What's The Dark Motive? And How Can You Use it to Your Advantage?

I am relaxed at home doing normal things and browsing social media, but tomorrow is an important day for me. There are many things I have to do because I will move to another city. Furthermore, the repairman will come at 8 am, so I will have to wake up early.



For now I plan to relax and watch TV, as there's a lot I have to do tomorrow. As I was browsing social media, I noticed a post from a girl I'd been in an emotional relationship with for a while, and I found out that she had engaged to a new guy.

Suddenly, I no longer wanted to watch TV and I felt both motivated and sad at the same time. This prompted me to plan to wake up very early the next morning and do different tasks. This phenomenon I call the "dark motive" and I would like to clarify in this article what this motive is and how you can use it for your benefit.

What's a dark motive?

Dark motive is a type of motivation that depends on a particular desire to complete tasks and improve yourself in any way possible. It is caused by various negative feelings, but they are very strong. It is normal for a person to feel jealous, insecure, and willing to compare oneself with others, and although it is better to abandon these feelings, they can be a great source of motivation at times.

When I saw that post, I felt like I wanted to make progress with something, and my subconscious mind wanted me to feel good because knowing that girl was with another young man caused me some negative feelings, and one of the best ways that I would feel good is to improve myself somehow.

Dark motive is a very powerful way to motivate you to get out of your comfort zone and push yourself toward your goals. The pain of sitting at home and doing nothing has pushed me out of this situation by working even though I will not have enough sleep.

As Dr. Henry Lincoln said, (Dr. Henry Link): “Fears are generated during our sitting, but we overcome them at work”.

Examples of Dark Motive:

Dark motive can result from largely negative emotions, including jealousy, insecurity, anxiety, discomfort, and anything like that.

For example, when you see someone you don't like in great fitness, you'll probably feel motivated to exercise, when you get fired from your job, you'll feel motivated to seek a high-paying job and advance in your career, and if you break up with your partner, you may have a motivation to improve your social skills.

Dark motive depends entirely on negative emotions. Some people may say these feelings are immature and childish, yet they are normal for us, and you can certainly use them to your advantage.

When you improve your career after being fired from your job, for example, part of your mind will want to take revenge on your boss and make them regret their decision, or when you relate to someone else after breaking up with your ex-partner, part of your mind will want to make them jealous to prove that you're better off without them.

These forms of motivation are usually much stronger than in normal situations. The desire to stay away from pain is much stronger than the desire to turn towards happiness.

How to use dark motive to your advantage?

Stirring up your motivation with these feelings is like adding a strong supplement to your exercise routine that will be very effective, but it can be harmful if you use it too much, and if you constantly compare yourself to others and allow jealousy and insecurity to control you, you will probably have mental health issues.

Here's my advice: Remember, you don't need to compare yourself to others, and achievements don't make anyone better because real trust comes from within, and you don't have to prove yourself to anyone.

However, a dark motive is very useful if you use it occasionally. When you know that you have something to do, but you do not want to do it, look for what the dark motivation will earn you and notice how it will feel.

The next time you learn that you have to exercise or complete a task, look deep inside your mind and notice if you have a certain feeling of insecurity or jealousy that can give you motivation. Also, once you finish the task you have to do, forget it. You may feel uncomfortable for a while, but nothing great comes out of life without effort.

We all have some underlying fears and feelings that we can use as a dark motive, so why not use them to your advantage? Learn  how to control it in a non-disturbing way for you in your daily life, and you can reveal it when you need to. This is the best way to use dark motives to your benefit.

Read also: Self-Management and Decision-making in Stressful Situations

In conclusion:

This was my guide on dark motives. With a little practice, you can turn your negative feelings into motivation, and eventually you will be grateful for it. However, despite using dark motivation carefully, I think you want to be a generally happy person, so apply it in a way that does not harm your overall quality of life, and in a way that is sufficient to help you constantly improve yourself.