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The information on this website is designed to offer self-care tips and recommendations based on evidence-based research and literature from professionals in each field. It is not intended to diagnose or treat any specific medical condition. Please consult with your healthcare provider before making any health-related decisions.
Watch this video, listen to the podcast or read the article below, or do all three.
Think about the last time you lacked the motivation to do something you needed to do, you felt tired, sick to the stomach, and just needed a push. By the time you are done reading this, I hope you have a foundational skill to flip a switch that will give you motivation at any time you need it. Most of my articles will focus on Functional Neurology. Functional Neurology focuses on disconnects and dysfunctions in the brain and repairs the brain through a non-medication or surgical approach.
This article will discuss the power of auditory and visual stimuli that influence the brain’s motivational response. Stimuli, such as videos and music. Establishing this foundation, practicing these techniques, and you will build upon them and become self-empowered. We’re going to look inside the brain; we’re going to see what happens in the brain when someone becomes motivated. I will define motivation, why we become motivated, and the processes and mechanisms occurring in the brain when we are motivated. I will provide tips to provide a self-empowerment that allows you to turn on the brain’s motivational response whenever you want.
Below are some articles for further reading for those interested.
What if I told you that on those days that you lay in bed or sit there with no desire or motivation to do anything, that you can turn on the mechanism in your brain to create a desire and invisible push? Listen to this short audio, for some it may motivate or inspire you, for others, maybe not.
We all need some motivation. It may be once a week; for others, it is a daily struggle to find the motivation to continue. PTSD, stress, anxiety, and normal life variables can influence the brain’s natural reaction reducing any motivation you need. Motivation can be found in prescribed anti-depressants, but sometimes even those don’t work. Some need alcohol, drugs, or some stimulant to have the motivation to do anything. I talked to a person who didn’t like doing housework and found the motivation to clean the house while taking shots of vodka; he later found an alternative option that was watching a television series on his phone with headphones on. This provided the motivation needed. External stimuli can be useful in triggering the brain’s motivational influence. I will discuss in detail all variables and mechanisms that trigger a motivational response.
My personal discovery of the therapeutic effectiveness of motivational videos and or songs came to mind while reflecting on childhood experiences growing up and recalling the feeling I felt every time I would watch one of the Rocky movies with Sylvester Stallone. I felt excitement and motivation run through my body as I watched Rocky prepare for the fight and win the fight. That excitement then influenced my brothers and me to improve ourselves, leading to lifting weights directly after the movie. This experience demonstrated how natural external stimuli could instantly influence the brain to initiate a motivational response. Imagine if we could turn this on anytime we wanted to. Motivation can be extremely powerful. The power of motivation reminded me of a story I shared in an article I had published in 2015.
In 2015 in the, Engineer, The Professional Bulletin of Army Engineers titled, “Developing Resilient Organizations”, I shared a story about a hiker from Colorado who found himself literally stuck between a rock and a hard place and somehow found the motivation to cut off his own arm to save his life. Below is an exerpt from my 2015 article.
A great example of how a purpose can motivate a man to push for survival can be found in Aron Ralston’s book, Between a Rock and a Hard Place While rock climbing in Utah, Ralston became trapped in a crevasse when an 800-pound boulder pinned his arm. He endured 6 days stuck in the crevasse before finding the determination to amputate his own arm. He found this determination—his motivating purpose—when he dreamed of a little boy running toward him, giving him a vision of the son he wanted. This became his purpose, which gave him the psychological strength to amputate his arm and save himself from dying in the hot Utah desert. That purpose gave him the resiliency to take the action that saved his life.
Aron Ralston was about to give up (he describes his experience in a book), and it was the vision of a future son that gave him the motivation. A motivation so powerful that it motivated him to control his pain tolerance and cut off his own arm with a dull multi-purpose tool.
