To motivate someone is to give them a reason or desire to do something, or to make them feel eager to act. It can be done through encouragement, rewards, or helping them see a clear purpose.
From *motive* (a reason for action) plus the verb-forming suffix *-ate*. *Motive* itself comes from Late Latin *motivus*, “moving, that which moves,” from *movere* “to move.”
Motivation is literally about what “moves” you from wanting to doing. That’s why the same task can feel impossible one day and exciting the next: the energy behind it has changed, not the task. Understanding your motives is a form of emotional physics—figuring out what forces actually move you.
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