Increase Your Motivation Using Heaven and Hell

This is the most effective technique for increasing daily motivation, it has had a profound effect on me since I first heard about it. It all began with a study involving rats.

Rats serve as a brilliant model for exploring human behaviour due to our shared biological and behavioural characteristics, such as social interaction and emotional responses. In one particular experiment, researchers aimed to demonstrate the impact of different motivational factors.

Hungry rats were placed in an environment where a spring was attached to their tails to measure the force they exerted. The more they pulled against the spring, the greater their level of motivation. In one experiment, the scent of cheese was introduced, and the researchers measured how hard the rats pulled. Since the rats were hungry, they applied a considerable amount of force to reach the cheese.

The experiment was repeated, but this time, instead of the cheese, the rats were exposed to the scent of a cat behind them. Fear became the primary motivator rather than a reward. The experimenters discovered that the rats pulled even harder when they were running away from something than when they were running towards something. It turns out, fear proves to be a stronger motivating force than a positive desire.

Now, how can we apply this knowledge to our own lives?

Heaven and Hell

Take a moment to sit down and visualise a perfect version of yourself in five years’ time, someone you would genuinely be proud to become. Envision a life where everything goes exactly how you planned, where success, health and happiness are your closest companions.

Now, shift your focus to the other end of the spectrum. Visualise another version of yourself—the worst possible incarnation. I'm not referring to circumstances beyond your control, such as natural disasters or debilitating diseases, but rather an exaggeration of all your character flaws. Your addictions are spiralling out of control, your relationships have disintegrated, and you have become the embodiment of everything you hoped to avoid.

With these two characters side by side, recognize that each of them is within the realm of possibility. Understand that every action you take, every habit you cultivate, moves you one step closer to either of these futures.

Jordan Peterson refers to this concept as your heaven and your hell. Your heaven represents what you aspire to be, while your hell is what you strive to avoid.

It’s the cheese and the cat.

Fear is the great motivator

I’ll share my example with you. The thought of me having a six-pack with 10% body fat sounds perfect, but it also sounds like a daunting challenge. There are times I find myself shrugging at the idea, convincing myself that if I don't achieve it I can still find happiness.

“It’s not that big of a deal if I don’t achieve my dream goal.”

“Skipping one day at the gym won’t make a difference in how I look”

“I’ll still be happy either way, who cares?”

Excuses.

I hate them.

My version of heaven—the ideal body—isn't always a strong enough driving force to motivate me to hit the gym.

But the fear of hell is behind me. I can feel the heat on my ass cheeks.

I imagine myself in the future, spending my days watching TV, feeling depressed, overweight, and unhealthy. I visualize a life where I never leave my home, relying on takeout every night, and struggling to perform basic tasks due to fatigue. The fear of becoming this decrepit version of myself is far more motivating than simply not achieving my goals.

I even have specific individuals whose lives I use as cautionary examples of what I desperately want to avoid. This gets me off the couch. And you best believe that after I visualise an obese version of myself, I’ll be adding some extra sets to my workout.

While I'm not usually fond of setting specific goals, it's important to have a rough idea of where you want to end up and where you want to avoid. Use these two future versions of yourself to guide yourself in the general direction of the desired outcome.

Keep the enticement of the cheese in front of you to push you forward, while also having the scent of the cat behind you. Knowing what you do not want to become is equally, if not more important than knowing what you do want to become. Even better, combine the allure of reward in front of you, and the fear of negative outcomes behind you, to create a more powerful force that propels you toward the person you want to be in the future.