Motivation is the desire to do something.

It's as simple as that.

But it's not simple. Anyone who's ever tried to motivate themselves to develop a new habit, start an exercise regime, change their diet or even learn a new skill knows that motivation is not a simple thing. From a psychological point of view, it's far more complex than most of us anticipate - or want.

One cause of this complexity is the unhelpful beliefs that many of us hold about motivation. Here are the Top 5.

"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." - African Proverb.

Hello Wayfinders. Today I’m muddling through collective purpose, leadership, and building a better world. Just your average Tuesday😉

If you’ve been following for a while you might have noticed a shift in my writing and podcast post-pandemic. My interest in what helps us to fulfil our potential has pivoted from ‘you, me, or us’ as individual beings, to ‘us or we’ as collectives or parts of bigger systems.

Pre-pandemic I delved into happiness, productivity, self-care, parenting, the brain, emotions, sleep, play, fun, adapting to change, motivation, procrastination, and more. It was great fun and I learned a lot. I hope you did too.

Post-pandemic, this focus on the individual feels frivolous. A little indulgent. For me, it now lacks a sense of meaning and purpose.

A Workplace Psychologist's take on funding constraints, burnout and diminished impact

“One gets to feast on marketing, risk-taking, capital and financial incentive, the other is sentenced to begging.” Dan Pallotta, The way we think of charity is dead wrong

Hey fellow wayfinders. Today I’m muddling through the messiness of not-for-profits and the impact a ‘survival’ system has on people, productivity and problem-solving.

Not just today. I’ve been grappling with this in different ways since I began my first not-for-profit role four years ago. Perhaps today I’m writing to make sense of that experience and the new knowledge I’ve gained as I’ve immersed myself a little deeper in social impact in 2024.