Do You Avoid or Achieve?
Motivation, what is it? Simply put, at all levels it’s the need or desire that drives us to fulfil a task or realise a need. To reach a sense of self-fulfilment.
The most solid view of our psychology and how it is driven were outlined by Abraham Maslow through his ‘Hierarchy of needs’ (1954).
We use in Personal Coaching to assess and develop personal programmes for weight management, fitness and sports development.
Let’s not get into a deep conversation here, but have a little fun.
Motivation comes in one of two forms:
To avoid failure
To achieve success
It’s easy to get these mixed up inside our heads. We often feel we are striving to achieve something, while all the time we are really avoiding what we see as failure by not doing what is needed.
The important point here is that by ‘doing something’ to avoid failure is not necessary ‘doing something’, movement towards achieving success.
Take a piece of paper and let’s do some self-analysis. Draw a line down the middle of the page and at the top on one side write ‘A’ and on the other write ‘B.’ Now some easy questions that you will answer as honestly as you can. The more honest and open you are with yourself the truer the result. No one other than you will see this, so let go.
Answer the following questions and put a mark under ‘A’ or ‘B’ on your sheet.
Do you look for things that challenge you and push your abilities? Yes = A, No = B.
If something doesn’t happen it’s usually due to things beyond your control? Yes = B, No = A.
You accept advice and value feedback in order to progress? Yes = A, No = B.
You look for high chances of success rather than fight 50/50 situations? Yes = A, No = B.
You have difficulty performing when being assessed or evaluated? Yes = B, No = A.
You are focused or preoccupied more on the possibility of under achieving or failing? Yes = B, No = A.
You look at and are more concerned with your quality and level of performance? Yes = A, No = B.
You believe success is down to effort and commitment while failure is down to a lack of focus and concentration? Yes = A, No = B.
You believe and embrace the need to fail in order to understand where to improve? Yes = A, No = B.
1As an individual you will persevere when faced with a difficult task? Yes = A, No = B.
Ok, how did we get on? Remember, there is no right or wrong here, just how do we view things.
Total up each column and look at the balance between the two. The more the balance moves towards column ‘A’ the more your motivation is driven to achieve success while the more the needle swings towards ‘B’ your motivation is focused more upon avoiding failure.
Understanding how to use this information to generate goal setting and to create a programme to guide you to success in nutrition, fitness or sport is where we come in.
If you would like us to help achieve success for you, schedule a goal setting appointment with a CrossFit Ickenham staff member (here).
Andy
CrossFit Ickenham
STRENGTH IN COMMUNITY