You’ve probably heard the old adage “know thyself.” Understanding yourself is a key step in leading a happy, successful life. One way to understand yourself better is to find out what motivates you in life.
你可能听过这句古老的谚语“了解你自己”。自我觉悟是过上幸福成功生活的关键一步。一种更好的了解你自己的方式是找出你生活的动力。
Motivation is best defined as what causes you to take action. There may be a change you want to make in your life, but to make it, you have to know what will cause to you take action.This will depend on a variety of factors. It is important to recognize the different causes of motivation so you can utilize the most effective ones in your own life.
动机，做好的定义是什么让你采取行动。你可能想改变自己的生活，但是为了实现它，你必须清楚是什么让你去采取行动。这将取决于很多因素。认识不同动机的原因很重要，因此你才能你自己的生活中采取最有效的那一个。
Movement Is Not Always Progress 行动并不总是进步
Since most people are busy taking action, determining your motivation is rarely discussed. You simply know you have a goal you are striving to achieve and you are willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish that goal.
由于大多数人急于采取行动，而确定动机却很少讨论。你仅仅知道有一个目标要通过奋斗达成，并且你愿意为达成这个目标付出一切。
While this approach can work, it is not the most effective. When you don’t know what motivates you in life, you are essentially using your willpower alone to accomplish your goals. [1]
如果这种方式能有效，这就不是最有效的。当你不清楚生活的动机的时候，实质上你仅仅在用你的意志去完成你的目标。
However, willpower is an exhaustible resource, and that is why less than 20% of people accomplish their resolutions each year [2] If you want to be in the 20% who successfully change their lives, you need to utilize more than willpower. You need a plan that is structured in a way to capitalize on your strengths.
然而，人的意志是一种易枯竭的资源，这也是为什么每年有不到20%的人能完成他们当初下的决心。如果你想成那些成功改变他们生活的20%的人之一，你需要使用的不仅是意志。你需要一个能充分利用你的优势的有结构的计划。
What Motivates You in Life Is Key 生活中的动力是关键
Someone who is focused on advancing their career is concerned more about the title than they are about the salary. Therefore, offering more money but the same title is not going to motivate this type of individual. If you were to offer the same person a newer title with the same pay, they would be motivated to take the position because advancement matters to them.
专注于职业发展的人对头衔的关注比对薪水的关注更大。因此，提供更多的钱但拥有相同的头衔将不会激励这种类型的个人。如果你打算向同一个人提供相同薪水的新头衔，他们会被激励去担任这个职位，因为晋升对他们很重要。
Don’t underestimate the power of knowing what motivates you in life. There is a reason that most prosecutors must provide a motive for a jury to consider a defendant’s guilt. It is because your actions need to be linked with your beliefs.
不要低估了解生活动机的力量。大多数检察官必须出于动机，要求陪审团考虑被告有罪。这是因为你的行为要和你的信仰联系在一起。
If someone believes their life is in danger, then there is an expectation of the actions that person will take. There must be a consistency between the action the person took and the motive for why they took the action.
如果某人认为自己的生命处于危险之中，那么就期望该人将采取的行动。在这个人采取的行动和他为什么采取行动之间必然会有一种一致性。
Put simply, you want your actions to match the results you are trying to achieve. For you to discover what motivates you in life, you need to consider the following:
简单地说，你想要让你的行动来匹配你试图想达成的结果。为了让你发现生活中的动机，你需要思考以下几点：
1. You Would Do It for Free 你不求回报
If you are fortunate, you will get paid plenty of money to do what motivates you for a living. However, that is not always the case. There are plenty of people who did not make a living doing what they love. Vincent Van Gogh is known today as one of the greatest artists in history.
如果你是幸运的，你将获得许多钱从事激励你的工作。然而这样的案例并不多见。很多人挣钱糊口，做着他们并不热爱的事。梵高被认为是历史上最伟大的艺术家之一。
Did you know that he only sold one painting in his entire life? Van Gogh created over 900 paintings throughout his life, but he was only able to sell one.[3]
It was not until several years after his death that people started to appreciate his art work. Since Van Gogh loved to paint, he was not concerned about whether people purchased his paintings.
你知道在他的一生中他只出售过一幅画吗？梵高一生中创作了超过900幅作品，但是他只卖出了一幅。
直到他逝世几年后，人们开始欣赏他的艺术作品。因为梵高热爱绘画，他不曾担心人们是否会买他的画。
Van Gogh’s motivation was not tied to whether people respected his work, nor was it contingent on his ability to earn a living. Van Gogh painted because he loved to paint.
梵高的动机不在于人们是否尊重他的作品，也不取决于他的谋生能力。梵高画画是因为他热爱于此。
2. It Is Always on Your Mind 时刻牢记
What do you think about when you go to sleep and wake up? Sometimes you are moving so fast in life that you don’t listen to the message from your inner self. When you wake up, have a notebook next to you so you can capture your first thoughts each day. These are clues into what motivates you in life.
当你睡觉和醒来时会想些什么？有时你匆匆忙忙而忽略了内心的声音。当你醒来，在身旁准备一个笔记本，因此你能每天抓住第一个想法。这是找到你生活动机的线索。
Keep your notebook on you and add any ideas you have throughout the day. As you fill the pages in your notebook, you should be able to recognize some commonalities in your thoughts. The things you think about all the time are things you care about.
