I would call myself a motivated person in the sense that I am energetic, positive, accomplished, efficient, and I am very results oriented. But that is according to the generally accepted definition of the word ‘motivation’ and it does not do justice to the concept of motivation. When we look at motivation clearly we have to ask the question, ‘why are you doing this’ because the true definition of motivation is your reason for doing something. And that is not always the reason you are telling yourself. it is the underlying, deep, true reason for your actions and when we investigate our motivations and motives we can find that we can have more than one and they are often not aligned or working together.

There is an external reason and an internal reason for everything that we are motivated to do.

What is my reason for how I work and live my life? I am a learner, I love learning new things, exploring new adventures and being able to get things done. I enjoy the sense of accomplishment that accompanies starting and finishing a new task. I have over 100 pairs of shoes. I love being outside, gardening, bicycling, and hiking. I am an accomplished musician and I enjoy playing music. I am also a celebrated author and podcaster and I love interacting with people from all over the world.

That is my external reason for my motivation. And that is what really serves as a motivator which is something I know now but I did not know for many years. And I was driven to do things that I did not understand or know why they were so important.

Read the rest of the Motives, Motivation, and Timelines article on the blog at enlighteninglife.com 

Created, narrated, and produced by Jennifer Hoffman.

Artwork by Jennifer Hoffman.

Copyright (C) 2004-2025 by Jennifer Hoffman, all US and international rights reserved.

Visit enlighteninglife.com for more information.

Please note our policies regarding copyright infringement, content misuse, and theft of intellectual property. We prosecute all infringers and have a ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY for abuse, infringement, misappropriation, and illegal use of our content. You can read our full Terms of Use at enlighteninglife.com

email [email protected] with questions