Temptation or Motivation?
Are temptation and motivation the same thing? How might they differ? Does it matter?
As I made a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies the other day I began to ponder if I was yielding to the temptation of savoring a soft chewy cookie with bits of chocolate melting in my mouth, or was I motivated to bless my family with a homemade treat. Or both?
Which is holier?
I am writing about this because I have a sense that motivation is holier then temptation. Perhaps not. Temptation has gotten a bad rap through the Garden of Eden.
Temptation and motivation both get me off my butt to do something, but they are significantly different in their nature as well as their long term effects.
Temptation is a deep desire to do something that might be unwise, or plain wrong. There is an impulsive energy behind my deciding to check out something on Amazon I “just can’t live without.”
And of course marketers are so good at providing next day gratification! Spending money on an unneeded bauble means I am not saving it towards something that would bring a wee bit of peace in the world: a sandwich for a hungry street person, a donation to cure cancer, a…. but then the dopamine begins to rumble until I hit the “buy now” button.
Motivation, on the other hand, does not come from enticing ads on Facebook or the aroma of fresh baked bread.
Internal or external?
Motivation can be either internal or external. It may be driven by a sense of satisfaction or enjoyment, as when I am motivated to practice my fiddle.
Or it may be driven by rewards like money, praise, or averting punishment. For example I am motivated to drive within the speed limit….and tempted to drive over it.
One thing I am particularly motivated to do is to become a better writer. I want to express my deepest thoughts in a way that makes sense to others.
I confess they don’t always make any sense to me! I am so motivated to learn how to write that I am tempted by every writing guru I bump into online, and I have this inner voice that urges me to sign up, because this is “exactly what I need to fulfill my dreams.”
Is this then motivation to learn or temptation to take yet another class?
Where is the fine line between motivation and temptation?
The Cookie Conundrum
The older I get, it’s not only my eyesight that gets shadowy. I find the line between motivation and temptation gets even blurrier. Is baking cookies an act of love or a sugary indulgence? Is the urge to learn a new skill genuine motivation or just another temptation in disguise?
This simple act of baking becomes metaphor for my original question: How do we distinguish between temptation and motivation in our daily lives? And does it matter?
The Aging Lens: How Time Shapes Our View
The older I get, the more my perspective on motivation and temptation evolves. Frankly, when I was 20 or 40, or even 60 I never thought about it much. There is something about aging that brings a lens of wisdom to life and changes our priorities.
- What once tempted us loses its allure.
- New motivations emerge, aligned with our values and life experiences.
My temptation to build a successful online business as a writer has given way to the motivation to inspire and help others to write simple things they have been holding for years and want to get down before they leave this planet.
I also bring more experience to the discussion and this can be both a blessing and a curse.
- Wisdom—I’ve seen the consequences of giving in to temptation and may be better equipped to resist.
- Cynicism— Past disappointments might make me wary of new motivations, mistaking them for temptations.
So how to discern the difference? And does it matter? I believe it does and it has to do with the reality that time is running out.
Sooner or later we will all die and I, for one, want to be driven more by motivation than temptation.
The Urgency of Now
As we become more aware of life’s finite nature:
- Temptations may feel more urgent: “If not now, when?”
- Motivations can become more focused: “What truly matters in the time I have left?”
This urgency can lead to both positive actions and impulsive decisions.
Let’s return to the cookies metaphor. Urgency can motivate me to teach my grandchildren to cook and at the same time, to make extras, because, well I may not get a chance tomorrow.
[Example using cookies and limpulsive decisions]
I often ponder what physical and cognitive changes I will bump into on my journey in the next 20 years…if I live that long. As my brain chemistry changes with age I may perceive those cookies differently tomorrow. They may lose their flavor and aroma totally. Would that be heaven (no temptation) or hell (no dopamine hits)?
So why care about the difference between temptation and motivation?
If I don’t keep the differences clear I am apt to make choices that are not aligned to my true values.
If I do not distinguish between a temptation and a motivation it might affect my sense of self and purpose.
There are financial implications to not appreciating the difference. If I misinterpret a temptation to take yet another course as a motivation to be a better writer, it could result in unwise financial decisions. (And has.)
I am tempted to now to keep on writing, but motivated to get this published. Then I am going to go get a cookie!!
You may want to ask yourself when was the last time you confused motivation with temptation. What were the consequences? With age, do you find it easier or harder to recognize the difference between motivation and temptation?
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