What motivates you?

[PeterMP]

Pretty simple question. To steal part of a phrase from a popular book several years ago, what is your cheese?

Feel free to explain why.

You can vote for more than one. I know sometimes I'm motivated (by something) and sometimes I just mostly go through the motions.

[Koolblue13]

I'd like to say just the greater good, because I should or that it's right in the long run, but I do love the ladies. :ols:

I'm mostly kidding and sex wouldn't over rule doing anything for the right reason (the greater good/ to just help), but I've done plenty for it.

[STBonecrusher21]

My soul, and the souls of others.

[skinsdomination09]

None of the above.

Put-downs,Rejection,Insults and failures.

I'm vindictive. I take no greater pleasure than wiping the arrogant smile off of some jacka**'s face.

[chipwhich]

For me it's always been trying to get out of the Rat Race. As an employee, I was never satisfied with my position, I always wanted to climb the corporate ladder. I feared sitting in a job for 30 years to retire, while never being satisfied with my career.

As a business owner, to survive and remain on top. Never being satisfied with status quo. Never being afraid to make the next bold move.

My father grew up as a dairy farmer and tobacco farmer, moved on to telephone repair and climbing poles, on to IBM in it's early years and climbing the corporate ladder. Never fearing going outside of the box to improve yourself. I think that's what drives me, to always outdo what my father did in his career.

[twa]

All of them at one time or another and in specific goals

I'd say God,family and other Ideas being the primary drivers over the years(I've always been a idealist), but sex certainly was in the mix

[Renegade7]

Fear of going back to where I was before I moved to Hampton Roads. A lot of that is just a fight for stability and sense of purpose...

[ixcuincle]

http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2012/0511/ny_u_ibanez_b1_400.jpg

Nevah give up

Evah

[Dallsux]

Largely, I am motivated by my love for God & wanting to please Him.

I am also motivated by my family & my love for them & my need to serve & support them.

Nothing else motivates me & there are times when I am simply going thru the motions. Honestly, I think everyone goes thru times like that in their lives tho, be it a few moments or decades of their lives. At some point, we all just kinda go thru the motions.

[skinsgirl26]

I said family cause I want to do them proud. My parents have done so much for me and are such wonderful people so I want to be the best I can for them. Religion because it is the basis for how I live my life and what kind of person I want to be.

But mostly I motivate myself because I'm a freaking perfectionist and I'm OCD. I feel the need to do everything perfectly and I give myself anxiety over it...it's a good thing cause I motivate myself to do the best I can, but sometimes it consumes me. Whatevs.

Sex can be a pretty good motivator too though, I suppose...it's an easy way for girls to motivate men to do something :ols: (not that I do that)

[skinsfan07]

The essence of being, the fact that we are alive, in this moment we are in, the NOW, is enough to motivate me to live. The future is NOW. Peace my friends.

[#98QBKiller]

The awareness that life is short in the grand scheme of things and the want to get the most out of it that I can, along with a need to constantly evolve as a person in a positive direction.

[dchogs]

i do what i do for my family.

a lot of that is basic financial security, so money is there.

the "other" is the thrill of victory, stepping up in the face of pressure and external doubt, and helping others (selfishly, yes, in that order).

interesting question, peter. thanks.

[No_Pressure]

I am motivated internally by innate concepts of what needs to be done. I don't do things out of coercion- take those other reasons for motivation for example:

Family- Am I motivated to do nice things for my family because I love them and I feel like I should do nice things for them, or do I do it out of guilt and obligation? For me I don't change the oil in my mom's car because she asked me and I feel like I have to. I do it because I want to, because I love her and I want to do it.

