Write your search in the input below and press enter.
Esc to close.

The Sports Doc Chalk Talk with Dr. Chris Stankovich

Peak Performance:
Not Just for Sports, for Life

  • Products
    • Toolkits
    • Audio
    • Videos
    • Books
    • Apps
  • Services
  • Chalk Talk
    • Recent
    • Athletes
    • Coaching
    • Sports Parenting
    • Sports Administrators
    • Life
    • Administrators
  • About Dr. Stankovich
  • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • Products
    • Toolkits
    • Audio
    • Books
    • Videos
    • Apps
  • Services
  • Chalk Talk
  • About Dr. Stankovich
  • Testimonials
  • Contact

Hello. Sign In

My Account
  • Login
  • Register
0
The Sports Doc Chalk Talk
Subscribe
The Sports Doc Chalk Talk with Dr. Chris Stankovich
  • Recent
  • Athletes
  • Coaching
  • Sports Parenting
  • Life
  • Administrators
Home / Blog / Need Motivation? These 2 Tips are Sure to Help

Need Motivation? These 2 Tips are Sure to Help

By: Dr. Chris Stankovich | @DrStankovich | Oct 01, 2018

No Comments

When it comes to motivation, simply “kinda” wanting to do something won’t get you very far.  For example, you can’t kinda want to lose weight and think that’s enough motivation to see measurable future change.  Similarly, you can’t kinda want to do better in school, quit smoking, or maximize your athletic talents.  The reality is that when it comes to making significant changes in life, we need a lot more motivation than a casual interest and attitude.

Examining human motivation

Motivation is the reason for our actions, and dictates the direction of our behaviors.  For example, we are motivated daily to meet our basic needs — food to survive, sleep to rest our bodies, and security measures to keep us safe.  Beyond our basic shared needs, we begin to think and operate more uniquely, largely based on our own wants, needs, and interests.  Regardless of our individual life interests, we again experience shared challenges when it comes to human motivation — specifically, what actually happens that allows us to move from a thought (desire), to taking action steps toward reaching a goal?  While it’s nice to think about reaching future goals in life, it’s the action step that really counts — and it’s the precise triggering moment between thought and action that largely determines one’s motivation and level of life achievement.

So what is it that turns thoughts into action?  We can assume that the vast majority of people would like to live a healthy life, find value in what they do, and refrain from bad habits, but why is it that so many people struggle to do these things even when they seemingly want to do them?

The 2 factors that determine action and movement

As mentioned earlier, it’s nearly impossible to cull legitimate, ongoing action toward a goal through casual motivation.  In fact, I have discovered that short of feeling truly inspired or desperate human beings generally just remain creatures of habit, only wishing that they could get motivated enough to change course in life.  Allow me to break this idea down further:

  • Inspiration.  Often inspiration comes from seeing or actually knowing someone who you feel is equally or even less capable than you accomplish something.  For example, you might think about running a marathon one day, but the thought stays just that — a thought.  Later, however, an otherwise average friend of yours who never run marathons before tells you that she is training for a marathon — it is in these moments in life where we tend to think to ourselves, “If she can do it, why can’t I?”  Of course, inspiration can come from many different places, but the point is there needs to be something that moves thinking from kinda wanting to do something to being inspired to do something. 
  • Desperation.  While we don’t like to think about life in terms of desperation, we also know that when we feel desperate, we often take action to fix whatever it is we feel desperate about.  This kind of motivation can come from a scary health report from the doctor, a couple missed job opportunities, or even an extra notch on our belt suggesting we have gained weight.  Often in these examples action takes place almost immediately, as we know we have crossed the line from thinking about doing something to now needing to do it.

Final thoughts

Human motivation is a fascinating construct to study.  While there are certainly individual differences among us when it comes to motivation, there are also fairly common triggers that get all of us moving toward taking future action toward a goal.  My professional experience has shown me that when we are truly inspired or genuinely desperate we become much more open to actually moving on ideas that have been on our minds for some time.  For these reasons I think it’s important to try and find leverage when you can — what inspires you today?  Similarly, are there things happening right now creating a sense of urgency?  Both will move you from the comfort zone, and hopefully toward positive future goal attainment.

Looking for more help?  Click here to learn more.

drstankovich.com

 

change, goals, habit, health, motivation, psychology, success

  • Author
  • Comments
  • Details
Get to Know the Author

Dr. Chris Stankovich

Dr. Stankovich has written/co-written five books, including Positive Transitions for Student Athletes, The ParentsPlaybook, Mind of Steel.

Latest Blog Posts

  • June 5, 2023 What is Happening to Recreation Youth Sports in America?
  • May 23, 2023 Breaking Down the Stages of Youth Sports
  • May 16, 2023 Mental Health Tips to Help Kids Avoid Sport Burnout
  • May 10, 2023 Watch for these Issues with Kids Playing Multiple Sports During Same Season
  • May 4, 2023 Understanding the Importance of a Balanced Athletic Identity for Kids

PREVIOUS POST

Winning, Losing, & LEARNING in Sports

NEXT POST

Helping Kids Handle Cuts in Sports

Category

Confidence , Emotional Intelligence , Habit Change , health psychology , Mental Toughness , Performance Enhancement , Uncategorized

Tags

change, goals, habit, health, motivation, psychology, success

  • Recent Posts
  • Most Read
  • What is Happening to Recreation Youth Sports in America?
  • Breaking Down the Stages of Youth Sports
  • Mental Health Tips to Help Kids Avoid Sport Burnout
  • Watch for these Issues with Kids Playing Multiple Sports During Same Season
  • Understanding the Importance of a Balanced Athletic Identity for Kids
  • Morning Sports Practice Before School is Becoming the Norm, but is this Healthy for Kids?
  • Nature or Nurture? Exploring the Psychology of Sport Success
  • Breaking Down the Stages of Youth Sports
  • 3 Important Tips for Today's Multi-Sport, Youth Sport Athlete
  • Understanding Intelligence: Putting Knowledge into ACTION!
  • The Sports Doc on TV

    Catch Dr. Stankovich’s tv, radio, and print interviews and columns here!

    Dr. Chris Stankovich Watch Videos
  • Sport Performance Assessment

    Dr. Chris Stankovich Quickly and accurately test your level of mental toughness in just a few minutes using the Sport Performance Assessment.

    (SPA), an easy-to-use sport psychology system specially designed to help you REACH YOUR FULL ATHLETIC POTENTIAL.

    learn more
  • SportsSuccess360

    Life strategies for performance and character development for coaches, parents, and student athletes competing in youth and interscholastic sports.

    Life Strategies learn more
  • Contact Dr. Stankovich

    1395 Grandview Avenue Suite 6, Columbus OH 43212

    (614) 561-4482
    Media & General Inquiries
    information@drstankovich.com
    Sales & Product Support
    sales@drstankovich.com
  • About Dr. Stankovich

    • Media
    • Blog
    • Testimonials
  • Products

    • Toolkits
    • Videos
    • Books
    • Audio
    • iPhone Apps
  • Services

    • Athlete Performance Training
    • Parent Community Forum
    • Coach Education & Development
    • Athletic Crisis Response and Intervention
    • Drug & Alcohol Assessment
    • Life Success Programs
    • Counseling & Consulting Services
  • Blog
  • YouTube
  • twitter
  • facebook

All rights reserved © 2023 Advanced Human Performance Systems™

↓ ↓