Knowing your motivation strategy - Are you a carrot or stick type of person?

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Are you a carrot or stick type of person? 

Motivation is always a hot topic to discuss because the majority of us are looking for ways to become more motivated to get things done. Whether that is studying, housework, exercise or simply feeling more motivated at work.

One of the NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming)  Meta-Programs or filiters for motivation, "move away from" or "move towards" can help to give an insight into what motivates people to get things done. People are usually motivated to do things based on "pain" or "gain." Therefore having an insight into whether you are someone who moves towards something (gain) or moves away from something (pain) will help you to understand how you can create more motivation in your life.

For example, if you are a "move away from" type and are looking to feel motivated to be healthy and move more. Focusing on the exercise and how you will look and feel at the end of it may not motivate you to get out there and join a gym or start a healthy eating regime. Rather than focussing on the result it would be more beneficial for a "move away from" type to create a strategy where the focus is on what will happen if they continue to sit on the sofa and become a couch potato! This approach is far more likely to motivate this type to move away from these behaviours and become more motivated to do something different. 

On the other hand, if you are a "move towards type", focussing on what it is you do not want is very likely to keep you stuck and not able to find the motivation to do whatever it is you want to be doing.  If you get clear on what it is that you want by creating a clear outcome for yourself, it will then be so much easier to find the motivation to get out there and start working towards what you want. 

I often find when I am working with people to help them get more motivated to do the things they want to do one of the key things that keeps them stuck is a lack of understanding of what drives their motivation at this level.

The easiest way to determine your motivation strategy is to ask yourself "what is it I would like to happen?" If you answer by describing what you do not want, then it is likely that your motivation strategy is "move away from", if you know exactly what it is you want, it is probable that your motivation strategy is "move towards". 

Here are some little insights that will help you determine your motivation strategy:

• When it comes to doing housework, "move towards" people will be motivated by a good result and the house looking and feeling clean and tidy, while "move away from" people will be avoiding the mess, dirt, germs or the negative judgement of others.
• When it comes to health, "move away from" people are more motivated by fear (of symptoms or outcomes) rather than by a vision of good health. The fear of becoming unwell is more likely to motivate them to stay healthy.
• When it comes to money, "move towards" people are more likely to want to make investments so that they can enjoy life in the future; they will focus on an upside and work to gain a financial objective. "Move away from" people tend to feel they need savings for a rainy day. They are more likely to think in terms of protecting their pot of money and less about building it or growing it.

Ultimately the results of a "move away" or "move towards" motivation strategy are the same. Both will bring about the desired results; the only difference is in how they are used to motivate a person at an unconscious level. However, by understanding your unconscious motivation strategy, it will help you to use it more effectively in daily life, whether it is to achieve big goals or merely to feel more motivated on a Monday morning! 

If you want to connect with me or work with me, click here!  Or come and join me over at my Private Facebook Coaching Group.

To your success!

Avril

P.s Keep an eye out for the launch of my new book "The Reinvention Method" and the Transformational/Generative Yoga Retreat I will be teaching at in France in April next year!

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