Money/Authority- Do I do a great job at work based solely on being paid, or perhaps solely on the fact that if I don't do a great job I could get in trouble/fired which would subsequently ruin my supply of money? No. I do a good job when nobody is looking and when nobody would know the difference. I take the extra time to do better work even when it isn't necessarily profitable to me personally. For example when I used to do landscaping, there were thousands of ways to cut corners to save myself time and effort which customers would likely never know about or perhaps wouldn't even care about. The thing was, I would know about it and I cared about it. I hold myself to high standards and I know what is good or bad, right and wrong. I wouldn't want somebody else to do less than their best so why would I be okay with that sort of effort from myself? Here is another example, I'm currently working a part time job as a cashier on top of other things. I really wanted to go home and relax when I was done tonight. My manager came by, told me to turn off my light, said I was done and could go home when my shift ended at 6:30. When I finished the order I was working on it was 6:32 and I was ready to just sign off and walk away to clock out. I also noticed that I would be leaving behind a dirty belt, dirty scale, and dirty loading area. I took the extra 10 minutes (which I don't get paid for by the way) to clean everything off. I'm not trying to impress anybody, I'm not going to make more money. It would have been easy to just walk away and leave that problem for the next person who goes on that register. People do just that to me all the time and I have to spend the first few minutes of each shift cleaning a dirty work area. I cleaned it because my moral compass said it was the right thing to do, so I did it.

Sure I have a job to begin with because I'm motivated to have money to survive, because society dictates that I need to have money to survive, and because I fear destitution. These are universal motivators for every human being who has ever lived. They are at a basic level of needs which a human being must have satisfied to operate at a higher level. I'm talking about my motivations sans the satisfaction of my basic needs as an animal. What I do which is influenced merely by my right and wrong moral compass and not motivated by say the desire to be able to eat tomorrow or pay the rent so I don't become homeless. I feel this would be quite a pointless exercise if we weren't looking beyond those obvious motivating factors. Fear of death ultimately motivates us directly or indirectly in most things we do. That doesn't mean that I consider the chain of [need to not die] -> [need to have food to not die] -> [need to make money to buy food] -> [need to have job to make money] -> [need to do well at job to maintain employment] therefore I spend an extra 10 minutes cleaning the belt at work as an act of fear to stave off death. That clearly is not what motivates me to do things like that, and it isn't that way for most of us in this modern age.

I am not motivated by god. I don't take god into consideration for things I do. I don't think "well if I don't do a good job god might not like it" or that I'll be punished in some arbitrary way. I don't believe in that stuff. I'm not atheist I just don't think some all powerful force gives a ****, there likely isn't some pre-determined plan and even if there is all the prayers and good deeds in the world or lack thereof wouldn't change anything because whatever it was I did or am yet to do has already been destined to happen. I am in control of my actions, not the invisible man in the sky. When I make a mistake, when I don't give the best effort possible, I'm the one who knows about it and the fact that I don't want to let myself down is a billion times stronger as a motivator as letting down someone or something I don't know anything about and have never met is.

I don't base my decisions on what larger society would deem appropriate or good. There are plenty of examples of this but perhaps I'll use an old one. When I was at my high school graduation I recall a friend of mine who had known me from second grade talking to me for what would be the last time and saying that while everyone had tried to change who they were as a person and had slipped into this social group or that it was remarkable that I hadn't changed a bit in my character since he knew me back then. In other words while friends of mine changed with what was popular, helped them fit in with a particular group, dressed certain ways, engaged in certain activities, I always stayed true to what I felt I should do and didn't really follow anybody. It was the truth. I cultivated friendships with people in all social circles while belonging to none. I was a starter on the football team and ate lunch with a bunch of "computer nerds" I befriended a couple of the "weird kids" as well as the popular kids. I didn't go to parties because I didn't want to. I didn't drink or do drugs because I didn't feel like I wanted to. Eventually I felt that it might be interesting to drink and I do on occasion today but typically because I like the taste of something. The point is I don't give a **** what people think is cool. I wear what clothes I like and are comfortable. I'm not going for a "look" I don't have a style. I'm not motivated to do things based on pressure and perceived obligations to other people. I do things because I either feel I should or I shouldn't. I've rarely been conflicted in how to feel, or what to do. I know myself and I stick to it.

I suppose that sex is a universal motivator. If it weren't for love and sex we would likely be extinct as a species. I suppose this thought reminds me of erasmus' in praise of folly. Even the most collected and together person has lapses in judgment to blame for falling in love, therefore the pious alternative is what is truly idiotic. I'm married which was and wasn't motivated by sex. I love my wife, I think she's attractive, but we picked each other for far deeper quality than sexual appeal or pumping out children. Perhaps society today deems marriage as undesirable but once again, I've known since I was quite young that getting married and having a family was a goal at the forefront of life. All foolish sleeping around, and what others would refer to as living life or having fun was a complete and utter waste of time to me if it wasn't with somebody who I felt was worth spending every single day of my life with. I can't say I haven't been motivated by sex, no human being could claim that unless they were neutered. The degree and form in which it motivates me is of course unique to me as it is to everybody, and I don't exactly let it lead me around. The big brain is in control until it feels like relinquishing that control for a short while.

