"Focus on what motivates": Lessons for Living, by Dr Neil Thompson

When we need to make changes in our lives we can sometimes find it difficult to motivate ourselves.

This is often because we tend to focus on what we need to do to achieve the desired change rather than on the change itself.

For example, if you want to lose weight, focusing on eating less and/or exercising may seem like a bind, something you are reluctant to engage in.

However, if you focus on weight loss and the benefits it would bring, you are far more likely to feel motivated to make the changes.

This may seem simple, obvious even, but that doesn’t alter the fact that so many people continue to focus on means rather than the ends and thereby demotivate themselves.

The same logic applies to not only motivating ourselves, but also to helping others to motivate themselves.