I’ve been talking about pain points our students experience over the last 9 lessons. Here I want to expand our focus. Are these pain points caused by how you’re motivated? The short answer is yes.

Motivation is central to your climbing training program. It impacts how you do mental strength training for climbing. If you don’t understand it, then you won’t be able to maximize both your physical and mental strengths.

Explore motivation in greater depth in our new online course. It’s a great resource for understanding motivation and other topics we cover. Motivation theoriesThere are a lot of motivation theories out there. There are theories about the value of achievement motivation. You’re likely to stay motivated if you’re focused on what you want to achieve. Likewise, there are theories about learning-based motivation. You’re likely to stay motivated if you learn, make progress, and grow.

There are theories about intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation. The former motivates you from within. You have a desire to do something that inspires you. The latter motivates you by things external to you. That big mountain inspires you because you love challenges.

Either/or motivationThese theories of motivation set you up for choosing between them. You either value achievement or learning. You value intrinsic motivation or extrinsic motivation.

Either/or motivation creates a lot of pain. If you choose achievements, then you have to devalue learning to some degree. Likewise if you choose learning, then you have to devalue achieving goals to some degree.

And then there’s confusion even when you choose one of these motivations. You may prefer achievement motivation. Then you realize you need to focus on learning some also. Or vice versa. This confusion distracts your attention. This confusion causes you pain.

Only being achievement motivated distracts you from the present. This causes pain because you’re not focused on the task you’re doing. It impacts your ability to focus on the present moment. Only being learning-based motivated leaves you directionless. This causes pain because you don’t apply your learning toward meaningful goals.

The Warrior’s Way® theory on motivationMy goal from the beginning was to align this training with how the world works. So look around you. What do you notice? Does the world work in an either/or way? Well, yes and no. Consider that it’s either night or day. So you could say that the world works this way.

But, you begin to sense that something is missing. Both night and day exist. They are both part of how the world works. So what’s going on here? You need to include both/and with either/or.

But there’s still something missing. Dusk doesn’t occur precisely at 6PM. Dawn doesn’t happen precisely at 6AM. It’s a gradual transition from light to darkness and vice versa. You need to dig deeper into how the world works.

BreathingBreathing is the most beautiful metaphor for understanding life. The breath cycle tells us a lot about how the world works.

First, it’s a both/and reality. You both inhale and exhale. You can’t have one without the other. So you accept both.

Second, it’s also an either/or reality. You either inhale or exhale. You must completely commit to one or the other to do each well. If you’re split between the two, then you won’t do either one of them well.

Third, breathing is a dynamic process. It’s like light transitioning into darkness and vice versa. Inhaling transitions into exhaling. Exhaling transitions into inhaling. It’s dynamic because the more you inhale the more it becomes inevitable that you must exhale. That’s the dynamics of it.

So we have 3 aspects of reality here. You consider all aspects when looking at motivation.

The 3 aspects of motivationFirst, both/and. You’re both achievement and learning motivated. You value both achieving meaningful goals. And you value the learning that occurs as you work toward those goals.

Second, either/or. You either commit to achievement motivation or learning motivation. These motivations have different effects on your attention. Achievement motivation shifts your attention into the future. It focuses you on inspiring goals that provide you with meaning. Learning motivation shifts your attention to the present moment. It focuses you on the task at hand. It helps you see value in the work you do…for its own sake.

Does this either/or motivation mean you have to choose between them? Well, again, yes and no. Yes, you choose between them so you can commit fully to one or the other. And no, you don’t choose between them at the same time. When you choose to focus on each motivation occurs at different times.

Achievement motivation occurs before action. Learning motivation occurs during action. What’s important here is knowing when to use each motivation. Doing that lets you maximize each one. It helps you stabilize your motivation.

Third, it’s dynamic. You cycle between these two motivations. You will naturally feel more achievement motivated at certain times. Then, you’ll naturally feel more motivated by learning. Life is dynamic and so is your motivation. You don’t fight against this to stay motivated. You pay attention to the level and type of motivation you have. Your motivation will wax and wane naturally. Don’t force yourself to stay motivated. Rather, be receptive. Notice when you need to shift into something different.

Trusting how life unfoldsLife is in a constant state of change. It moves. It’s dynamic. You need to align with it. You need to move with it. You understand these 3 aspects of motivation. You trust how your motivation waxes and wanes.

Do this by trusting how life unfolds. Do it by trusting how your motivation fluctuates. Do this by being curious about what grabs your interest and attention. Curiosity directs your attention forward, toward how life is unfolding. It directs your focus into alignment with life. Life moves and you move with it. Accepting how life naturally flows and unfolds lets you ride the waves of change with more peace.

Pain is mandatory; suffering is optionalExpand your understanding of the pain points we’ve been exploring. Buddhism teaches that pain is mandatory, but suffering is optional. Life will be full of pain. Suffering occurs when you choose to resist pain. You’ll diminish your suffering by understanding your motivation. Then you’ll deal with the natural pain of life and have more peace and joy in it.

Understand your motivation better in our new online course. It’s a great resource for understanding motivation and other topics we cover.