational energy that moves us. What motivates people to move? What motivates people to change there current mental state or physical circumstance?

In my search to understand motivation, I found that motivation is “something that energizes and directs behavior..” Motivation deals with the drive that causes us to act in a particular way, or change our way of acting to another more desirable way. We may be moved by both internal drives such as needs and curiosity (see early iB-LIEVE team summer travels, 2003) as well as external drives including rewards and pressures. But, how we are moved and what moves each of us is individualistic. While all of this helps me to understand motivation, my question remains, “What motivates people to change?”

I believe motivation for change can come from a plethora of places: personality traits, events, experiences, disequilibrium, relationships, values, emotions , etc. But what it boils down to is that we all need incentive to change. We need a reason to change. Where does this reason come from? The reason comes from the beliefs about ourselves and what we want right now and in our future. Changing these beliefs is the gateway to making changes in our motive to act. This is what motivates change, the belief that change is necessary and will bring about desirable outcomes in the future. It turns out that to change our lives requires us to first change our beliefs. Dare I say it…”I believe, therefore I am.” What I mean is that what I believe is often times what I become because what I believe gives reason to what I want in life, and this motivates my choices.

Finally, we must understand that change in beliefs is not a linear process.
As we develop and understand it’s progression it is important to be compassionate of ourselves and others. We must also be mentally and emotionally flexible through this process. (see iB-LIEVE way)

-Mac Attack Express (DM,EM) & KB