What irritates you?
Whatever it is, it’s probably your best motivator.
Which do you think is a greater motive, fighting for something or fighting against something?
Psychologically speaking, fighting against something is usually the stronger initial motivator—but fighting for something is the more durable one.
1. Fighting against something
This taps into your brain’s survival wiring—think fear, anger, injustice.
It’s powered by the negativity bias (your brain gives more weight to threats than opportunities).
It activates the fight-or-flight system—fast, intense, energizing.
It creates urgency: “This must stop now.”
This is why movements often ignite around opposition:
injustice
oppression
a bad boss
a broken system
It’s emotionally hot. People will run through walls for it. But here’s the catch:
Once the threat is gone—or even just less visible—the energy drops fast. You can’t live in “fight mode” forever without burnout or becoming defined by what you hate.
2. Fighting for something
This taps into meaning, identity, purpose, and vision.
It’s tied to intrinsic motivation
It builds over time instead of spiking.
It answers a deeper question: “What am I here to build, become, or protect?”
This is what sustains:
long-term missions
calling-driven work
personal transformation
It’s quieter at first—but far more stable.
3. The real power move
The most effective people—and movements—tend to follow a pattern:
They wake up fighting against something like pain, injustice, or frustration.
Then they mature into fighting for something like a vision, identity, or purpose
If they don’t make that transition, they stall out… or worse, become consumed by the very thing they oppose.
4. What this means for you
If you’re trying to create change—in your life or for others:
Use “against” to spark action
Anchor in “for” to sustain it
Here’s a simple test: If you removed the problem… would you still have a reason to move forward? If the answer is no, you’re running on borrowed fuel.
The Bottom line
Against = ignition
For = endurance
The people who actually build something meaningful don’t just know what they’re against.
They get crystal clear on what they’re for—and let that reshape everything.
If you’re looking for purpose
A person looking for purpose rarely starts with some clean, noble vision.
More often, they start irritated, restless, or slightly ticked off at something they can’t ignore.
Shortly after starting my quest for purpose, I attended a seminar by a guy talking about his motivation for change. What I got from his seminar was that most of his motivation came from what irritated him the most. I thought, “Finally! I found someone that was speaking my language.” As I listened, spellbound, I realized I woke up irritated every day. But instead of paying attention to what was irritating me, I squelched it.
That was a big mistake!
The speaker used his irritation as a force for change. I needed to do the same. How about you?
What is at the heart of your irritation?
For life altering change to take place, the kind that forces you to discover your GIFT and employ it, you must first become intensely emotional. Deep emotions make an indelible imprint on your subconscious, the kind that lasts much longer than a mere rational decisions. I realize some of you are not like me and you don’t get irritated, but you can be deeply motivated by an emotion of love, or by an intense sense of duty. If that is you, then substitute those emotions for the word irritation.
I don’t get emotional enough to have an effect on my subconscious, but boy do get irritated! I found I’m not alone. So, if things get under your skin to the point that you wonder why someone isn’t doing anything about it, that’s a clue! Especially if you get irritated and no one else seems to care. It is an indicator that you are the one who is supposed to do something…and it is probably strongly related to your GIFT.
If I’m singing your song, then I’ll have a few suggestions for you followed by some examples in my next post.