To understand that motivation is the mother of all action, we must first understand the motive, which means the reason for action. The reason we do something is the reason we do it. Our minds, with or without conscious guidance, filter through various thoughts, feelings, and experiences and choose from them a set of reasons to act.
Motivation is determined by how clear our minds are and how committed we are to our choices. We will likely feel high levels of motivation if we are clear and committed. Mind it, uncertainty or scattered commitment will lead to low motivation. We derive a simple axiom from this process: choice is the mother of motivation.
Therefore, in order to determine whether a high or low level of motivation is committed by the mind to its chosen reason for action or not. It is in this truth that we find our greatest power: the ability to control our impulses and direct our minds toward choices and obligations that will benefit us. It is simply a matter of choosing our purpose, and keeping our focus on that purpose will lead to a sense of energy, which motivates us to take action.
The discovery that directing one’s own mind is key to achieving greatness is one of the hallmarks of those who excel. The same applies to other emotional breakthroughs. The realization that happiness, sadness, anger, and love are all choices leads to enlightenment. In our minds, we are able to produce every state, emotion, and mood imaginable. From adolescence to adulthood, from immaturity to maturity, from fear in life to perfection, this realization is one of the most obvious guideposts.
There is no guarantee that all people can or will choose their thoughts or emotions. It’s estimated that only 1% of the general public has a healthy mind; clinical mood disorders and mental disorders can interfere with the ability to consciously direct thoughts and feelings on a consistent basis. Such cases need therapy and medication, which should be sought.
The challenges of real disorders and biological issues that impair their progress in life should not be underestimated. The vast majority of the population does not have such clinical disorders, but they may show poor mental habits and lack self-awareness.
It is simply not yet a priority for the majority of people to work toward self-mastery. The only thing they need is desire and discipline, not drugs. Rather than a prescription, they need a new philosophy of life. A person’s treatment will almost always include efforts to support them in choosing thoughts and behaviors that provide better support for their well-being, even if they require long-term medication and therapy.
All roads to recovery lead to better understanding and controlling our own minds, regardless of mental illness or traumatic brain injury. If we become cynical and conclude it is too difficult to control our minds, then we will forever drift into a sea of impulses and social cues, a life dominated by reaction and distraction rather than one of conscious choice. Human potential is unlocked through leveraging the power of reason and the full potential of the mind in philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience. A motivated and autonomous identity can only be developed through reason.
The more I think, the more I am, and the more I do. The motivated people seized this truth. In order to become their highest selves and serve their highest interests, great artists, leaders, and innovators utilize all of their reasoning faculties. By expressing who they really are and pursuing meaningful goals, they express their true selves. In making major decisions, they strategically consider their direction and values; they consider what will give them the most fulfillment and vibrancy.
In life’s abundant array, they choose only those courses that suit their nature and their desire to be free and serve. In the face of their lowest instincts, they are resolute in calling forth their greatest character traits. Tedious masses perceive them as the chosen ones, the lucky ones. As a matter of fact, they chose. Motivated people do not happen to be lucky. Notwithstanding their busy schedules, they are conscientious.
To energize and lift their lives, they use their minds more purposefully. This leads to them achieving more and earning more respect. The thoughtful woman has extraordinary power and earns high respect for her ability to control her own mind and emotions. In contrast, a man without control over his own mind is lost in a swirl of unpredictable and often unwanted thoughts and impulses. Due to his immaturity or unreliability, he drowns in self-doubt or suffers social isolation as the vacuum of his unconscious fills with fear.
