Motivation: Hacking Your Emotions



Motivation: Hacking Your EmotionsBy Scott D. Wilson


In the game of motivation that is played to achieve success there are two players:  our rational mind and our emotional mind.  The rational mind foolishly thinks that it is in charge.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Without the emotional mind there would be no energy or drive to our actions.  We need the power generated by the emotional mind to fuel all our noble endeavours.  Yes, in the very short term we can use pure logic and reason to start an action, but eventually the emotions will demand a tangible pay-off in order to sustain a worthwhile behaviour or to continue towards a meaningful goal.  No matter how logical or how important an idea may be, we won’t make the effort to put it into effect if our emotions do not support it, at least not in the long run.


Often our emotional mind gets tired.  It sulks like a child and it wants what it wants and it does not care what our rational mind knows.  We lose our motivation.  Here is where most rational minds fail.  They attempt to bully and coerce the emotional mind into bending to their sheer willpower.  They use guilt and shame in an attempt to force the emotional mind into co-operating with the logical and reasonable plans.  This generally fails utterly and the person then blames their lack of ‘willpower’. 
The root of the word willpower is willing. If your rational mind forces any issue then there is no willingness.  The source of power in one’s will is based on the willingness behind it.  The emotions must be engaged for willingness to have any power.  Willpower consists of rational thought that provides a vector of constructive direction and emotions that supply the necessary power.  Without emotions in harmony with a logical plan there is only empty intention.  It is, at best, a wish.


You are not a logical creature with emotions.  You are an emotional creature with reasoning.  Deal with the emotions.  If you want motivation you need to use your rational mind to entice your emotions.  Yes, entice, as in ‘to attract or tempt by offering pleasure or advantage’.  Figure out what motivates your emotions.  Do rewards act as your best incentives?  Then set up action charts that provide rewards when certain tasks are achieved.  Doe fun help you during mundane tasks?  Find things that you can use to pep you up and make your work towards your goals more enjoyable and less dreary or tiring.  The answers are very personal.

Each of us has different things that excite and entice us.  Take the valuable time to find yours! Do whatever it takes to provoke your emotions into action.  Find the pleasure or advantage that puts emotions behind your intended actions!!   If you need to restore your motivation then hack your own emotions and take the necessary steps to funnel their energy towards your goals!


©2016 S.D. Wilson

Stop Looking For Failure!

Stop Looking For Failure!

©2016 Scott D. Wilson, P.Eng.

"Stop looking for excuses to fail and start finding reasons to succeed!" —Scott D. Wilson

When I coined the above quote I went online to see if others had said something similar. Unsurprisingly, many have said several variations of this statement. This version is uniquely mine. This statement applies to every worthy endeavour in life from weight loss to career success. Everywhere I go I see people finding excuses and reasons to give up on themselves and their dreams. They find great justifications to start a worthwhile venture. They overcome their fears about starting and then they start moving towards their goals. Finally, obstacles are encountered and progress slows.

This is where people split. Some buckle down. They had expected and anticipated this situation. They knew there would be roadblocks and detours. But they also know that the goal is worth reaching. They know that they will succeed as long as they do not quit. They change course, they alter their plans and they keep moving forward. They never truly lose sight of the goal and their reasons for achieving it. Do they struggle? Yes! Do they get frustrated? Yes! Do they doubt themselves? Sure! They may even feel like quitting but they would rather be thrown out of the game than abandon it altogether!

The other folks start looking for excuses to quit. Genetics, upbringing, luck, fortune, fate, you name it and they will find some way to use it as an excuse for giving up. They want any reason to soothe their ego and give them a viable explanation for abandoning their efforts. It is as if they expected the entire universe to immediately align with their attempt and harmonize in the delivery of their results. When this does not happen right away then it is clear to them that it is simply not meant to be. The universe has conspired to make them a victim again. The truth is that they have become a victim to their own unrealistic expectations.

