Building confidence takes time, patience and effort. You will have to take a few
risks. At times you will feel anxious. How can you motivate yourself to put up
with the discomfort and persevere?
We humans are motivated by:
■ A want or needwhich induces tension. Only if these are unsatisfied can there
be motivational power.
■ Perceptions of ‘pleasure’ and ‘pain’. We seek pleasure and are driven by a
desire to avoid pain.
■ Hopes and expectationsthat we can get what we want, and that everything
willcome right in the end.
The strongest motivation comes from a passionate desire for something pleasur-
able, coupled with the avoidance of pain.
The best way to motivate yourself is to set yourself some worthy goals, find
plenty of reasons why you want to accomplish them, and keep in mind the con-
sequences of failure – which is what you are about to do.
Goals are so important that I shall assume for the rest of this programme that you
have several on the go at all times. More about them in Section 29.
Getting Motivated