[-jimi-]

People talk about being motivated or trying to get motivated. I understand people with ADD often have executive functioning issues. When you do something it has many different parts, like thinking about it ahead, starting out, collecting what is needed for the task, work on it, look at how far you come, change strategies to better fit what you're doing, take breaks and stop when the task is finished.

I don't have a problem envisioning the result, I know where things belong and mostly how something is done. What I really have a problem with is starting, taking breaks and stopping.

People seem to just start an activity without knowing it almost. They don't have a feeling they planned ahead even if they did. I wonder if their motivation is just something I DON'T HAVE.... the same that I have a very hard time taking a break or stopping an activity. Is it because something I lack? Because I don't even understand what the word motivation means. Someone said it is like an urge, and the only thing I could think about LOL was getting myself to the bathroom. But now I realize motivation can also be a positive drive!

Or do I have motivation, just that it doesn't hide the same way my planning ahead doesn't hide? Is it just because I'm so aware of the parts and details of my actions?

When I do something I think about it a long while so I know the steps needed. Then I sort of push myself inside to start it which is really, really hard. When I take Ritalin I can start a bit easier, sometimes on it I'm just up doing something that would take me hours mentally preparing for.

So, anyone with ADD recognize this and can anyone once and for all describe what motivation is?

[Maus5321]

I am not even sure what motivation means. I looked up the definition lol. I mean i had an idea but i did not really know what it meant to see if i understood it. I don't. Seems it has to do with goal setting and working towards the goal. They also likened to being thirsty and getting a drink of water. But really that does not explain anything at all to me or make me understand it.......I brood over things i need to get done for hours sometimes but never actually get to doing them. I wanna know to feel "Motivated" like they make it sound.

[-jimi-]

It sounds lovely, doesn't it?

[Maus5321]

Originally Posted by jimi...

It sounds lovely, doesn't it?

Yes it does. I want to actually meet someone who is labeled as motivated and see how they act? Because i have never observed motivation first hand. The definitions i read make it sound like its easy to accomplish....

[-jimi-]

I guess no one knows??

[Maus5321]

lol guess not.

[yellowted]

motivation is a feeling of wanting to do or start something. if you really want to do something then you are really motivated to do it.

motivation can also be inspired by knowing what you will get out of doing something for example you may not want to wash your mums car, but knowing she is willing to pay you 20 bucks for cleaning it is all the motivation you need to get you to clean it.

other peoples actions can sometimes motivate you to do something e.g. you could be motivated (inspired) to donate money to a charity after seing what good work they do saving childrens lives in far off countries

wanting to please someone can motivate you to be nice to them or do something nice for them.

no one is motivated all the time or always for the same things. you will be less motivated to do things when you are ill or tired or stressed out. it is harder to get motivated to do things you HAVE to do and easier to get motiveted to do things you WANT to do.

if you find you can't get motivated to do something then try setting yourself a treat that you will only have once the task is done. e.g if you can't get started on cleaning your bedroom, tell yourself that once you have cleaned your bedroom you will have a bar of chocolate or watch your favourite film , It should help to motivate you into cleaning your room. just be sure to followthrough and not give in to temptation before the room is cleaned!

you can't see motivation, you can only see the results of being motivated. spotting a motivated person is not easy, but if they get irritated by being interupted or frustrated at making a mistake, they are likely to be motivated to finishing the task in hand.

[Tamoneko]

Motivation is that feeling that you get when when some energetically happy song plays in the background while you're thinking of the future in a bright way, and you get all pumped up and hyped! Trust me you will feel it sooner or later one way or the other

But I do feel you completely. I am still not diagnosed but I might very possibly be ADD as well.
And I can relate so much to what you have wrote.

The technique I use when I must do something yet I don't have motivation..... - brute force.
I know you hate to hear that, but look at the bright side of it, - that's literally one of those things that will never let you down. Willpower is that last resort thing that you can always count on, even though its your most behated option
And even though you shouldn't use it often, because you don't want to exhaust yourself completely, at some certain moments for some projects/ventures that are important to you, you just must say "THAT'S FREAKING IT! I'M GOING TO GET MY LAZY *** UP! NOT THINK OF HOW MUCH IT HURTS AND HOW MUCH I HATE IT! BUT JUST FOCUS ON THE GOAL AND KEEP ON DOING IT! BECAUSE I NEED TO DO THIS! THIS IS IMPORTANT!".

Every time I did that, I felt proud after it, and although a bit spent and exhausted, several days after resting I felt even more motivated
The main thing is to never give up, cause there were points in my life where I felt sooo hopeless that any word of encouragement sounded to me like nothing, I didn't feel it, I didn't understand it, I didn't want to hear it, but these days I am much better and hopefully will be even better once I visit a psychiatrist SO NEVER GIVE UP BRO!

[-jimi-]

OK these are some of my conclusions. I have never felt motivated in a positive sense. I have done things out of urgency. I don't think they are at all the same which people have made me believe, so I'm glad I'm finally corrected.

I think the reason some people don't know motivation and don't understand it that it is an automated process in most people and lacking that you don't have an hidden power to take you from A to B. Everything is pulled up in the open, every little effort is deeply felt, every step is done with more energy than most people use, because a conscious process takes more energy.

I "motivate" myself, but it it always self talk, like I need to do certain things or want to reach something, it's like a mental whip. Wanting to reach B isn't enough for me to take action in any positive sense. Even if it is a positive goal my starting to work on it is always hard and negative. I have never done something with joy to reach a good thing.

I have no idea if it is possible to push things down on on a subconscious level so just some positive WANT will happen. It would be great but I don't know any methods for it. The only time I feel joy in an activity is when I have managed to work myself up to the point where I am doing it or about to. All my other activities are negative because of the complicated way my brain prefers to do them.

Now I feel most people are cheaters, LOL. They should have to do life like this as well.

[Maus5321]

I love drag racing for the rush it gives. But for the life of me changing the tires and getting everything ready its big *** ordeal. I will tell myslef all day gotta load the truck gotta get fuel etc etc etc. Come to crunch time i done a dang thing. I get there and people start talking to me and different stuff. I get sidetracked. If it were nto for my dad being there most of the time to keep me on track, i would waste half the time just trying to change the tires on my truck to race. Then when i was starting to run short on time i would finally feel motivated but not for the reason i should be motivated.