The Power of Fighting Spirit: 5 Techniques to Boost Motivation
Before we dive into motivation-boosting strategies, let’s start with the basics—how the brain works and why our motivation sometimes drops.
If you look into human nature and physiology, you’ll see that the brain is made up almost entirely of fatty tissue and never wastes energy—it’s nature’s most perfect creation.
Our brain has three evolutionary levels:
- The reptilian brain, or instinctive brain
- The mammalian brain, or social brain
- The neocortex, or human brain
This structure is like a pyramid, with the ancient “supercomputer” at the base, similar to a reptile’s brain, responsible for basic functions: fight, flight, eat, and reproduce. Its main goal is to protect us—and, if that fails, our genetic legacy.
The second level, the social brain, developed through the socialization of our distant ancestors. It constantly checks: Are we fitting in? Are we following social norms? Is anything threatening our tribe? Its job is to ensure the survival and influence of the group.
The third level, the neocortex, is the smallest layer by size, but it’s what lets us enjoy art and music, send people to space, and explore an ever-expanding universe.
When all three levels are in sync, a person is like a supercomputer on two legs. Our nervous system’s countless neurons make trillions of connections every second—more powerful than the entire internet combined. Imagine channeling all that power toward any goal—the results would be explosive!
But when these brain levels are out of sync, we feel demotivated. Conflicting signals from the environment make our gray matter defend when it could love, slow down when it should speed up, and fear when it should create…
Based on this model, here’s a 5-step system to boost your fighting spirit. As Andrey Parabellum said, “Courage is the feeling from which great deeds are made.”
The 5 Keys to Motivation
- Well-Defined Goal
- Leverage
- Self-Discipline
- Powerful Reasons
- Closed Gestalts (Unfinished Business)
Step-by-Step Breakdown
1. Well-Defined Goal
As we’ve said, the brain is one of the most efficient tools in the universe and won’t waste energy on unclear objectives. If you don’t have an inspiring goal (see our article on goal-setting), your brain will protect you from wasting energy. You’ve probably seen people with empty, lifeless eyes—that’s the result of lacking an inspiring goal.
There’s a principle that sums this up: resources follow the goal. You get as much energy as you need to achieve your set goal. If you don’t have clear goals, you won’t have any energy!
Think about this: If you had enough money to cover all your and your family’s needs for life, what would you do with your time? What would you pay extra for, just for the joy of it?
If you dig deep and strip away the surface (travel, shopping, money for money’s sake), you can find an endless source of energy within yourself. What truly excites you?
2. Leverage
Once you’ve set your goal, you need to activate your reptilian brain by showing it a real threat. Take a sheet of paper and divide it into two columns: what will happen if you achieve your goal, and what will happen if you don’t.
In each column, connect achieving your goal with pleasure, and not achieving it with pain. How will reaching your goal improve every area of your life? What pain will you feel if you’re left with nothing?
Write two lists of 10 points each and post them somewhere visible at your workspace—I put mine on the wall next to my monitor. This way, your reptilian brain constantly gets reminders of the threats of inaction and the pleasure of achievement.
To paraphrase a classic: The reptilian brain is a good horse, but a bad rider.
By taking control of this level, you tap into the power of your instincts to reach your goals. When working with clients, we pay special attention to this level—it holds tremendous power.
3. Self-Discipline
Motivation is only needed to start a project; self-discipline is what keeps it going. It’s the most useful skill you can develop.
If you train yourself to follow a morning ritual, you’ll build your self-discipline muscle, which will indirectly boost your motivation reserves.
My mornings usually start like this: wake up, contrast shower, yoga or running, meditation or subconscious work, then on to the day’s agenda.
Every time you stick to a ritual, you strengthen your ability to do what needs to be done—even when you really don’t want to. This is the key factor in high achievement.
But even self-discipline needs motivation! You can get it by awakening the power of strong reasons…
4. Powerful Reasons
I can’t remember which philosopher said it—maybe Nietzsche—but the idea is: If you have a strong enough “why,” you’ll find any “how.” I may have butchered the quote, but you get the point—the more reasons you have to do something, the more actively you’ll move toward it.
For example, to motivate myself to write an article every day, I promised to eat cat food on camera if I failed. That’s a pretty strong reason to post five good articles a week!
But seriously, our brain is always trying to conserve energy, and only very strong reasons can move it. Think about this: What would you do, where would you get the money, if your loved ones were being evicted in a month?
If you meditate on this question, you’ll find some interesting solutions. If you really feel the situation in your body, you’ll realize you have all the answers to change your life—you just haven’t been pushed hard enough yet.
Write a list of 50 reasons why you must achieve your goal, and you’ll feel inner alignment—your brain will have clear instructions and will get to work.
5. Closed Gestalts (Unfinished Business)
Unfinished business drains a huge amount of energy—these can be unsaid words, incomplete projects, unprocessed feelings, uncried tears, or unforgiven grudges.
For emotional matters, I recommend personal counseling, but for unfinished tasks, here’s a simple method:
Take a pen and paper and list all the unfinished tasks you’ve ever promised to do but left hanging. Write down how much time each will take to finish, and start knocking out the shortest ones first.
Think of yourself as a pipe through which energy flows toward your goal. If there are leaks—unfinished tasks, obligations, feelings, or unsaid words—energy seeps out. Many people live gray, dull lives simply because they don’t finish what they start and get stuck in the emotional past.
Summary: What You Can Implement Right Now
- Write down your goals.
- Write out your leverage and post it somewhere visible (at least 10–20 answers in each column).
- Start a morning ritual.
- List your reasons—why do you want to move forward?
- Make a list of unfinished tasks and finish one each day.