The Interesting Science Behind Motivation

There are two motivational forces that are common across all people. They are:

1) To avoid pain, at all costs.

2) To do those things that bring us pleasure of some kind.

As simple as it may sound, any decisions that we make can be taken apart until it is clear that we are chasing after these two things, usually simultaneously. The actual pain that we avoid and the pleasure that we seek varies based on personal taste and interpretation, and the reasoning to chase after them vary almost as broadly as the decisions that we choose to make.

This becomes easier to understand as you begin to realize that the main focus of the mind is to realize its' goals and discover a way to accomplish a task. Motivation is the game plan that your mind comes up with. Without motivation, you would not be able to complete even the simplest of tasks. Being the high-tech biological computer that it is, the mind is designed to allow you to respond and react seamlessly. This is done through three branches of the mind, allowing you to process information as it is revealed to you by your senses.

These branches are as follows:

- The Conceptual Branch: This branch is focused on our ability to create reason and logic and form beliefs about things that we do not always take in from sensory data. In terms of motivation, if you believe that what you are striving for is achievable, you will be more likely to attain it. However, when you begin to see your goals as being out of reach, you become less motivated to chase after them.

- The Perceptual Branch: Our ability to remember and recreate the data that we have taken in from our environment is completed by this branch. Our motivations are usually higher when we have more sensory input, meaning you are more likely to pursue the goal when there is something you can focus your senses on.

- The Emotional Branch: This branch works to interpret and express our inner emotions and feelings, and is where motivation is actually felt. Often, these emotions are a result of our beliefs and our values, but they can be manipulated by our environments as well.

- As a mentally healthy person, these three branches interact to allow you to feel and act upon the motivations that you feel towards different goals. The stronger your beliefs about a topic, the more likely you are to choose to follow them, and create what is called a "value". Values shape not only the goals that we are currently working towards, but they also determine our next steps and can predict what types of challenges and obstacles we will choose to overcome in the future.

As you learn to manage your beliefs, you will come to the realization that many of our motivators are determined and influenced by them. Once you feel comfortable taking on the challenges, and allowing yourself to be motivated by your beliefs, you will find that your life can be enriched by exciting experiences and once in a lifetime opportunities.