随身携带笔记本，把一天当中的任何想法记下来。当你记录的时候，你要认识到你思想中的一致性。你总是在思考的事物才是你关心的。
In addition to your inner thoughts, what motivates you in life will include activities you are always talking about. When you are around your friends and family, what topics do you always bring up? Have you found yourself in a grocery store talking to the cashier or bag-person about this same topic? If so, it is likely you have found something you are passionate about and motivated to pursue.
除了内心的想法，生活动机还包括你总是提到的活动。当你和家人朋友在一起的时候，你总是会提起什么话题？您是否发现自己在杂货店里与收银员或行李员谈论同一主题？如果是的话，似乎你已经找到了自己热衷并追求的东西。
3. You Get Lost in Learning 你在学习中忘我
Are there activities you cannot get enough of and lose track of time engaging in? These are signs that you may have found something that motivates you in life. Studies show that if you are reading material that motivates you, you will read more and remember more than you would with materials that did not motivate you.[4]
The key to motivation is that you are pushed to take action. Whenever you feel compelled to take action, you’ll want to pay attention to why you take action.
有没有什么事情是你永远都做不完的？这是找到你生活动机的信号。研究显示，如果你正在阅读激励你的文章，比起那些不能激励你的阅读材料，你将会阅读更多和记住更多。
动机的关键是推动你采取行动。无论何时你感觉被迫采取行动，你要多注意你采取行动的原因。
4. You Can List It in the Most Fulfilling Times of Your Life 你可以把它列在你生命中最充实的时刻
Self reflection is a great way to recognize what motivates you in life. Think about the times in your life when you felt most proud of yourself. It could be when you hit the game-winning home run or when you landed your dream job. Whatever these moments are, write down each of them on a sheet of paper. Review your list and see if you recognize any commonalities.
自我反思是认识生活动机的很棒的方式。思考你生活中最自豪的时刻。可能是您赢得了比赛的本垒打，或者是当您找到理想的工作时。不论这些时刻是什么，在一张纸上把它们都记下来。查看列表，看它们之间是否存在一致性。
Were you with family, performing in front of others, or helping those less fortunate? Whatever you were doing, these are clues to what motivates you in life.
你是和家人在一起，在别人面前表演，还是帮助那些不幸的人?无论你在做什么，这些都是你生活动力的线索。
Once you recognize the commonalities of what motivates you, take action to confirm. If you enjoy expressing your creativity, find a way to express your creativity. You may realize you have a very specific aspect of creativity you are motivated by.
一旦你认识到你动力的一致性。采取行动进行确认。如果你喜欢表达自己的创意，找一个方法去表达。能会意识到自己具有非常特殊的创造力。
There are going to be others who are motivated by helping those in need. If you believe you enjoy helping others, volunteer and see how you feel. You may realize you don’t like to help just anyone, but rather a particular cause that you are passionate about.
The point of this activity is not to judge your motivations, but to explore them.
有些人以帮助那些需要的人为动机。如果你相信自己喜欢乐于助人，去做志愿者然后看看自己是什么感觉。你可能会意识到你并不是想要帮助所有人，而是想要帮助你所热爱的某项事业。
这个活动的关键并不是评判你的动机，而是去探索。
5. You Would Do It If No One Was Watching 没有观众你也会做
There are things you do in life because society tells you they are good ideas. Society tells you which school you should go to, which major and career you should choose, and even which city you should live in. There are certain choices that are considered prestigious and will be well-received by most people. Then, there is a less-celebrated path that is rarely traveled.
有些事情是因为社会舆论告诉你它是好主意你才会去做。社会告诉你应该去那个学校，读什么专业，应该选择什么职业，甚至你应该住在哪个城市。有些选择很有权威性，很多人会接受。然后，有一条很少有人庆祝的小路。
Only you can answer the question, “Why am I on this path?” Are you on the path that will get you a pat on the back from your parents or your friends? Or are you on a path that few people understand and appreciate?
只有你才能回答这个问题，“我为什么会这样做？”你是否正走在一条能让你得到父母或朋友鼓励的道路上?或者你正走在一条很少有人理解和欣赏的道路上。
There is a saying that what you do when no one is looking defines you. If you take action to receive recognition from other people in your life, then you already have your reward. However, if you are provoked to take action according to your inner purpose, then you are doing what motivates you in life.
有句话讲，当没人看时，你在做的事决定你是什么样的人。如果你做事是为了赢得生活中其他人的认可，那么你已经获得了回报。然而，如果你追寻内在的动力备受激励而采取行动，那说明你正在做让你充满动力的事。
Final Thoughts 最后的思考
What motivates you in life is going to change over time. When you were young, life may have been simpler. Perhaps you were going to build a multi-billion dollar company because you were motivated by success and significance. However, when you were a bit older, you were motivated by freedom and the idea of traveling around the world. Then you had kids, and they became the driving force for everything you did in life.
As you experience different life events, you will realize your motivations will adjust accordingly. That is why it is a good idea to review what motivates you in life periodically. This will give you the opportunity to adjust your goals as your motivations change.
你生活的动机会随着时间而改变。当你小的时候，生活可能是更简单的。也许您将要建立一个价值数十亿美元的公司，因为您受到成功和重要性的激励。然而，当你长大了，你又被环游世界的自由激励。有了孩子后，他们又成了你生活中的驱动力。
随着你经历生活中不同事件，你会意识到你的动机会随之调整。这是为什么定期观察你的生活动机是一个好主意。在你的动机改变时，它将会带给你调整目标的机会。
