Motivation Rules

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs works on the basis that our basic human needs must be filled before we can be motivated by more advanced needs. These needs are often shown graphicly as a pyramid. For example, at the bottom of the pyramid, there is a need for food and water. You’ll be motivated to get food and water above all other things because you need food and water to live. You’re not going to be motivated to buy a TV if you don’t have water. The point is, you will always be motivated to achieve needs lower on the pyramid, than those higher on the pyramid.

One of the theories behind motivation was proposed by American psychologist Abraham Maslow. He stated that all people are naturally “good” and that we are all driven by a hierarchy of needs. More on that next.

Psychologists believe that motivation is driven by a cyclical process. The process starts with either a thought. For example, you have the thought that you need to get promoted. As a consequence of these thoughts, you take the actions needed to get promoted. This then leads to more thought, which then leads to more action.

People can be motivated by things external of themselves. This is when an external event, such as having an unexpected child, suddenly motivates to get a new job or bigger house.

Scientists believe that motivation is strongly linked to emotionally-based values. For example, I might hold the value that hard work always pays off. Therefore I’ll be motivated to stay late in work and put in extra shifts solely based on that value.

Another way of looking at our motivation is to think that our motivation comes from the perceived benefits of taking a specific action, not the action itself. For example, you take the action to earn more money, not because you want more money, but because you can buy things with that money. But those things also have reasons why associated with them. SO your real motivation is much deeper than just wanting more money.

That something else is the “Why”. The “why” is your real motivation behind your actions. I desire to run away from that tiger. Why? So I can live and avoid pain. Another example, I desire to own a sports car. The “why” in this case, the real motivation to own a car, is to look cool and successful. So you see the real motivation behind a goal of the reasons why you want to achieve that goal, not the goal self.

Motivation manifests itself as a desire in our minds. So motivation is thought. And these thoughts can be both emotionally driven and logically driven. Most people think motivation looks something like this: I desire to run away from a tiger. However, that’s not really the motivation. The motivation comes from something else…