We are driven by two types of motivation in our lives and each type is more important during different phases of our lives.
When we leverage these two types of motivation it causes us to immediately and swiftly take initiative and actions in our lives to rapidly align ourselves with our goals.
We are driven by internal and external motivation. External motivation is forces outside that drive us towards action and Internal motivation which are the forces within us.
Each Phase Of Our Life Maximizes A Different Type Of Motivation
The first half of our life is about satisfying our External Motivation (acquiring status and things.) Our job, the title associated with it, the paycheck all satisfy our motivation and propel us forward. We constantly chase the next rung in the ladder, the next title, the next raise all of which we pour back into our lifestyle and purchasing a nicer car, a better vacation, more toys and on the cycle goes, always focused on acquiring more.
Right around our Midlife Awakening, about 40, we start to turn towards Internal Motivation. We start to examine how things make us feel, how our contributions to the world in a bigger scheme make us feel. We start to question our place in the world and what type of legacy we will leave.
We’re not driven by advancing our careers anymore, we’ve slowly come to realize the time required to invest in moving up the ladder won’t give us the results we’re seeking (excitement, energy and focus) to acquire more things.
Instead, we more towards traveling, remote work situations, working less hours, being able to dictate the work we do and finding a new path that fires us up and fuels that fire with Internal Motivation.
What type of motivation are you chasing? Once you satisfied your External Motivation, it’s time to start digging in and uncovering your internal sources of motivation.
Finding a source of internal motivation is one of the biggest challenges you’ll encounter during the second phase of your life. It’s the cornerstone of Igniting Your Awakening.
It’s easy to get fired up about a promotion, a pay raise or a shiny new toy. It’s not so easy to dig in deep and go below the surface and come up with a kernel that will drive you forward, compel you no matter what to define and commit to consistently taking the actions you must take to achieve the new goals you’ve set in your life.
The critical component to setting and achieving a new strategic plan, set of goals and vision in your life is finding your key pieces of internal motivation.
To Create An Insane Amount Of Drive In Your Life Use Internal Motivation
As you move towards the second half of your life and while you’re redefining your purpose in life, it’s time to dig in and start switching your sources of motivation from External to Internal.
Reflect on what you used to chase as your dreams. What “things” did you acquire that let you know you made it. Take a moment to look around, which of those “things” do you currently have? How often do you use them? What do they mean to you now that you have them?
If you’re like most of us, the external sources of motivation we achieve tend to tie us down to a certain lifestyle, a certain level of commitment of one of our primary resources (Time, Money or Energy.)
What feelings will you achieve once you start to release yourself from the ties of external motivation?
The fastest way to release the feeling of obligation from these external sources is to do a check-in and see if you’ve used it lately, what commitment it requires and if you’re not using it or willing to pay with the (Time, Energy and Focus) needed go ahead and give yourself permission to eliminate it, sell if off or just throw it away.
As you start to “clean house” you’ll notice it feels as if a weight is lifted and you achieve more energy to do the new actions in your life.
We tend to feel obligated once we’ve purchased something to use it or keep it. One of the most freeing acts you can take is do an inventory of what you currently own and decide which ones you can let go and which ones you’ll really use as you enter the second half of your life.
Decide now to start switching your source of motivation from internal to external
As you switch from external sources to internal sources of motivation you’ll notice what you constantly think about and wish for will dramatically change.
Gone will be the days of dreaming about being the CEO for a large paycheck, instead you’ll see the true meaning of what you’re driving for, what sort of contribution you want to build and what cause your life will be about.
During the second half of our lives we want to focus on building our legacy and teach others from our experience. It’s a natural shift and one you should welcome.
Building a legacy is about defining how you’re going to contribute to the world with a bigger picture in mind. It’s where your primary resources are going to be aimed and utilized at their fullest.
Where are you willing to start spending your resources to build something that Ignites within you an insatiable fire?
Originally published at www.igniteyourawakening.com on June 11, 2016.