Robyn McTague, a motivation expert, wants to help people understand why and how they can change it.
“Motivation is elusive for most people,” McTague says. “A lot of people believe that the state of ‘being motivated’ is a conscious decision you make, but that simply isn’t true. Your inner drive is determined by your personality, your self-image, and your expectations.” These highly individual facets, she explains, are behind what makes someone switch from low energy to high energy, or from being idle to productive, and vice versa.
According to McTague, part of what’s so complicated about motivation is that it changes over
time. What gets someone out of bed in the morning for a handful of years might not stay the
same throughout that person’s life. And to make matters even more challenging, someone can
have core motivations that interfere with one another, trapping that person in an endless loop of
internal conflict.
“Part of my work is sussing out any areas of motivational dissonance. Once any conflicting
motivators are perfectly clear, I can help my clients brainstorm effective ways to work
with them,” McTague says. “Because once you’ve tapped into your primary motivations, you’ll have access to truly infinite energy. That’s when you’ll be able to achieve your best performance.”
For those who don’t yet understand their core motivators and how to live in alignment with them, it’s common to feel tired, distracted, defeated, or just plain lost. Tasks may take longer than they should or fall by the wayside entirely. These are all signs that motivation is missing. Right now, in the midst of global crises like a pandemic and civil rights protests, a lot of the rewards that typically motivate people are no longer available. However, now is when people need their energy the most — to succeed in their work, to find or create new jobs, to maintain relationships with the people they’re separated from, to bolster their families and romantic partnerships, and to support their communities in a time of great need.
“Now is the perfect time to tap into your source energy,” McTague says. Visit her website at
www.alifeofchoice.ca to learn more.