Category Archives: motivation

Time travel: Will I really want to go for a run at 6 a.m. tomorrow?

How many times have you found yourself being puzzled about not being able to follow up on your goals although you were so convinced when you set them? Examples?

Posted in goals, mood, motivation, self-regulation | 2 Comments

Make it automatic!

I wish the title was related to a way I’ve found to make my blogs automatic but when I am on (a looong) vacation there’s still an inevitable gap. Rather, the title is about how to make our action-taking automatic … Continue reading

Posted in Automatic processes, goals, implementation intentions, motivation | Leave a comment

Three fundamental human needs (part 1): Need to belong and why I might be having difficulty making Dutch friends…

“Life in a foreign country is a dance of submission and resistance. Self-knowledge comes in small repeated shocks as you find yourself giving in easily, with a struggle, or not at all. What can you do without? What do you … Continue reading

Posted in Automatic processes, autonomous, competence, Dutch, expatriates, expats, language, motivation, need to belong, reciprocity, relocation, social support | Leave a comment

Why do some decisions feel better than others – that is, independent of the outcome?

In an earlier post I wrote about different ways/orientations to set goals and regulate behavior – prevention and promotion focus: First one referring to a focus on absence of negatives, and the latter one to achieving positive things. If you … Continue reading

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"Let’s go for it!" or "Be careful!" What do your goals look like?

I’ve always wondered why some people are content with minimal goals they must attain, while others go beyond what is “necessary”… And here’s a theory that has helped me understand the differences: Self-Regulatory Focus, by  Dr. Tory Higgins (yes, the … Continue reading

Posted in Ideal self, motivation, ought self, prevention focus, promotion focus, self-regulation | Leave a comment