This is an old thread but there’s some good stuff in it.
I have this saved offline, but just dropping it here. Might help someone turn a screw or something.
ROI approach to Motivation
Most people that I talk to in real life, don’t actually know what motivation is.
Some people say that it’s just dopamine.
When I wanted to understand motivation, I watched a video of a lion chasing a gazelle.
The visual of actually seeing what motivation looks like, gave me a different level of understanding it beyond just semantics.
Motivation is a driving force or energy that propels action.
Motivation → Action
It’s a means to something.
It’s an energy that converts into something.
Without that something, it is completely useless.
This is what most people fail to understand.
The value of motivation, only comes from when it’s converted.
Analogy:
Imagine that you have a bunch of gemstones, but none of them are cut and refined.
You can’t sell them to anyone unless they are cut and refined.
Unless they are cut and refined, they are useless and have zero value.
Unless motivation is converted, it is useless and has zero value.
The difference between me and other people, is that I only think about motivation through the context of its value.
Others think about motivation through the context of its experience.
Me: Goal and results driven perspective (value focused). “How do I maximize the use of this type of energy in my life and bring things into fruition”.
Others: Exploratory, analytical perspective (experience focused). Like a scientist.
Most average people are interested in the outcome-oriented approach to motivation and how to apply it in their life, but their understanding of it doesn’t align with that. They’re basically all doing it wrong. Their perception of motivation is vague, and singular.
My perception of motivation is a dual package. I focus on what it converts into, because that’s what gives motivation value. That’s what makes it useful, and a part of the conversation in the first place - conversion. Utility, clarity and practical application.
People: I found that very motivating.
Me: To do what?"
People: What motivates you?
Me: To do what?"
People: I feel really motivated after listening to that podcast…
Me: To do what?
People: Reading self-help books motivates me.
Me: To do what?
People: Listening to uplifting music motivates me.
Me: To do what?
People: Other people’s success stories motivate me.
Me: To do what?
People: How do I get more motivated?
Me: To do what?
Asking that, automatically triggers conversion and forces you to juice motivation for its ROI and value.
Why would one entertain the idea of motivation in an outcome-oriented sense, without acknowledging its value (conversion) in the same breath - this is what most people do.
It’s not a proactive way to think.
Motivation. Conversion. Action. Specific Goals. Plans. Steps. Tangible Results.
Motivation that doesn’t convert into anything is completely useless. It’s nothing more than a mental masturbation of feeling.
That being said, once you change how you view motivation… you can use it to do a lot of things. You can use it to get out of your comfort zone and create new pathways in your brain. Anything can motivate you to do something, it’s like drawing in energy from your surroundings. You have the entire world to get motivated by to do something. You have the entire internet. You have the entire history of this planet. Myths. Legends. Stories. Movies. You can use it to get something done. Knock a chess piece off the board. Take control of your life. Reach a new checkpoint. Level up. You can even reflect on your past, and merely get motivated to do something from that. Simply from an introspection.
TLDR: Direct motivational energy towards specific goals and actions rather than simply experiencing the feeling of motivation without a clear purpose.
