More Than Motivation
I don’t know about you, but I have spent the better part of the last few weeks fascinated by the splendor, pageantry, athleticism, and pure strength of the human spirit known as the Olympics. Through the drama and intrigue, the scandals and the successes, the medals and the muffins (if you know you know), I found myself amazed and inspired by these humans who have dedicated their lives to performing at such a high level. “Geez,” I’d find myself thinking. “I can't imagine that level of dedication. Where do they find the motivation?”
And that got me thinking. We see examples of motivation all around us. We see it in…
…the person who wakes up at 5am every day to workout before getting their kids off to school.
…the person who started in the mail room and put in hours of learning and growing to become a C-level executive.
…the person who struggled with learning differences growing up and spent their free time practicing and studying and applying for scholarships to attend a prestigious university.
…the person struggling with their mental health yet wakes up each morning and puts in the work to make it through another day.
While each of these individuals is accomplishing something very different, and for very different reasons, we can all probably agree on one thing - they are all highly motivated individuals.
But this clearly shows that motivation… is absolutely not one size fits all.
You see… what we think of as motivation is actually so much more than that. It’s not a standalone state or decision - it is an entire toolkit. In addition to motivation in and of itself, it also includes:
Determination
Habit
Gratitude
Support
Courage
Perspective
And so many more little pieces of an ever shifting puzzle.
And just to further complicate it, motivation isn’t simply something that one has or lacks, a state of being that one is either in or not… motivation is also in the doing - in the action itself. We tend to think that motivation has to come first in order to act or achieve. The truth is, sometimes the motivation is the result, not the impetus.
Just as the “what” of motivation is different for each of us, so too is the how. Not only are we each motivated to do, achieve, or accomplish different things, motivation in and of itself works differently for each of us.
Some people are intrinsically motivated - driven by an internal desire, affinity or feeling rather than by pursuit of external reward or recognition. Conversely, others are extrinsically motivated, where the passion and desire stems from the accolades that await them upon completion of the task at hand.
Similarly, some are motivated by what they stand to gain - either within themselves (knowlege, satisfaction, growth etc) or externally (compensation, awards, recognition etc), while others are motivated by what they stand to lose by not achieving or accomplishing what they are pursuing (perceived respect or recognition, favorable positioning or promotion etc)
Some of us are motivated through love, joy, and gentle encouragement while others are motivated through tough love, punishment, or fear.
And that is what makes this such an interesting thought experiment.
Motivation is not only unique to each individual, it is unique to each pursuit that each individual undertakes. From moment to moment, from task to task, we don’t always know how inspiration will strike or what will drive us to follow it when it does.
So whether you are hoping to win a gold medal at the next Olympic games in 2028, pursue a new academic or professional endeavor, or change a daily habit to enhance your quality of life, I hope you find the right motivation for you in this exact moment. And I can’t wait to cheer you on as you go.