Finding Motivation

Judith Hanson Hypnotherapy, NLP, Life Coaching in Kettering January 07, 2015

Anyone wishing to make a change in their lives needs the necessary motivation and the bigger the change, the stronger the motivation needs to be. As a coach and hypnotherapist, part of my job is to help my clients identify and strengthen their motivation.

The whole subject of motivation is quite complex but one simple model is that we can be motivated:

• Towards, or

• Away from

For example, a client who is unhappy in their job may know that the change they want to make is ‘away from’ that role but be unclear whether this is ‘towards’ a change of company or career. A weight loss client may be fed up with poor health and the way he looks and wish to move ‘away from’ the way he currently is or may just want to move ‘towards’ helping to ensure a longer and more active life.

Towards is generally regarded as the stronger motivation as it is goal oriented but, in most cases, it is possible to find the ‘towards’ equivalent of an ‘away from’ motivation. Many people have a preferred or habitual motivational style and this may have resulted in a number of failures that lead to a lack of belief in their ability to make the desired change.

Once the ‘towards’ motivation has been identified then it is important to be very specific about the goal itself and the benefits of achieving it. Going back to the career example, what are the criteria for the ‘ideal’ job and what benefits will it bring, for example, reduced stress, more family time, greater job satisfaction etc. This leads naturally into action, the steps needed to get from the current to the desired situation. Having a strong vision of what it will be like when the goal is achieved helps to overcome obstacles and setbacks, whereas they may seem too hard or not worth the effort if the focus is on moving away from the current situation.

Developing a clear goal that can be a ‘guiding light’ through the difficulties of making a change is, in my view, vital. If you have a ‘towards’ style then it is simply a matter of making sure you have a full sense of what it will be like when you have achieved your goal – not just visualising what it will look like but feeling the benefits and hearing the congratulations, maybe even ‘smelling the roses’!

If your motivation is more “I’ve got to get out of here!” then defining exactly what is wrong with here is a good place to start. Listing all the downsides of smoking helps to REALLY imagine what it will be like to be a non smoker – better breathing, more time and money, a longer life etc. It may be necessary to do some work on beliefs that may no longer be helpful (and may never have been yours anyway) like “I’ll never be successful” and there are a number of ways that a coach can help you do this.

Finally, looking at your values can really link what you are trying to achieve to those things that are important, that really matter to you. For instance, if anxiety is crippling your life but being independent is very important to you then linking your goal to control your anxiety to that value strengthens your motivation to succeed.

Once you have defined your goal in as much details as possible, it is extremely helpful to keep it vividly in your mind while you are en route. There are various ways to do this, for example:

• Collect pictures and photos to create a vision board

• Write down all the details of your goal and read it through regularly

• Take a few moments to close your eyes, relax and really imagine what it will be like when you have achieved your goal. Imagine it as if it has really happened and enjoy all the wonderful feelings this brings whenever you feel in need of a ‘boost’ to keep you going.