End-of-Year Review and New-Year Intentions and Motivations

Dear Reader,

As the year comes close to an end, I wish to point your attention to the power of being present, to acknowledge where you are emotionally, physically and spiritually. Next to these dimensions, you can assess your career and family situation as well. Whichever you feel is relevant, important and necessary for you. You decide the order of these dimensions. They are there.

What does being present mean? I am sure that you have already heard about mindfulness, meditation and any other tools, tricks and tips of being present. Today, I introduce the element of intention to being present. The presence of intention is that glimpse of moment when you ask yourself:

• What are the reasons for me doing the following action (e.g.: drink a glass of alcohol, eat junk food, go to the cinema or sports, walk or drive, etc.)?

• What are the values that drive me towards this specific action?

• What are my internal thoughts about this action?

• What are the external factors pushing me towards this action?

• Do I really want to do this action?

• Do I need to do this action?

Answering at least one of these questions brings your mind right in the present and endorses mindfulness. Empathy might as well arise because learning about why you do a particular action, could help you understand why another person would do it as well.

Other term used for the same topic is motivation. Answering the question: What motivates you to do …? is the same thing. Finding or acknowledging your motivation is part of your everyday learning process. Since humans learn their entire life, willingly or not, knowing your best features of your own learning processes helps you take advantage of learning shortcuts.

Since I learned that my learning type is the theorist one, I am often surprised how much it really characterizes me. I can consciously recognize my learning habits, what helps me learn and affects my learning process. Since theorists enjoy literature and citing, please see below a definition of the terms intent and motivation.

According to the Oxford dictionary, to intend and motivation means:

to have a plan, result or purpose in your mind when you do something.

the reason why somebody does something or behaves in a particular way.

Should you wish to explore more on the topic of motivation, the field of neuroscience offers a vast body of work and many specific explanations on why humans cannot stop doing something, or they can implement specific exercises to acknowledge their motivation and intent behaviors.

Thank you Unsplash for providing useful pictures.