What drives us – Motivation or Compulsion?

When we engage with social media platforms or log onto various websites, we see lot of motivational quotes, videos talking about how to get the success, strive for great, often accompanied with high pitch tones and jargons.

This helps us to get the needed dose of motivation for the moment; it helps us to start with a new zeal. This surge of motivation stays with us for some time or for few days, and then it recedes gradually. This is observed about many aspects in our personal life or things around us. Committing to New Year resolution to join the Gym, the ambition to get the six-pack-abs, writing diary, overcoming addictions, start something new or self-improvement.

Motivation works as a catalyst to start/begin something. But when it recedes, we drag ourselves to do it. Then it’s the compulsion which drives us. This compulsion may be of any form.

Let’s take an example of our health. Many of us take our health for granted, bad habits, no work outs and then one day a serious issue takes us to the hospital. After costlier diagnostic tests and few lakhs in the hospital bill, doctor advises us to start exercising, stop or limit the unhealthy habits. Now the doctor advises nothing new that we don’t know. But now it’s the compulsion which demands us to do all those things and we have to follow unconditionally.

But for few, their motivation never wanes. We see the athletes, hitting gym every day, colleagues or friends, commencing their journey at same level, but one goes to the top and other still at the modest level, the rags-to-riches stories of entrepreneurs, no dearth of such stories from diverse domains.

So, what is it that the motivation works for few and not for many? I think the motivation with an interest in particular thing is the best combination. It gives the needed fillip to it otherwise it’s the compulsion which drags it for the regular or sub-par.

What are your views?

Vb