What is Motivation
In simple terms, motivation is why someone does something and is influenced by biological, emotional, and sociological factors. It is influenced by your why. We are motivated to meet our needs; to avoid things that will cause us pain, emotionally or physically. Some motivations are automatic, and others are developed over time. Our exposure to various environmental factors will shape what motivates us. Motivation influences action to achieve our needs. The best way to describe motivation is to look at it through Abraham Mazlow’s definition. He described this in his 1943 document titled Theory of Human Motivation. Below is what is known as Mazlow’s Hierarchy of Needs. This describes the basis of every human’s motivation, their why.
Mazlo’s theory begins with a baseline of basic needs required for the body to operate and survive, such as water and food. Then safety, a safe home, financial stability, elevating to a sense of belonging to a group or culture, and the desire to be loved. From there is obtaining self-esteem, the final goal is to obtain our desired full potential. We find ourselves motivated to obtain the various elements along this hierarchy, and the brain executes a chemical process to motivate our behavior. There is a chemical reaction in the brain that ensures our body responds to these needs. This is a “feel-good” chemical influencing this behavior, and I will provide a technique to access the feel-good chemical for a natural motivation anytime you need it.
The Brain and Motivation.
This feel-good chemical that motivates the body to act is a neurotransmitter called dopamine. We could spend all day discussing the complexities of the brain and the multiple actions and neural pathways of dopamine and the various pathways and stimuli that trigger a motivational response, but that isn’t the point of my articles. I keep my descriptions extremely simple yet linked to scholarly articles that you can spend days researching if you want. You could click here and see a very confusing diagram full of letters and colors. I encourage you to spend time studying as it grows portions of your brain as well. Still, we’re just going to focus on the basic level of understanding the neurotransmitter dopamine and its role in motivation and to use it to our advantage.
The neurotransmitter dopamine plays a role in motivation and rewards. It motivates us to do what is needed for survival, as seen on the bottom tier of Mazlow’s Hierarchy of Needs. As each need is met on the lower level, one advances to meet the other needs up the pyramid. A biological mechanism releases dopamine for those activities on the bottom tier, such as the need to drink water or to eat food. Our visionary desire to achieve the other levels of the hierarchy needs pyramid will release the dopamine. Many factors in life can trigger a dopamine release as the brain process the stimuli received from all senses. The type of stimuli that trigger a dopamine release differs depending on the person.
Finding Your Dopamine Trigger
What are the stimuli that can induce an instantaneous dopamine release to creating a dopamine rush or natural high to provide you that push, your desire, the motivational push that you desperately need? Think back on audio and visual stimuli that have given you goosebumps and a desire to take on the world. Once you have identified what they are, test them out. Find out what works the best for you and have it readily available at the times where you know you will need it the most.
Your dopamine triggers create a motivation for some reason. Usually that reason aligns with your long-term goals, your obtaining of your full potential. When determining the best dopamine triggers, reflect on your purpose in life, your desires and future goals. Then look for the stimuli that will trigger your desire to focus on those goals.
Instant Dopamine Release Action Plan
Sometimes the need for some motivation occurs when we least expect it and many times we know when we will need it. You must prepare now and have the tools in place to stimulate the release of dopamine. This means ensuring you always have your headphones charged and ready to deliver your dopamine trigger or ensuring you have your favorite playlist ready.
But what about those long days that you need a continued push? Your dopamine release doesn’t last all day. I have had days where I need to continue throughout the day, and that dopamine release seems not to last too long. When this happens, I will ration my dopamine release. For example, let’s say I’m doing yard work. I will tell myself I will listen to one motivational video, and then once that video completes, I will focus on completing one small task or a subset of a larger task. You will see the motivation-to-reward process in action to see that both influence a dopamine release. Once that task has ended, I will reward myself with the next motivational video. This technique also explains how you can distract yourself from brain automatic depressive/lack of motivational response.
As you begin to practice this often, you will begin to appreciate its effectiveness; you will believe in it and learn how you can control your mind and your body’s response to the stimuli surrounding you every day.
I challenge you to implement this. Conduct a self-assessment to determine your, why your purpose in life. Then identify your dopamine triggers, prepare them for easy access when needed, and anticipate their implementation when you know you will most need it. Please reply in the comment section with your dopamine triggers and why they help you. You may have some dopamine triggers that someone else may find helpful.
Chris Pierce