I suppose my motivations could be seen as the greater good of humanity in some cases, but I didn't classify them as such because that isn't my conscious intention. Perhaps the fact that I will see a piece of trash on the ground and pick it up serves my community and the greater good because there is no longer disgusting trash on the ground. I didn't pick it up because I feel obliged to serve my community and fellow human beings. I picked it up because I personally don't want to see somebody's filthy ****ing trash sitting around corrupting this fantastic world we have. I don't want it there. If it just so happens that it serves others then so be it. I guess that my motivations are the derivatives of a selfish adherence to my own morality and opinions, which are morals and opinions which serve my own personal purposes. Surely they were molded by expectations or ideals in all sorts of areas, but it isn't anything which I have to struggle to maintain or to which I must make a conscious effort to adhere. They are simply me and I simply follow what I feel. I suppose we're all lucky that I'm not a murderous psychopath or I'd be out there killing and my pure motivation would be that I felt like I should!

[nonniey]

Duty, is my primary motivation.

[Koolblue13]

Other/greater good would be the only things to motivate people to care for their world, keep it clean and think sustainably.

Money, societal pressures would be the opposite of good intentions I would think.

God is somewhere in the middle. Family I would rate with money, due to the selfish nature of it.

[AsburySkinsFan]

My faith is what motivates me, through it I have a purpose and mission that sets everything else in right relationship.

[Elessar78]

It's really an interesting question.

If I were to say family it wouldn't be false, but I would be doing what I'd be doing if I were single.

When I coach soccer, which is my passion these days, it's because I see it done wrong or poorly that I want to correct that. I don't do it as some Johnny-do-good activity for my community—although that's a side effect of it. I've built a good deal of good will and positive "press" for myself in my community because of what I do and how I do it. But really the main purpose is to teach a sport the way it's supposed to be done. I don't know what category that would fall under? Ideals? It feels, probably, what it feels like to play SimCity or the Sims—except I'm trying to mold actual human beings into something better.

IF it were anything else, maybe it's a fear of embarrassment or failure. My career is very public and the results are tangible (I'm a graphic designer). I design billboards sometimes and thousands of people drive by it daily, although they don't know me and that I did it, it's a very public sort of embarrassment if it, well, sucks. I think that's true of my coaching too, win or lose doesn't matter as much but my teams have to play well, play sharp. It's personally embarrassing to me when they don't look sharp out there.

[youngchew]

My unborn children, and the thought of hitting the gas pedal of a Supercharged Mercury Marauder.

[renaissance]

A constant desire to better myself as a person.

[DeaconTheVillain]

The greatest motivator of all, fear.

[Bang]

Family,, specifically my wife and son.
I come from a broken background, and my wife and son are my chance to develop 'family' in the Rockwell sense.. so to speak.

I have had a bad relationship with my mother for most of my life.. so bad that even though it has calmed now, I don't carry what you'd call "love" for her. More like obligation.
My father and I have had no real reationship my entire life. I have a sister who is now about 10 or so,, he's never even bothered to tell me she exists,, i found out through my sister who still is in contact with him. (i do like her. My sisters alright.)
In many of the personal relationships of my life, the people who are supposed to care the most have ended up ****ing me over,, be it parents, ex wife. what have you,, the main relationships that most carry for life have been bad experiences for me.

So i work to to establish family, solidify this concept for my son, and to give myself the comfort that it creates.

I also work to shove all the lack of belief in me that others have shown right back into their faces. And even though i know that is a motivation, i really don't care if they ever know it or not. So long as I do.
My folks never gave me much of a chance. Certainly never provided any opportunity, College was for my sister. Work was for me.

~Bang

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

As I'm currently single, self worth.

Sounds flip, but I strive to better myself in most everything I do. The better I do, the better I feel. The better I feel, the better person I am. Everything else falls into place around that.

Were I to have a family, than that would doubtless change to a large extent to encompass them. My self worth as a man wouldn't be too high if they weren't the priority.

