What Really Motivates?

Off Topic
21

[quote]Mufasa wrote:
Magarhe said:

“…I’ve seen companies brainwash employees like this for decades and the employees actually buy this, then retire to discover they were actually screwed on the retirement plans etc… coz the company chose brainwashing bullshit over actual tangible rewards…”[/quote]

The question asks what it is that really motivates people NOT whether the one doing the motivating had the person’s best interests in mind. That obviously isn’t always the case.

What really motivates is RECOGNITION. People will do a lot more to receive this than almost anything. Think it through for a while and I’ll bet you’ll
see that you’ve done plenty yourself simply to be noticed and appreciated.

We ALL have a need to feel significant and appreciated and accepted. Those who give us that and make us feel good about ourselves, whether they be a motivational speaker, a dictator, a parent or a spouse, have a great deal of influence over our lives.

22

I’m not really motivated to put any serious thought into a reply… :stuck_out_tongue:

23

[quote]Mufasa wrote:
(In case you’re interested, I love soft gasp, whispers and coos of appreciation and reciprication…)

What do you think about “group” motivation?
[/quote]

Mufasa, are you trying to say that you want to have an orgy?

24

Motivation/reinforcement works when there is some plan that one recognizes as having some chance of success.

That can be dangerous.

In high school, I read a Tony Robbins book. One of the exercises is to come up with a set of goals. That’s great… if I think about it, I have all sorts of things I want to do! If, however, I don’t already have the knowledge it takes to execute the plan, the “motivated” individual risks becoming disillusioned even further.

Motivational writers present a mythos… a struggling older person, for example, desperate to escape his or her environment. Little education, a string of bad luck, little money; yet, through belief and the adoption of a plan, the person succeeds. It covers all the bases. The mythical individual has no particular advantage over any of the readers or attendees. Not youth, high intelligence, money, social connections, or even a plan. The only thing this person has is a vague yearning to improve his lot in life.

This mythos resonates well with people who have wondered if they might be able to achieve more, and it eliminates many of the excuses that they might otherwise conjure up. It is misleading, however, because desire does not produce success; effort, luck, and knowledge are almost always necessary. And for many people laboring under the illusion that they, too, can accomplish great things, their high will turn to depression and anguish once they figure out that they have no real way to bridge desire and reality.

25

[quote]nephorm wrote:
And for many people laboring under the illusion that they, too, can accomplish great things, their high will turn to depression and anguish once they figure out that they have no real way to bridge desire and reality.[/quote]

Nep, you cynical bugger you!

I don’t remember any of these motivational people saying that just wanting something will allow you to achieve it.

Don’t they talk about knowing what you want so that you can devise strategies to going about achieving those things?

There is a difference…

26

What a great topic! I’m more of a lurker, just like a sponge soaking up information, however, after reading Omnivore’s post, I felt a need to reply (more of a motivation to post…LOL).

Seriously, recognition is a great means to motivate people if it is done in a timely and sincere manner. Recognition done in a half-ass manner (not timely, done by email, not personal) tends to demotivate and create cynicism in people. In order to use recogintion to motivate, the person doing the recognition needs to be seen as trustworthy by the person being recognized. In a sense, the perception of the person being recognized is what will make this a success or a failure.

I’ve been to the “Success” type seminars, and have watched these “motivator”-type gurus use music, cheerleaders, etc to try to fire up the crowd. It works for some, not for others. Mostly these seem to be a selling point for a book, audio set, personal consultation, etc.

IMHO: Motivation, in a long term case, needs to be intrinsic to the person. External motivation will work on a short term basis, but needs to be internalized over the long term in order to be successful. Most external motivators seem to fail over time.

Sorry for the long post…Great topic, Mufusa!

-Kevin-

27

[quote]vroom wrote:
I don’t remember any of these motivational people saying that just wanting something will allow you to achieve it.
[/quote]

Sure… think Napoleon Hill and his ilk. There is a sort of transcendental philosophy at work that posits that desire actually shapes and modifies reality.

[quote]
Don’t they talk about knowing what you want so that you can devise strategies to going about achieving those things?

There is a difference…[/quote]

Sure, modern motivators do. And I do believe that it is possible to better oneself. But I think that road is much, much longer and more difficult than is presented in these books, and that people who are truly cut off and at rock-bottom will have a very difficult time of devising a plan to do something they know very little about.

Somehow, if I motivated you to believe you could achieve your goal of personally building a rocketship - and you were a poor drunk with no education or friends - we could all probably agree that it was a stupid idea.

If I tell you, on the other hand, that you can become rich, it suddenly becomes acceptible.

28

I recently changed jobs and while I was training the new guy he told me about how he went to a Tony Robbins weekend.

