Chapter 4
Energy and Motivation
Decide How You Will Get Yours
It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.
—Dumbledore, from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
All tasks and pursuits require energy, and not just the physical energy that keeps your body moving, but also the motivation required to focus and see projects through to fruition without becoming frustrated or distracted or giving up.
We draw on different sources of energy for the different combinations of things that we do each day. Whether we are fulfilling physiological needs, preventing the pain of consequences, or working toward rewards and results, our bodies and minds work in conjunction with each other to push or pull us forward through each day. We use these needs, consequences, and rewards as motivators to work or take action.
We are all familiar with motivation from the moment we're born, thanks to our physical needs. As stated earlier, humans are inherently driven to ensure survival. Because these basic needs never go away, motivation in its most basic form is a part of daily life. But because, as modern people, we no longer have to hunt and gather all day to ensure our survival, we have leftover motivation, a desire to want or be more in some way, and this motivation can be applied to other things. It's not just money and success, although these things do motivate many people. Motivation exists when there is a distance between where you are and where ...
