Are your motivations all positive? Let’s be real for a moment, there’s nothing wrong with a little competition, especially when it’s employed in a friendly manner to push us to higher heights. However, too often do people associate rivalry with aggression and find it too difficult to partake in a competition that doesn’t end in a free-for-all. In most walks of life, there will always be room for competition, whether that be in sport, business or life in general.
Misplaced motivations
What must change is the spirit that turns the acquisition of points into the number one goal. When your external motivation of competition becomes the foundation of your actual motivation, it drives you away from self-knowledge and discovery. This is where we see over-competitiveness and fear of failure as the same thing. Nevertheless, both of these are actually misplaced motivations that distract your attention from the big dreams and goals. This is because when we are worried about winning against others, we’re unable to focus on developing our own potential. We then become directed by outer sources, rather than being inspired by ourselves.
Positive motivations
Ultimately, all motivations come from the same source, the desire to be happy within yourself. So, even the fear of failure masks our desire to feel good about ourselves. Additionally, competitiveness derives from our desire to have good self-esteem. Thus, the roots of these motivations are quite valid. They’re present in everyone, to some degree. Therefore, how we shape our desires and how we define the benefits expected from these, will ultimately decide what drives us forward in life and how far we go. You should focus on positive, healthy motivations and let negative ones simply pass you by. The longer you work on this, the easier you will find framing your motivation to more intrinsic positive achievement.
If you’re looking for more advice on running a business, or maybe you just need more time to yourself rather than working in your business, contact ActionCOACH today.
