Today I’m talking about how to be a better person in your own mind. And the way we’re going to play with that today is to think about your answer to the question, What motivates you?
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“What motivates you?” is a question that maybe you get asked in a job interview situation—maybe. Usually you get asked what are you passionate about? and while I suppose passion can be motivating, in my experience the things that motivate us are usually more mundane.
Just like passion in a relationship wanes, so does passion in life. It’s motivation that will keep you going when that happens.
I’ve given this question a lot of thought, because as someone who works for myself, I am solely responsible for my own motivation.
Some of the things that motivate me are, getting paid, having fun, deadlines, and doing different things:
Getting paid
Call me craven, but I am very motivated by money. If I sense that I’m not being paid enough it’s like my fingers are made of lead when I’m sitting at the keyboard. It is perfectly possible and acceptable to enjoy being paid without it veering into being greedy. In fact, if I ever feel like I am being paid more than the value of the contribution I’m making, that gives me the lead fingers too. It’s OK to like money, and to like receiving money in exchange for the value you put out into the world. I definitely make time for things that don’t pay because they matter to me. In those instances, I need other motivations to keep me going.
Some of those other motivations include:
Having fun
I honestly ask myself, “Does this sound like fun?” If the answer’s no… I really don’t want to do it. It doesn’t mean I WON’T do it, but I’ll have to summon some grit to show up.
I am very very VERY deadline oriented
To the point that if I have too much time to do something, I will likely procrastinate because the deadline doesn’t feel deadline-y enough. Sad, but true. But that also means that if I give myself a deadline for meeting a certain goal it will get my butt in gear.
I’m also motivated by variety
The very thought of doing the same thing every day for the rest of my life makes me want to curl up in a ball and cry. That’s why I write, and host a podcast, and coach. I just get energized by variety, especially a variety of things that I enjoy and feel like I can make a good contribution to.
I mean, listen, I love helping people, and doing things that move the needle on things I care about. But while they may inspire you to get started, they aren’t typically what keep you going once the novelty has worn off. I think of them more as inspirations. They may get you to start the 1st or 2nd times, but Motivation keeps you going on everything that comes after.
So, today, give it some thought. What motivates you?
What gets you psyched up to do your work, whatever that may be? You may not have the answers at your fingertips, but there are clues what they are hiding in plain sight, You just have to take the time to look. Notice when you get excited during the day. Or what thoughts are going through your head when you sit down to get ‘er done. And once you figure out what motivates you.
I would LOVE to hear what it is!
Tweet me @Katewhanley, just tell me, Hey, @katewhanley, I’m motivated by donuts! Or whatever your particular fire starter is. Or you can email them to me by using the Contact Kate button on beabetterpersonpodcast.com. I’ll share them in my next podcast newsletter and perhaps your motivation will motivate someone else. That’s fun, right?
OK, that’s it from me today! I’ll talk to you tomorrow.
