[Neurons] 2009 Meta Reflections #54

[L. Michael Hall]

From: L. Michael Hall, Ph.D.

Meta Reflections #54

Dec. 14, 2009

 

 

BUT IT'S NOT ABOUT MOTIVATION

 

 

 

Among the things I hear a lot, and from all kinds of sources, is "the need
for motivation."

"I guess I just need more motivation."  "If I had more motivation, I could
get myself to exercise regularly, or pursue my true passions."  "I would
have finished the project, but I just ran out of motivation."

 

Fascinating lines.  Lines in my opinion that create the very problem they
bewail.  "How is that?" you ask.  Simple- if we recognize that there are
always premises and assumptions and unspoken presuppositions in everything
we say, and if we look behind the words to identify the silent assumptions
in these words, what do we find?  What premises lurk behind these particular
words?

 

The answer is that there are several assumptions.  First, the assumption
that this thing called "motivation" is like petrol for your car.  You can
have enough of it and you can run short of it.  It is like gas in the tank
of your car.  From time to time you have to visit a Motivation Station and
fill up on "motivation."  Of course, that's running with the nominalization
("motivation") and treating the referent behind this term as if it were a
thing.  Second, the assumption that "motivation" is an external thing.  It
is something you get, have, don't have, need more of, run out of, etc.
Third, the assumption that it is outside your control.  You ran out of it,
and now you're stuck until you can figure out where you can get a fresh
supply.

 

Now if you're a skilled in NLP, you immediately recognized that there's a
problem in the kind of language being used to frame the complaint.  You know
that a "nominalization" is creating a distorted and disempowering map about
the territory.  And with that level of comprehension, you know that the
solution lies in de-nominalizing (turning the noun-like-verb back into an
actual verb).

"What do you need more 'motivation' for?"

"What is your motive?  How much or big is your motive?"

"What are you moving away from as a dis-value and what are you moving toward
as a value?"

"What values move you?  To what extent?  In what context?"

"How did you represent and frame that value as moving, as your motive, when
you felt a lot of energy and passion?"

 

And if you come from the Neuro-Semantic NLP perspective, you also know
something else.  Namely, people -all people-are already motivated.  It is
the very nature of the human experience.  We are all -always- motivated.
The question is not whether we are motivated or not, but toward what or
away-from what are we motivated?  We all have motives already- values,
beliefs, and meanings.  The only question is:

"What are your motives?  How vivid, rich, empowering, etc. are those
motives?  Do you know how to keep them vividly present in your
consciousness?"

 

And from the Self-Actualization Psychology perspective:

"What are the innate human needs and drives that are currently driving you?
Where are you on the hierarchy of needs?  And what matrix of belief frames
inform your drives?  And how well do your accurately gratify those needs
with true satisfiers?"

 

Know about the Meaning and Performance Axes informs you that the question of
motivation is really a question of where you are on the Meaning scale and
the Performance scale, and how well you are synergizing your highest
meanings with your best performances.  And when you know that, you know this
secret truth about motivation: The door of motivation is locked and unlocked
from the inside.

 

So, that's why the question is never a motivation question.  The question is
a meaning question, and/or a performance question, and/or a question of your
ability to synergize both.  So if you lack motivation, here are some things
to do:

1) Check the quality and kind of your meanings.  The meanings you give to
anything determines how you experience that thing and the state it elicits
in you.  What meaning do you give to- exercise, work, hobby, etc.?  What is
the level of that meaning?  What is the quality of that meaning?

 

2) Check the quality and competence of your performance.  How do you act on
that meaning?  What are the actions that you take on a regular basis to
actualize that meaning? 

 

3) Check for interferences.  Are there any counter-meanings that are in your
way?  If so, what?  Is there a limiting belief, decision, etc. interferring?
Or is there a distorted understanding?  Are there any counter-behaviors that
are in your way?  Any habits that undermine your motivation?  Any habitual
lifestyle activities that dampen and inhibit you?

 

The door to your motivational life is open and closed from your inner world-
the world of your semantics and your neurology.  Your "motivation" is not
determined by other people, by events, by experiences.  It is determined by
your interpretation of those things.  It is governed by your interpretative
style as informed by your meanings. 

 

Want more motivation?  Then learn to win the inner game of your meanings.
Become a top-notch meaning-maker and a quality meaning-maker.  Then winning
the outer game of passionate motivation and focus will be a cinch.  To your
highest meanings and best performances!

 

 

 

--- Meta-Coach Trainings coming 2009 - 2010

                        

1) Australia

       November 19, 20-27 - Coaching Mastery.  Sydney, Australia

      Sponsors: Laureli Blyth and Heidi Heron                  

      Heidi at nlpworldwide.com              Laureli at nlpworldwide.com 

 

 

2) China --- 2010

      Meta-Coaching in two parts --   January 17-22 and May 9-14  (6 days
each time): 

Includes also Module II (Coaching Genius).  

            Guangzhou, China:  Sponsor: Team Huang --- supported by
Neuro-Semantic Trainers: 

Mandy Chai and Wilkie Choi   For Chinese---   yeshow at 163.net .  For English
speakers: 

Mandy Chai: chaimansun at yahoo.com.hk 

 

 

3) Mexico --- 2010

     In two parts --- March 4-7 (March 3 for Team Leaders) and April 15-18
(April 14 for Team Leaders). 

     Sponsor: Salom Change Dynamics-  www.salomchd.com  (55) 30930687 ---
emilia at salomchd.com

 

Trainers Training --- in NLP and NS --- NSTT

1)    January and June --- Hong Kong:  January 25-31 and June 4-11.
Contact Mandy Chai: chaimansun at yahoo.com.uk 




2)    June --- Grand Junction Colorado:  June 19-July 3.  Contact Dr. Hall:
meta at acsol.net 

 

 

 

 

 

L.  Michael Hall, Ph.D.

(ISNS) International Society of Neuro-Semantics

The International Meta-Coach System

P.O. Box 8

Clifton, CO.  81520 USA

1 970-523-7877

      <http://www.neurosemantics.com/> www.neurosemantics.com 

       <http://www.neuro-semantics-trainings.com/>
www.neuro-semantics-trainings.com 

       <http://www.self-actualizing.org/> www.self-actualizing.org

       <http://www.meta-coaching.org/> www.meta-coaching.org

       <http://www.ns-video.com/> www.ns-video.com 

 

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(Neurons) go to  <http://www.neurosemantics.com/> www.neurosemantics.com ---
you can  subscribe and unsubscribe there.   Meta Reflection articles by Dr.
Hall are sent out every Monday and meta-Coach Reflections sent out every
Wednesdday to the Meta-Coaches egroup.  Contact Dr. Hall at  meta@ acsol.net


 

 

 

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