What's the fundamental difference between these two groups of people? I believe the most important aspect was the focus of their attention. The first group is looking for all the evidence for their success. It is not that they believe in themselves more; they suffer the same doubts. It is instead that they have chosen to anticipate their ultimate success rather than envisioning their downfall. They are actively choosing hope over desperation. They tenaciously hold onto the possibility of success.

Our minds are incredible tools. They tend to discover that which they earnestly seek. Man sought for thousands of years to fly. Our entire history is rife with our failed attempts. Today, there are tens of thousands of people in the air as I write these words. It was a dream that we all craved and our creative minds eventually delivered. Individually we are similar. What we focus on we will find or manifest. No matter how noble our beginnings if we look for failure then we will find it.

So our approach to our goals plays a big role in our ability to deliver them. If we are willing to entertain emotions and thoughts of doubt then our minds will obligingly start coming up with excuses. Immediately when we find ourselves considering the idea of failure it is in that moment that we need to redirect our minds and start thinking about all the reasons why we should be succeeding. We haven't go a hope of success when we start looking for failure.

“Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” ― Thomas A. Edison

"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time." ― Thomas A. Edison

Conserve your energy!

Conserve your energy!
©Scott D. Wilson 2014

Daily we are told that we must conserve our limited resources. We are asked to reduce reuse and recycle. This makes sense. Our physical wealth is finite and once we burn or use it up then it is gone.  If we  are not wasteful then we can make the best use of what we have.

As individuals, the principle of conservation holds equally true. We need to use our assets wisely if we intend to succeed. It only makes sense to carefully apply our energies so that we have the power reach our goals. We are human. Each day grants us only so much time and energy. These are non-renewable. You cannot get back one wasted moment of time. So I urge you to act wisely and conserve your energy now. How can we do this?  Of course, I have some suggestions.

Let go of regrets. Regrets tie us to past failures and mistakes.  Regrets steal our power today and prevent us from moving forward. Regrets force us to look backwards yet they cloud honest reflection and impede us from learning anything constructive from the past.  Free yourself from the tyrant of regrets.  See each regret for the anchor that it is and let it go.

Don't let anxiety rob you of this moment. Of course, we must plan and prepare for the future.  However, our fear and worry do not serve to move us towards the goals that we desire. Anxiety takes our energy right now and uses it to dread possibilities and events that may never occur. See fear for the robber that it is and learn to let go of foolish worries.

Do not waste time and effort trying to control or change others.  This is a waste of your precious resources. Instead, use your time and energy to master self-control. We truly cannot change others nor control their actions.  However, if learn to control ourselves then we improve our ability to help and influence those around us.

Do not let the words of others drain you. If we let take it to heart then criticism can sap us of motivation and satisfaction. Instead, criticism can be used for learning. Listen carefully to critics and look for any truth in their statements.  Don't use that truth as a hammer on your ego, but rather use the information to improve yourself and #ç your strengths and weaknesses. As for the rest of their criticism, reject it and let it go.

Similarly, do not use your own thoughts self-destructively. Do not berate yourself hoping to kick yourself to do better. This does not work and it generally erodes our self-esteem and steals our motivation. Focus the energy of your thoughts on self-improvement instead. Take inventory of your strengths and seek to understand your weaknesses. You can build on your strengths and you can find methods to compensate or mitigate your weaknesses. Use your mind's energy to strive towards your goals. Remain creative, not destructive.

Never permit yourself the extravagance of hatred. Hatred wastes time and emotion on others. Your hatred has absolutely no effect on the person or thing that you detest. They move through life blissful unaware and unaltered by your anger.  There is an old proverb that says "Hatred is like drinking poison and hoping that the other person will die."  Save your energy and selfishly forgive.  Forgiveness frees you from the unhealthy obsession with the object of your venom.  Forgiveness does not mean being a doormat to abusive people or circumstances. It simply means letting go of the pain and then standing up for what is right.

Focus on today and its goals. Stay in this moment. Conserve your energies so that you may attain the success for which you strive. Stop wasting your efforts on regret, anxiety, others, criticism, self-loathing and hatred. Use the time, emotions and energy that you have right now to constructively build the tomorrows that you passionately desire!!