There are two categories of motivation; towards and away. It is important to utilise both of these systems to achieve the changes that you desire and overcome procrastination. Many publications that cover motivation filter people into one of the two categories, doing this means that you are only using 50% of your motivational possibilities.
We naturally move towards things that bring us pleasure and away from those that will result in pain. This is a survival system that enables us to move through life without too much discomfort. Motivation is inseparable from this natural system, and taking conscious control of it enables you to step outside of a comfort zone that might otherwise lead to stagnation and procrastination.
Where the natural system falls apart is when a decision to do something will bring short term pain but long term pleasure, yet not doing it will result in short term pleasure but long term pain. This is the single greatest cause of procrastination. We are faced with the possibility of pain whichever decision we make, and avoiding pain is usually a far greater motivator than gaining pleasure. Since taking action will result in discomfort, but not taking action will too, we tend to put things off. We know that we intend to take action one day, so we are reasonably shielded from the possibility of long term pain, yet the thought of taking action now would be far too painful.
As time goes by, the possibility of the long term pain draws closer and closer, and it soon becomes less painful to complete the task than to put it off any longer. An example of this is last minute cramming for exams, where we spend all term avoiding the pain of revision, then, as the exam date draws closer, suddenly the pain of failure is stronger than the pain of revision so we start to cram!
Logic would tell you that if you are going to do something in the end anyway, it would be far better to do it now, saving a whole lot of time and worry. But our minds do not respond too well to logic! There is a fantastic system that addresses this issue using future pacing that we will go into in more detail in a moment. For now I would like to clarify the difference between away and toward motivation.
Away motivation is linked to pain, which is one of the greatest motivators. If something causes us pain or discomfort in some way then it is relatively easy to avoid doing. Predominantly away motivated individuals do things out of fear of what might happen if they don't take action. A classic example is quitting smoking because you are scared that it will kill you. Unfortunately, it usually takes extreme measures to get an away motivated individual stirred up enough to take action. And once a little action is taken the situation instantly becomes less threatening, the less threatening the situation, the less motivated the individual. At this stage it is not uncommon for the action to slow up or stop all together.
As it's name suggests, towards motivation is all about moving toward a goal. A predominantly towards motivated individual will do something because of the rewards they will receive. In this case, our smoker quits because they are looking forward to a healthy life style, rather than running from an unhealthy one. Towards motivated individuals strive to be number one and crave recognition, they respond extremely well to rewards, and are motivated by league tables etc.. Most sales professionals are towards motivated.
Many people tend to use one system more frequently than the other, but this does not mean that you should discard your less dominant motivational system. You should make effective use of both systems to ensure that you are harnessing your full motivational potential.
Future pacing is a technique where you shift your awareness to a time in the future and use you imagination to see what could be. It is an incredibly powerful tool that makes use of towards and away motivation. Future pacing not only helps you overcome procrastination it is also very useful for making important decisions.
We have a selection of professional hypnotic audio programs available that we believe you will find extremely useful. Hypnosis is a very powerful tool for motivation, enabling you to realise your goals and eliminate procrastination once and for all.
The foundation of becoming motivated to succeed at anything begins with
intention; a desire to complete a worthwhile goal. As you are seeking
motivational improvement it is critical that your subconscious mind knows that
you have a worthwhile goal in mind. Once this part of you has this information,
it must act upon that information. This hypnotic audio
program has been designed to boost your motivational capabilities by accessing
the awesome power of your subconscious mind. For more information simply click
on the image above.
Why do different people react differently to the same situation? Why do similar life events evoke such varying reactions as depression, anxiety, hostility, elation, and even indifference? Almost every minute of your conscious life you are engaging in self-talk, your internal thought language. These are the sentences with which you describe and interpret the world. By making a choice to change the way we think about the events in our lives, you can free yourself from overreacting and stress. As you learn to think in more positive ways, you attract more of what you want into your life. This hypnotic audio program has been designed to change the way you think, rewiring your brain for positivity. For more information click the image!
Discover the Art of Self-Discipline by using the power of your mind to support you in keeping those big and small commitments you make with yourself. In this session you will make a connection with a part of you known as your higher self, which will be there to help you to achieve discipline through keeping your agreements with yourself. This session forms part of a larger series called, 'Power to Achieve' for more details on this dynamic approach to self discipline click on the image above.
Your mind works just like a muscle. Just as you exercise your body, your mind requires exercise in order to function optimally. It needs stretching and exercise just as it needs rest and relaxation. As you do this exercise more and more you will notice yourself making the improvements you desire. As you begin each day with a visualization you become more focused on your goals, priorities and personal objectives for that day. Suggestions for success are reinforced at a deep subconscious level as well as at the conscious level by carrying out instructions given to you during your inner level of mind. This session forms part of a larger series called, 'Life Success' for more details on this dynamic approach to self discipline click on the image above.
This is an extremely powerful audio program, and perhaps one of the most useful sessions you will ever find! This unique hypnotic program harnesses the power of your inner child, allowing you to remember how to dream, how to imagine and how to believe. Achieving your goals will seem so much easier as you learn to open up your childlike qualities with the awesome power of your subconscious mind. For more details click the image above.
Procrastination is one of the biggest obstacles that can hinder your success. It is very important that you have a working strategy to overcome procrastination and this is what we are going to discuss now.
To eliminate your procrastination you need do three things. Associate massive pain to not accomplishing your set task, associate massive pleasure to accomplishing it and then take action!
A hands on approach is the best way to learn these techniques so choose an area of your life where you desire greater motivation and complete the simple steps as listed below.