The Science of Happiness 5: Motivation & Persistence
Embarking on the journey towards happiness often involves the pursuit of various desires and goals.
However, the path is seldom a straight line, and obstacles may test your motivation and persistence along the way. In this installment of the “Science of Happiness” series, we explore the challenges and offer practical tools to navigate them.
Key Takeaways
- Hypnotherapy can support motivation and persistence by uncovering and transforming subconscious beliefs, emotional patterns, and self-limiting narratives that silently sabotage consistency and follow-through.
- Lack of motivation and persistence are natural human responses, not personal flaws. When repeated efforts do not lead to visible results or recognition, giving up becomes a normal psychological reaction rather than a sign of weakness.
- Anxiety, fear of failure, perfectionism, and procrastination are common internal barriers that quietly undermine motivation and persistence, even when goals are meaningful and important.
- Fundamental physiological and lifestyle factors strongly influence motivation. Quality sleep, exposure to daylight, regular movement, supportive nutrition, and positive social interaction are foundational for sustaining energy and drive.
- Short-term stimulants can distort motivation. Substances like caffeine or certain supplements may temporarily increase drive but are often followed by a dip in motivation, while other substances (such as melatonin) can reduce motivation. Sustainable motivation comes from regulation, not stimulation.
- Breaking goals into manageable tasks is essential for persistence. Focusing on small, achievable steps — such as one week at a time — helps the brain experience success and reduces overwhelm, making long-term habits more attainable.
- Regular rest is not optional. Planning rest days prevents depletion and supports consistency, reinforcing motivation rather than undermining it.
- Acknowledging effort is more important than celebrating results. Because the unconscious mind is biased toward threat and negativity, progress often goes unnoticed unless consciously recognised. Awareness of effort counteracts self-belittling and sustains motivation.
- Recognising action — even without immediate success — is crucial. Especially when goals are challenging or new, valuing the act of showing up builds persistence and prevents discouragement. Learning from mistakes supports long-term success more than perfectionism does.
- Rewards must be used carefully. Frequent or disproportionate rewards can reduce intrinsic motivation, while awareness and reflection strengthen it. Motivation grows from meaning, effort, and learning — not constant external incentives.
Lack of Motivation and Persistence
When you have a desire, you usually try to pursue it. But if you won’t achieve your goal after making several attempts, it is natural to give up.
For example, if you make efforts at work but they go overlooked, and you don’t receive the acknowledgment you desire, it can reduce your motivation, and after a while, you may even change jobs or companies.
If you are trying to lose weight by controlling your eating behavior and exercising but don’t see results, giving up your diet and exercise is natural.
Anxiety, fear of failure, perfectionism, and procrastination are common and affect motivation and persistence.
Some simple tools can help you stay motivated to achieve your goals.
Natural Motivation Boosters
To keep yourself motivated, you need to be well-rested and fit.
For this, you need:
Setting Manageable Tasks and Goals
The first solution is to set manageable tasks or to split large tasks into chunks or subtasks.
Suppose you want to create a habit of exercising and set a goal of exercising daily. In such a case, it is easier to focus on just one week, then another, until you see that you have managed to exercise regularly for a month.
The same works for improving your eating pattern. Instead of promising to eat well from now on, it is easier to plan to eat well for a week; after that, for another week until you create a strong habit of healthy eating.
It is also crucial to allow yourself to plan regular rest days in between.
Acknowledging Your Wins
Another effective way to support your motivation is to recognize your wins. Regularly recognize, acknowledge, and occasionally celebrate even small victories.
This requires your attention and awareness, as it does not happen automatically. Your unconscious mind is preoccupied with protecting you. So, it is focused on anything negative, any threat of physical and emotional pain. Therefore, positive information is considered irrelevant and goes unnoticed.
The bigger your goal, the more you need to be aware of the intermediate progress that you have achieved.
Acknowledging Taking Action
Giving yourself recognition for taking action is essential, even if you don’t achieve the desired result. This is crucial because you may put 100% into doing something essential and valuable to you, but don’t achieve the expected results that may not depend only on your actions.
This can be the case, especially if the goal is difficult and you are starting something new and challenging. This is when you want to recognize the mere taking of the first hard steps, not only the achievement, but not at all the perfection of it.
Accepting and learning from your failures, also called mistakes, isn’t emphasized enough. But it is consistent efforts and persistence that eventually lead you to success and fulfillment of pursuing goals, dreams, and visions that matter to you.
Rewards
Awareness of the efforts and their recognition is different from rewarding yourself.
Rewarding yourself for your efforts and achievements should be done occasionally. It has been shown scientifically that rewarding little effort or rewarding often temporarily decreases motivation.
Creating awareness of your efforts counters self-belittling. And self-belittling is rooted in negative beliefs that undermine your motivation and limit your life.
So, regular self-reflection and self-recognition generate and support your motivation.
Hypnotherapy can be invaluable in understanding and overcoming a lack of motivation and persistence. Book a free discovery call with me to talk about your personal situation and needs, and how my services can support you:
Conclusions: Motivation and Persistence
In the pursuit of happiness, motivation and persistence are indispensable companions.
By incorporating natural motivation boosters, breaking tasks into manageable goals, and building awareness of achievements, you empower yourself to overcome challenges.
Remember, it’s the journey. The awareness of efforts and the tenacity to learn from failures propel you toward lasting happiness.
Continue the journey with us as we uncover more facets of the Science of Happiness in the next post:
https://www.new-empowered-you.com/meaning-and-fulfillment/
FAQ – Motivation & Persistence
Why do motivation and persistence often decline over time?
Motivation drops when efforts do not lead to visible results or recognition. Internal factors such as anxiety, fear of failure, perfectionism, and exhaustion also play a major role.
How can I stay motivated when results take a long time?
By breaking goals into small, manageable steps, allowing regular rest, and consciously recognising effort rather than focusing only on outcomes.
Is lack of motivation a sign that my goal is wrong?
Not necessarily. Motivation often fluctuates due to stress, fatigue, or unrealistic expectations. A lack of motivation usually signals the need for adjustment, rest, or a different strategy — not abandonment of the goal.
Can hypnotherapy help with motivation and persistence?
Yes. Hypnotherapy helps identify and transform subconscious patterns such as self-doubt, fear of failure, or negative self-beliefs, making sustained motivation and persistence more natural.
About the Author
References
- Loretta Graziano Breuning, Habits Of A Happy Brain: Retrain Your Brain to Boost Your Serotonin, Dopamine, Oxytocin, & Endorphin Levels. EAN 9781440590504 16.12.2015, 238 pages
- Touroutoglou A, Andreano J, Dickerson BC, Barrett LF. The tenacious brain: How the anterior mid-cingulate contributes to achieving goals. Cortex. 2020 Feb;123:12-29. doi: 10.1016/j.cortex.2019.09.011. Epub 2019 Oct 9. PMID: 31733343; PMCID: PMC7381101.
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