Understand your motivational style
the importance of understanding how you are motivated when you are going through a major life transition
Why You Need to Understand Your Motivational Style—Especially When You’re Working for Yourself
If you’ve recently stepped away from the structure of a 9–5 job—whether through retirement, redundancy starting your own venture—there’s a good chance you’ve hit a surprising wall: a lack of the motivation and drive to stay on track. This is certainly something I have experienced.
Not because you don’t care. After all, there's nothing more important than your new path, your time, your freedom. But without a boss, a team, or deadlines breathing down your neck, it’s suddenly all too easy to let days slip by, to overthink, procrastinate, or bounce between ideas without finishing anything.
This is where understanding your personal motivational style becomes essential.
Why Motivation Works Differently Outside a 9–5
In a traditional job, motivation is often externally structured:
You show up at a certain time.
You’re accountable to someone else.
You get a paycheck, praise, or pressure.
When you step out of that environment—into freelancing, creative work, caregiving, entrepreneurship, or simply shaping your own time—those outer motivators disappear. You have to generate momentum from within. But here’s the truth:
What motivates one person might completely demotivate another.
What the Research Says
Motivation science tells us that people are driven in very different ways. A few key frameworks explain this
Self-Determination Theory
Psychologists Deci & Ryan found that we’re motivated when three needs are met:
Autonomy – We choose what we do.
Competence – We feel capable and growing.
Relatedness – We feel connected to others.
If you’ve left a job that gave you feedback, purpose, or structure, you may be feeling the absence of these. Identifying what you need more of now can help restore your drive.
Regulatory Focus Theory
This theory says we’re motivated by one of two core drivers:
Promotion Focus: You move toward a goal or dream.
Prevention Focus: You act to avoid a problem or loss.
Which one you lean toward affects how you should set goals and structure tasks. For example, a promotion-focused person might thrive on vision boards and bold ambitions, while a prevention-focused person will feel calmer with backup plans and risk-avoidance strategies.
The Four Tendencies (Gretchen Rubin)
This simple and practical model sorts people into four types based on how they respond to expectations:
Upholders meet inner and outer expectations.
Questioners need a good reason before acting.
Obligers need external accountability.
Rebels resist all expectations—including their own.
Knowing your tendency can help you stop blaming yourself for “lack of discipline” and instead set up systems that actually work for you.
Why This Matters More in Midlife Reinvention
When you’re redesigning your life or starting a solo venture, motivation isn’t optional—it’s fuel. But trying to force yourself to be more “disciplined” without understanding what really drives you is like pushing a car with no engine.
By understanding your motivational style, you can:
Stop wasting energy on methods that don’t suit you.
Set up your environment and schedule to support your strengths.
Learn how to follow through your way—not someone else’s.
Ready to Discover Your Style?
I’ve created a free, practical questionnaire to help you discover your unique motivational style—and give you tailored tips to build momentum and follow through.
👉 Click here to take the Motivation Style Questionnaire
(Printable version included—great for your journal or planner.)
Rewrite Midlife, Your Way
Midlife is the perfect time to stop working against yourself and start working with who you really are. Understanding what drives you is the first step in creating a life that feels energising, not exhausting.