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Psychology research shows that we are much more likely to take risks and invest time and energy to avoid losses, rather than to seek gains.

This tendency has been coined loss aversion and it’s a peculiar quirk of human behavior and decision-making.

The basic idea is that humans will go leaps and bounds to avoid losing something they already have, but that kind of motivation is much rarer when they are actually seeking some new gain in life.

With this in mind, perhaps if we framed our motivation in terms of “What am I losing or missing out on if I don’t this?” then we can tap into the kind of extreme motivation that is often fueled by loss aversion.

It’s easy to want something in life.

We find ourselves always talking about how we’d like to go to the gym more to get healthier or more fit. Or how we’re going to start focusing on our studies more so we can improve our grades and get into a good school. Or how we’re going to start reading more so that we keep our brains active and learn new things.

We make new goals for ourselves all of the time and never follow through. But what if these goals were framed in terms of losses?

For example, instead of just focusing on the gains of going to the gym more (being healthier, getting more fit, having more confidence), what if you also considered all of the losses if you don’t go?

How would it negatively affect your health in the long-term? How might it decrease your quality of life in the future? More pains? More stress? Less energy and physical ability? How might you lose some of the pleasures and luxuries in your life today if you don’t start taking care of your body?

According to the principle of loss aversion, looking at our goals in this way can be a valuable source of motivation.

If we’re willing to have a long-term view of the losses and costs of not following through on our goals, then that becomes something itching in our mind that can cause us to finally take action.

Consider all the opportunities you similarly lose out on by not following through on your goals. These can be thought of as a kind of opportunity cost. The cost you pay every time you live a day in a way which doesn’t meet your full potential.

This perspective may or may not work for you, but it’s something I thought was worth sharing. Sometimes focusing on the possible negatives of a situation can give you the necessary motivation to turn that situation around before it’s too late.



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