The roses in my garden are coming out and filling the air with perfume. But as I rush to my clinic in the garden, I don’t notice them. I am too much in a hurry in case I am not ready for my first client. I am more motivated because I don’t want to be late than I am to appreciate the roses.
So what motivates you?
Motivation can work in two different way – towards or away-from. Towards-motivation is all about doing something because you want something positive … “I will go to the supermarket because I would really like a nice lasagne tonight and I need the ingredients.” Whereas away-from-motivation is all about getting away from something negative … “I will go to that meeting because I don’t want to be told off by my boss.”
Anxiety works on the away-from motivation. It focuses attention on all the things that could possibly go wrong. Anxiety is a primitive survival mechanism that does not care how you feel – it only cares that you survive. That is why, when you are anxious, you find yourself automatically focusing on stuff that is or might go wrong.
Focusing on things that might go wrong then feeds the anxiety mechanism even more. It is a self-fulfilling loop.
In order to help break this vicious circle, spend time actively looking our for the good things in life – no matter how small. Take time to smell the roses.
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