What now?

We have torched a few myths

The tools we keep fulfill other functions in our self-organization and self-control then we initially anticipated.

• Lists help with something. But we don’t know with what yet. Therefor we need to be a little patient about it.
• Willpower is cool, but unreliable. We can increase our self-discipline, but we don’t know how, yet. Damn, we need patience in this regard as well.
• As far as the overarching goals are concerned, we have learned more. They are not suitable as a motivational engine. So be it! But we can use them for our orientation in decision-making situations. We can also use them as a North Star for our existential explorations.

We have learned that these tools can reveal their actual purpose

We only need to stop wanting to use them for our drive and motivation. Which can leave us pretty puzzled. We are meant to refrain from tools that do not work. But we have no idea yet what we can replace them with. And that is unpleasant.

What is the quality of the ashes we end up with? Does it have what it takes to give birth to a motivational phoenix?

We are left with mysterious lists, a possibly light-footed self-discipline and overarching goals that we can use as an orientation that resonates with our heart. That stuff doesn’t really help yet. But we may be able to use it at a later date. That’s why we keep the stuff.

One question remains

If overarching goals, willpower and todo lists hardly help with boosting our drive, how does motivation work then? What can we do to increase our motivation?

Answers to those question are what the rest of this course is all about.

1. We will start with the question of who is responsible for our happiness, our success, and our productivity. In this part, we will deal with the self-determination theory. And we will make things even more fun by adding a fundamental learning orientation on top.
2. Then we will turn to the question of how to act successfully at any moment. We will start with the approach of self-efficacy and expand it to include the topic of self-responsibility.
3. Finally, we will explore the question of how we can expand our focus on success with flow orientation. Because with this add-on, we attach a turbocharger to our motivation engine, we deepen our happiness and increase the quality of our overall productivity.

Finally, we will look beyond the topic of motivation. We will embed it in a comprehensive model of a successful and fulfilling life. May the games begin…