Motivation and Gentle Inquiry

by | Sep 17, 2009

I wanted to share with you a helpful blog post from my friend, Duff McDuffee, on motivation.

When looking at wanting something, it seems so easy to avoid it or push through it. Usually either end of this dualism isn’t very gentle. And, we probably learned all this growing up, in school, with others in a variety of ways. Often workplaces have created cultures to help push folks to do certain things, and to avoid other things.

But there is another more intimate way to just gently inquire with yourself: what is it you want? It can be that you might want more playfulness, or creativity. Or it may be that you want to organize your paperwork or redo the sink drain. Within each activity our true nature calling us to look within.

I made up a worksheet from Duff’s post (with his permission) and added it below. I printed out a couple of copies and taped one near the sink where I wash my hands, one near my desk, and one for the kids. Give it a try, and see what a little mindfulness will do.

  • What do you want?
  • What do you want through having your outcome that’s even deeper?
  • Any objections to moving toward this outcome?
  • How will this outcome fit in with the rest of your life?
  • Will this outcome affect others?
  • Move toward that: You don’t necessarily have to feel like doing something in order to start doing something for a few minutes.
  • What gentler and more sustainable ways of moving can you try now?