I was taking my daughter to gymnastics the other day and we go past a studio where there are people having an aerobics class. This particular day the instructor was shouting and bellowing at them and it made me think – does that really motivate people? Does shouting at people motivate them?

So I started thinking in more depth about what motivates us to succeed in something.

There are 2 types of people:

• Motivated Away From
• Motivated Toward

Motivated Away From

People in this category are motivated by a stick – in other words something unpleasant. The fear or dread of something is the thing that will motivate them to take action. Let’s think about this in terms of an online business.

The fear of having no money or of losing your day job might be the thing that motivates away from people. Not wanting to be in that situation they have the drive to get on and make a success. I think the most common driving force is perhaps the fear of failure. Not wanting to fail might be enough to drive you to success.

Motivated Toward

People in this category are motivated by a carrot – in other words something great or a reward. The outcome they desire is so compelling that this is the motivating factor. It gives them the drive they need to succeed.

Personally I am a motivated towards person. In terms of my online business I am motivated because I want to be able to help others achieve financial freedom. Whether that be educating others on how to build a successful business for themselves or using my own financial success to help out friends and family. That is what motivates me.

What Motivates You

Do you know what type of person you are?

It is actually very important to find this out because you will then find it far easier to focus on something that will really have the power to motivate you to succeed.

• What kind of things inspire you to change? Are they sticks or carrots?
• Do you tend to think about what you don’t want or what you do want?
• What kind of things make you want to succeed online?
• Are you more driven by negative feelings or positive ones?