Motivation, Willpower, and The Cognitive Faculty Assignment Approach

Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW

2 years ago

The word, motivation, is defined as “the reason to act or behave in a particular way[1].” It is the “general desire or willingness to do something.[2]” It is also defined as a motive, incentive, stimulus, or inspiration[3]. And it may be related to enthusiasm, drive, ambition, determination, or taking initiative. In other words, a motivational state can represent a force that leads someone to engage in goal-directed behavior.[4]

But does motivation really work? Does it last? Do we really end up doing that which we would like to do just because we feel motivated to do it? Do we still get to do something even when there are obstacles, as long as we are motivated enough? In other words, is motivation the ultimate answer? Is it what’s ultimately missing?

Unfortunately, we can be motivated to do something, yet still not do it. This is because different states of our mind are continuously competing. Our strongest state will end up determining what we end up doing[5]. Desire is often the state related to motivation[6]. However, the other states that are competing are related to our beliefs about that which we seem to desire or be motivated to do.[7]

For example, we have access to a set of Unconscious-based interventions, that provide us with direct access to our unconscious mind, and that allow us to identify our unconscious patterns. They support us in identifying how we have been reinforcing these unconscious patterns, and how to self-eradicate them. These Unconscious-based interventions also provide us with direct access to our unconscious mind and allow us to experience ourselves as we really are, the Truth as it really is, and Reality as it really exists. And all we need is to practice.

If you have been practicing regularly, frequently, and intensely, it is just a matter of time before you are able to identify your patterns, let go of reinforcing them and permit them to self-eradicate. It is just a matter of time before you experience yourself, others, the world, Truth, and Reality, in their purest form. It is just a matter of time before you truly know Freedom, Peace, Health, Harmony, Joy, Authentic Happiness, and Authentic Success. It is also just a matter of time before you start working with others in your practice, and in your surroundings, helping them to learn how to also achieve all this, both through your modeling, and their experiential learning.

On the other hand, those of us, who have not been practicing regularly, frequently, and intensely are motivated to do so. We have the desire, we have decided, and we are willing to do it. Yet, we still don’t do it, with the regularity, frequency, and intensity required for these interventions to work as they are meant to. We are motivated, we want it, we desire it, we start, and we work hard, but we get to a point where this regularity, this frequency, this intensity, goes out the window. And we know they are patterns. We know these same patterns are preventing us from practicing optimally. Therefore, self-eradication is not taking place. And, the vicious cycle continues.

What are we to do then? Is there anything that we can do? What’s the solution? Is there even one?

The solution follows one of Einstein’s principles of problem-solving. Albert Einstein once said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same type of thinking that created them.” Each time there is something we desire, want, and are motivated to do, but cannot do it, it means we are using the same type of thinking that is not going to get us there. This same type of thinking is related to a pattern that will need to self-eradicate. Yet, that self-eradication will be possible only by practicing Unconscious-based interventions. For us to practice then, we ought to be smarter about it. This means instead of using our willpower, or just our motivation, or our conscious thought, which is driven by our unconscious patterns, we will, instead, make use of the Cognitive Faculty Assignment Approach (CFAA).

What is the Cognitive Faculty Assignment Approach (CFAA)?

In a previous SWEET article, entitled, Why the Cognitive Faculty Assignment Approach, written in preparation for our Imagination-Focused Therapy Certificate Course, we defined the Cognitive Faculty Assignment Approach (CFAA) as a new attitude toward our tasks, and our chores, and toward our activities as they relate to our cognitive function of imagination. We explained that it is a new way to go about the different things we must do, all these things we have on our calendar, all these patients we are scheduled to see, all these meetings we are scheduled to attend, and all the personal things we deal with. We also described how the moment we wake up in the morning until we retire for bed, there are countless tasks, activities, and chores for us to do. We added that some of these tasks are emerging, others are urgent, some are routine, while others are overdue, unexpected, or anticipated. Some of these chores we look forward to. Some other ones we may dread. And some others we may be indifferent about. Regardless of how we feel about them, they are in our mind. They seek our attention. They are in the back of our head and even when we try suppressing them, they only shift to our preconscious or unconscious mind and continue to drive us. They just do not go away.

In that article, we talked about Ann, a clinician who has been doing so much, but has been using her existing thinking patterns to solve her problems, and instead of having Peace, Freedom, Joy, etc., she is burned out. We then established that as an illustration of why the Cognitive Faculty Assignment Approach (CFAA) is necessary.

If you are currently participating in our ongoing Imagination-Focused Therapy (IFT) Certificate Course, you will get to learn about CFAA. If, on the other hand, you are not currently taking IFT, note that the fourth week of the IFT Certificate Course will be about how to make use of the Cognitive Faculty Assignment (CFAA). You will highly benefit from attending that session. And we look forward to seeing you. Meanwhile, you can access them from the SWEET website, the following articles, and read them in the following order:

These four articles will help provide you with:

The background for the Cognitive Faculty Assignment Approach (CFAA)
The rationale for the Cognitive Faculty Assignment Approach (CFAA)
The How of using the Cognitive Faculty Assignment Approach (CFAA)
The How of making practical use of the Cognitive Faculty Assignment Approach (CFAA)

This will help get you started with making use of the Cognitive Faculty Assignment Approach (CFAA), which will help you go beyond motivation, beyond willpower; and you will start to experience how regular, frequent, and intense use of these powerful Unconscious-based interventions make all the difference.

May Consistency be with you.

[1] Oxford Dictionary: Definition: Motivation. Available at: https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/motivation.

[2] Vimla Gulabani, MBA. “Understanding Motivation.” HFL, 6 May 2021, https://www.habitatforleadership.com/post/understanding-motivation.

[3] “Motivation Definition & Meaning.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/motivation.

[4] O’Reilly, Randall C. “Unraveling the mysteries of motivation.” Trends in cognitive sciences 24.6 (2020): 425-434.

[5] Kruglanski, Arie W., and Donna M. Webster. “Motivated closing of the mind:“Seizing” and “freezing”.” The motivated mind (2018): 60-103.

[6] Marks, Joel. “The difference between motivation and desire.” The ways of desire. Routledge, 2018. 133-148.

[7] Sinhababu, Neil. “The desire-belief account of intention explains everything.” Noûs 47.4 (2013): 680-696.