The guy was as boring as you get and he was telling me about the events of the weekend and how everybody felt motivated to change their lives.

He told me “You just gotta go to a Tony Robbins show.”

It cost the guy nearly $1000 by the time he got his accommodation, flights and tickets to the show.

Me - “Did it change your life?”
Him - “Not really. But you feel motivated.”
Me - “Did it chane anything in your life?”
Him - “For a little while.”
Me - “Any lasting changes?”
Him - “No, nothing. But you get really motivated when you go there.”

I am sure people get motivated very easily in groups. Motivation and enthusiasm is infectious. I believe there are those than can motivate large groups.

But motivation is only the planting of the seed. This sort of motivation is only a temporary solution. It needs constant reinforcement if it is going to be a lasting change. I read a great quote that says it all. “Motivation gets you going, discipline keeps you going.”

29

[quote]nephorm wrote:
Somehow, if I motivated you to believe you could achieve your goal of personally building a rocketship - and you were a poor drunk with no education or friends - we could all probably agree that it was a stupid idea.

If I tell you, on the other hand, that you can become rich, it suddenly becomes acceptible.[/quote]

Yeah, I see what you are saying, however, let’s take the rich example for a moment.

Just saying “it will happen” is where I’d agree it is stupid. However, if it is a “long term” goal, then it will help you develop required stepping stones.

Start: Drunken Worthless Bum
1: Get on welfare, get an education
1a: Do a lot of networking at school
2: Get a paying job
2a: Do a lot of networking at work
3: Start a business on the side
4: Do own business full time
4a: Do a lot of networking
5: Expand business
6: Sell out my interest in business
7: Retire
End: Rich

Stepping stones aren’t easy, but if you lay them out, and you have the ability to learn and adapt, as most people do, then you can start down the road.

There is no guarantee of success, it may not be easy, some steps may require correction or repitition due to failure at first try, but there are roads to take, and if you don’t even take those roads you are gauranteed to fail.

If you try to take that path, you then have at least a chance of success.

All of us are here, theoretically, learning the steps it takes to get fit, lose weight, add muscle, become ripped, compete, or whatever, right?

Didn’t many of us arrive here with very little background in bodybuilding and very little knowledge? Are we not on the road?

Hmmm.

30

[quote]vroom wrote:
I’m not really motivated to put any serious thought into a reply… :P[/quote]

…There is no such thing as a motivational speaker, just motivational listeners.

31

[quote]vroom wrote:
There is no guarantee of success, it may not be easy, some steps may require correction or repitition due to failure at first try, but there are roads to take, and if you don’t even take those roads you are gauranteed to fail.
[/quote]

Like I said, I do believe it is possible to improve.

32

I didn’t have the time to answer both questions before, so here is the answer to the individual question.

[quote]Mufasa wrote:

  1. Don’t you think that what “motivates” a person is very individual?
    [/quote]

Motivation is an individual thing. I have had a lot of experience with sporting teams and it is no more evident than in these examples.

The collective goal for any team should be a championship. Motivation will, however, differ between players.

Player 1: This guy is new to the team and is struggling to make a starting line up. His motivation is purely to be a starter and make sure that his performance is up to standard or beyond.

Player 2: The veteran of the team. His days are numbered and he is yet to win a championship. His goal is totally focusing on leading the team to a championship.

It’s the same in companies. One works for money to pay off his credit card debts. Others work for enjoyment, survival, long service leave, comfort zones and so on.

So to think that a motivational speaker is going to touch everybody to work towards the one collective goal is a little naive.

33

[quote]vroom wrote:
nephorm wrote:
Somehow, if I motivated you to believe you could achieve your goal of personally building a rocketship - and you were a poor drunk with no education or friends - we could all probably agree that it was a stupid idea.

If I tell you, on the other hand, that you can become rich, it suddenly becomes acceptible.

Yeah, I see what you are saying, however, let’s take the rich example for a moment.

Just saying “it will happen” is where I’d agree it is stupid. However, if it is a “long term” goal, then it will help you develop required stepping stones.

Start: Drunken Worthless Bum
1: Get on welfare, get an education
1a: Do a lot of networking at school
2: Get a paying job
2a: Do a lot of networking at work
3: Start a business on the side
4: Do own business full time
4a: Do a lot of networking
5: Expand business
6: Sell out my interest in business
7: Retire
End: Rich

Stepping stones aren’t easy, but if you lay them out, and you have the ability to learn and adapt, as most people do, then you can start down the road.
[/quote]

It is only more acceptable because being “rich” is a culturally embraced goal. Who in their right mind doesn’t want to be rich?

Interesting that in vroom’s scenario richness clearly involves large amounts of money. Perhaps for the bum, richness only means a decent job, a roof over his head, and meals every day. That is much more easily attainable.