I was thinking about motivation today and what makes us do the things we do? There are a myriad of factors which can motivate us, whether it’s social  pressure, societal norms or our own expectations of what we should achieve. In NLP terms, our motivations are driven by our metaprograms – where we go towards a goal or away from something bad. So we might work really hard to achieve a bonus at the end of the month, or keep working hard in order to avoid being told off by the boss.

I’ve been reading about the motivation of smokers who come to see a hypnotherapist to stop smoking. In most cases, they have found the motivation to stop doing something they once really enjoyed, but are not enjoying anymore. Is it because they want to take better care of their health, save money, feel free to breathe easily again, or is it to avoid illness, and escape from the smell, taste and control of cigarettes? For most people it’s a combination of both, although there is sometimes one overriding factor.

What would you be happy to be free from? Whether it’s an addiction to nicotine, or that you eat too many of the wrong things. Or perhaps you want to give up giving up? There are so many things that we do every day, simply because we have formed habits and our unconscious mind is just whirring away, continuing those patterns.

Sometimes it helps to take an inventory of our own behaviours and ask:

Which of these habits am I doing mindlessly, without thinking?

Which of them am I still enjoying?

and

Which of these habits would I like to change?

Call me on 07961 389 0303 or email zeenat@zeenatahmedpeto.com today if you would like to discuss how Cognitive Hypnotherapy can support you in changing your habits.