Motivation is evolution’s gift to help us survive. Nature drives us to find food to eat and mates to reproduce with. These primal urges come from our biochemistry which stimulates us into taking action and we need action to make the things we want in our life happen.
Nature adopts a carrot-and-stick approach. Hunger hurts whilst
eating and sex give us pleasure.
We are evolved to respond to this.
Our inner drive does far more than just ensure our survival it moves us forward in all areas of our life. Indeed the word motivation comes from the Latin verb 'movere’ which means to move.
When we’re highly motivated, getting things done is not only pleasurable but effortless. As anyone who has ever been in love will know, our attention is easy to come by when this happens. The object of our love automatically triggers a cocktail of neurotransmitters that motivate us to act.
Finding Purpose
To find our purpose we need not only to discover our natural talents but also what holds us back.
It may seem strange to say that if we are looking to find our calling we are held back in some way from finding it. Surely, our search is proof of our determination? This is not the case.
Wherever we are today it is the result of our beliefs and world view. This is not something the intellect will give up easily, which is why unlocking the best version of ourselves takes time and effort. To get ourselves over the line and into the life we want to live our biology can be our best friend.
Using our biochemistry
By first discovering what drives us deep down in our subconscious, we can find the key to tapping the power of dopamine and norepinephrine.
Let's say our primary desire is to teach. Every time we conceive of a route to teaching we will get a hit of these chemicals and it will feel good. It will drive our attention and push us forward. This is the first building block to getting us across the starting line.
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