What inspires you?
A friend and ex-colleague was recently on a work retreat "prize" for being one of the top sellers in the company, along with other top performers and of course, various management who had done very little. 60 employees and their plus-ones spent a week in the Virgin Islands at an exclusive resort for what he described as a one in a lifetime experience. He said that if he and his partner got away with a lunch under 200 dollars, he felt lucky. The rooms to the public were around 3000 dollars a night, meals and everything else were crazy expensive, and all this while the company is getting rid of people.
Typical.
At the end of the trip, the president of sales gave a very American speech about how the people back home aren't happy for them, are jealous, and next year they will be gunning to take their spot at the table etc. My friend (who is an American in Finland) was pretty uninspired by this call to competition, and the Finns were even less impressed.
It is an interesting situation though, because what it highlighted is the difference between personal motivations, and how some people believe that the only inspiring factor is money. Sure, most people like to have money and more is better than less, but the majority of people are not inspired by making more money, especially when it is obvious that like this guy (who is part of the venture capital buyer group) benefits directly from it. His motivations are clear, but he hasn't put much thought into what inspires others.
A common problem for sure.
For instance, I often write about various health improvement areas, because it is an area that both interests me and I am keen to develop myself in. Yet, while I wish more people would take their health seriously, I understand that many people aren't inspired by the journey to good health, even if they want healthy outcomes. Perhaps, for me it is important because I have spent so much of my life in ill-health, that I value the scarcity of good health. Perhaps it isn't important for others because they haven't yet experienced a huge amount of poor health. Or maybe it isn't because they are unable to connect the outcome they want strongly enough to motivate them to take the journey toward it.
It is similar with most things I assume, where people who have never known what it is like to not have money, needn't focus their attention too much on making it. And perhaps as a result, they make it more easily because they are doing what they do to make money, engaging in the journey, not the destination.
I have the opposite experience with health and money, where I have developed a scarcity mindset, so the outcome is important, and while I try to focus on the journey, it can get very difficult, because it is not where my true interest lays. But the journey requires investment, consistency, and adjustment. It needs to be taken seriously in the sense that it is these things we do, that lead to all the results we have. Because even though there is a lot of random interventions that can take place, the general trend is going to align to our general activity.
Is motivation important?
motivation
/ˌməʊtɪˈveɪʃn/
Motivation is the internal or external driving force that initiates, guides, and maintains goal-oriented behaviors. It is the process that fuels, directs, and sustains effort toward achieving a specific outcome, acting as the "reason" for actions. It includes activation (deciding to act), intensity (vigor of effort), and persistence (continuing despite obstacles).
As some one who has had the majority of theirs taken away in an unexpected medical event, I believe so. Yet it is also interesting, because while a lot of people want to "live in the moment" of life, motivation can't be derived from the moment. Even though the actions are all performed in the moment, motivation requires a pressure from the past that pushes, or a gravity from the future that pulls. For it to be an internal force, it really has to be part of the process prior to the action.
Are you motivated?
For many, I think motivation is a bit more like a passing infatuation, it doesn't last. It is the passion of attraction, but not enough to build the consistency that turns it into love. As they say, do something you love and you will never work a day in your life. But that is of course bullshit, because when you love something, you will work like a slave for it. When you are motivated to do the work consistently for something one loves, there is more than just the reward of accomplishment, but there is also the feeling of purpose.
Is purpose important?
Again, I think so. I reckon a lot of the problems we have in the world today at the societal level are caused by a lack of meaningful purpose. People are chasing all kinds of things, but very little of it is truly relevant enough to make us feel part of something larger than ourselves in a way where we are advancing humanity. Most of it is instead adversarial, where people's meaning comes from being in a movement against something, rather than a series of actions that grow something.
And I think this takes us back to the start, where the sales leader was trying to motivate people, but fell flat because he assumed their motivations. He expected that it is enough for them to feel purpose in making him richer, and themselves, for the potential of a fancy holiday for a few days. Nothing he said spoke to the growth of the individual needs, just money. Maybe that isn't his job to motivate people, but these days, when everyone just about is working to fulfil the dreams of an owner they will never meet, personal purpose is being lost.
And a holiday doesn't make up for a life of meaningless activity.
Taraz
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That's part of the reason I hate sales so much. I remember those meeting where they would try to motivate you and it never really landed well with me. I'm happy took a different path after my time in retail was finished. It's funny, but sometimes I wish I had a bit more of an addictive personality. I have a friend who does and while in his earlier years his addiction was more vice oriented, lately his addiction is the gym and honestly, I can't think of many drawbacks to that. Perhaps motivation and addiction aren't too far removed from each other!
