How do You Manage Your Motives?
Our motives are what drive every decision we make each day. They are the basis of everything we think, say, and do. AND, we have the tremendous capacity to deceive (or inspire) ourselves as we develop our motives that form the foundation of our decisions. How do we manage our motives in the fast-paced world we live in? In order to better manage our motives, we need to examine what we both consciously, and subconsciously, allow to influence them.
Fans of crimes shows or even the world, national, and local news are always on the lookout for the motive behind any crime that’s been committed. It’s human nature to want to know the “why” behind someone’s actions. All motives are defined by the “why” and our curiosity is drawn to the most major of events or happenings we become aware of. But have you ever considered the motives that motivate your own personal decisions every day? Data suggests that each of us make more than 34,000 decisions each and every day and the fact is, there’s a motive behind all of them.
It’s impossible to define the motives behind ALL of our daily decisions because they’re driven by our subconscious mind and based on the character traits we’ve developed over the course of our life. Still, there’s real value in examining the motives behind the bigger decisions we make that have an impact on our interactions with others and on the quality of joy and happiness we experience each day of our life.
We can obtain advanced clarity on the motives that drive our bigger decisions by asking ourselves the why question and pondering our honest answers. The goal here is to make future decisions in those areas of our life more simplistic having amplified confidence in our motives behind those decisions.
Starting place for Why questions? The big four most impactful areas of our life: Transportation, Clothing, Food, and Shelter. Whydo I drive the vehicle I currently drive? Was it the affordability, the comfort, the environmental aspect, the image it projects, its ability to haul, the built-in convenience features, the color, its fuel efficiency, or a combination of several? Why did I select the clothes I’m wearing today? Was it to comply with work dress codes, to project a certain image to others, for comfort, to achieve status, to show-off body art or prevent others from seeing it, or a combination of those why’s? Why do I make the food and beverage choices I consistently make? Why do I live in the place I reside and why do I rent or own?
Granted, going through this process while being honest with ourselves can take some time, but the end result is consistent improvement in our decision making from understanding our motives. It can benefit your life hugely. And the simple truth is that YOU are worth this investment of time and the lifetime benefits that the process provides.
There is a caveat here, and it’s based on going through honestly answering the why question in the big areas of life and whether or not you take action based on your improved knowledge of what motivates you personally. Not taking ANY action equals a waste of time. Actions based on a better understanding of your motives equals increased self-confidence, enhanced decision making, better self-esteem, and the improved ability to be able to logically explain your personal motivations for everything you do, both to yourself and others.
Think of an elevator speech duration of 60 seconds. Could you explain to another person your motive for driving the vehicle you drive, for wearing the clothes you selected today, for the food and beverage choices you’ve made, and how you came to live where you currently reside? How about for the insurance company you use; whether you fill out your taxes each year or have someone else; your exercise routine (or lack thereof); who your friend group is and why you’ve chosen this peer group you spend the most time with (they influence your motives the most); how often you shop for groceries; the music you most enjoy; what you’ve been reading recently; your favorite podcast, video, or movie; what your purpose is for spending time on social media; what role religion plays in your life; whether you’re into politics or not; and what your take is on the environment. While you may not intentionally think each of these through every day, your subconscious mind is constantly managing all of them based on the input of the moment, and your personal motives that have been formed throughout your life.
I know….I’ve asked you to do some very deep thinking today, but consider this, every human advancement in the history of the world resulted from deep thinking with emphasis on focus, intention, and the desire for improvement over what currently is and what previously was. That’s a pretty solid reason to spend some time on yourself improving where you currently are. It’s also a really simple way to be a better you. So, begin right now asking yourself the “why” questions and discover the basis of your motives until you feel comfortable building the foundation of your life on the answers. You’ll be amazed at the improved way that you see yourself, the improved person that others notice you becoming, and the enhanced and amplified positive impact you have on this world we all share. Hey…I Believe In YOU! GiddyUp!