I think you are onto something with the addicting personality being a factor here. I never used any drugs, didn't smoke or drink other than after 40 with occasional once every couple months a shot of whiskey. But I have always displayed signs of addictive personality be that a relationship, work, exercise, etc.
It probably varies a bit between different individuals, but it seems like it would make certain things a bit easier.
It is interesting how the same addictive personality in one domain is a feature, in another a bug. Socially, people like hard workers, but not alcoholics. It really seems to depend on the focus, right? Probably the surroundings and upbringing too.
This is something I have identified in Finland. When (especially Finnish men) put their mind to accomplishing something, they go all in. The country also has a lot of drinking and gambling problems. I reckon it is leveraging the same parts of the brain.
Yeah, I definitely think that is the case. You are triggering those dopamine centers or whatever it is. People tend to not see it as addiction because it is "healthy", but the effect is the same.
I've found the best way to inspire ourselves to difficult endeavors is to condition our environment.
When your environment is full of stimuli that reminds you of that task in a positive way, you are more likely to carry out the task without difficulty. Or keeping company with people who engage in that particular task, still the same.
I was thinking awhile back of how we humans, are just reactive beings. Our actions and decisions are just us reacting to all the stimuli the environment and our thoughts throw at us.
Match your environment and thoughts with the type of person you want to be and they will help shape you into that person.
I am of the same mind. Want to change, get surrounded by the subject, the people, the information, the tools.
I think being consistent at something has to do with multiple things:
I have been consistent my whole life with exercising, and I think that is due to being motivated to look good and stay healthy. It is also had an external component that played into my personality trait of being anti-consensus. For example everyone around me was drinking and smoking, even athletes in former Soviet Union / Ukraine. So I stood out like a white crow, my peers were saying to me things like: "Those who don't smoke and don't drink will die healthy" And I always replied: "Yes I plan to die healthy and without all the extra health issues."
Like in a movie :)
I find it weird at how many hockey players use those disgusting tobacco pouches.
A good life, not necessarily a long life. Too many think "good life" means vices.
I just love the fact that most of our dreams, desires and needs are societal. Just because society has decided that money is the real deal - the actual success, we all are just falling for it. It doesn't mean that money isn't everything, because it is everything. But still, the life doesn't start or end with it. The average lifestyle is to have some nonchalant life till teenage, then work your asx off for an owner, and in the end, all one wish for is retirement. And being honest, I don't like this. Even the concept of retirement seems boring to me.
For me, there is no end to goals and ambitions. It may sound like a life without life, but this whole thing keeps me motivated all the time. Furthermore, I believe in internal motivation, external motivation is nothing but a delulu.
My biggest dream is to open schools and serve humanity. Sounds idealistic, but at least, I made the decision for myself. And yes, everyone laughs saying "how silly of me". Fun part is I laugh with them as well, because I don't have to prove them about anything. I just want to do it because it is mine.
Btw, my company would not even spend a penny over us, no matter the growth rate :)
I suspect that I will die from work. I think that would be fine, if what I am working on means something to me.
Without idealists, we wouldn't have created much. People without dreams tend to just repeat what they are told.
$3000 per night? so, $6k for the weekend? u know how much HIVE i could buy for that??
:P
yea, i would say my motivation now is health, so i can enjoy things and people and events, and even work? (like doing stuff to accomplish things)
no real money motivation other than money is an easy to measure stat and the more of it u have, the more stuff u can do..
They were there 5 days - and not the weekend. You could probably empty the market for that much ;)
I think for the people with a lot of money, it is just a way to keep score.
Sad to see many organizations ignore the importance of genuine motivation in favor of competition and profit margins. Managers should recognize that not everyone is motivated by the same things.
Yeah, managers don't care except about whatever numbers they own for the quarter.
I love this part that you said engaging in your journey not your destination. Perfectly said, most people love money but don't want to work hard to get it, they want to get it so easy to achieve their goal without passing through the root
It is worth getting around people who are on a similar growth journey, rather than people who are unwilling to move.
Sure, perfectly said 🤞
Motivation is very Important thing in our daily life.
Sometimes when I feel that I am not capable for the work I am doing after failing at first or second attempt, I take rest and begun with new mindset and I motivate myself with some goods words.
Even I give myself a treat after completing Every tough task which is an example of motivation.
What kinds of treats do you use?
I was meant by any kind of Lunch/Dinner to myself.
money can push people, but it’s not what really drives most of us. People usually act when something feels personal. And with health, many don’t take it seriously until they’ve actually struggled with it.
The "one in a lifetime" trip reads like a corporate slap to the face.