And under pinning it all is my faith. Which is lapsed compared to what it should be. But without which I'd struggle in all other areas of life.

Hail.

[Elessar78]

And under pinning it all is my faith. Which is lapsed compared to what it should be. But without which I'd struggle in all other areas of life.

Hail.

You're talking about your faith in Liverpool FC, right? :silly:

[Skinz4Life12]

Money. Power. Respect.

[LadySkinsFan]

Money - so I can build the kind of self-sustaining abode I want (alternative energy) so I don't have to make monthly payments to anyone. Enough to retire comfortably and travel some. No mortgage.

Family - I'll move to the dreaded Texas to be near my daughter and granddaughter. There's trouble in the marriage and I think I need to be there and not in VA. But I feel like I'll be going from the frying pan into the fire. (tip o' the hat to twa for some assistance with this). Also taking care of the animals who grace my life.

Other ideals - Radical feminism, reproductive rights for women, alternative energy development, voter disenfranchisement, progressive not regressive politics.

And that's me in a nutshell.

I used to be too concerned with societal pressures to the detriment of the first half of my life. Trying to be heterosexual was one big waste of time and caused major angst. Since I came out, I've been very happy with no longer living a lie.

[skinsfan07]

if money is the only thing that motivates you, I feel sorry for you.

[Koolblue13]

if money is the only thing that motivates you, I feel sorry for you.

I agree with that.

That said, for the first time in my life, I really want to be motivated by money. I'm not sure how to do it either. I'm sick of working for other people and am ready to run my own place and I need to buckle down for the next 6/8 months and save the coin to do it.

[endzone_dave]

Nothing. I think I need to look into some testosterone pills.

Seriously, I put up with all the crap I do to give my family the best life they can have.

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

I agree with that.

That said, for the first time in my life, I really want to be motivated by money. I'm not sure how to do it either. I'm sick of working for other people and am ready to run my own place and I need to buckle down for the next 6/8 months and save the coin to do it.

Looking for staff Kb?

Island life does have a certain appeal. (Well, a HELL of a lot of appeal, but ya' know. :pfft:).

Have hammock. Willing to travel. :ols:

Hail.

[S.T.real,lights,out]

Family for me...

[Skinz4Life12]

Looking for staff Kb?

Island life does have a certain appeal. (Well, a HELL of a lot of appeal, but ya' know. :pfft:).

Have hammock. Willing to travel. :ols:

Hail.

+1. KB, i will be down in St Thomas in January if you ever make it over that way

[mcsluggo]

in the end there is nothing beyond the family and friends part...

i work so that my family will be ok, and all the day AT work, i wish i was with them

[KDawg]

This is easy. Failure motivates me. Or better yet, the fear of failure.

I hate the way it tastes. I accept that I can never be the best in everything. I also accept that I'm not the best at anything. But I'll be damned if I don't want to work towards being the best at ALL times.

[MLSKINS]

God motivates me I have seen too much stuff to doubt him and do not want to be on his bad side....

And

Family.
I think it is because of my faith in God that makes me go all out for my family sometimes. They know that if I got it, we all got it. Of course there are ones that try to mooch off of you, but that is when the tough love comes in; which causes me to become the motivator. :D

[RVAbrendan]

I'm motivated by the desire to never become stale. I always want to see bigger and better on the horizon, be that a job, a new city to live in, new situations. I guess that would be classified as wanderlust? Adventure?

[Kosher Ham]

This is easy. Failure motivates me. Or better yet, the fear of failure.

I hate the way it tastes. I accept that I can never be the best in everything. I also accept that I'm not the best at anything. But I'll be damned if I don't want to work towards being the best at ALL times.

Love this answer.

I don't fear failure. I expect it at times, I build off of it to make myself a better individual for me.
But I do dislike failure at any level, as a son, a husband, a friend, a brother, an uncle, a employeee, a boss, etc.

[RichmondRedskin88]

Others counting me out. Rooting against me. Ones saying you ain't good enough. That's why I loved playing in hostile environments with basketball and soccer. It drives me.

*cue someone putting up a picture of the Sith saying "Your anger. Makes you focus. Makes you stronger"* lol

Faith/family would be the other

[pjfootballer]

Happiness. I just want to be happy overall with my life. I'm not there yet, but I'm working on it.

[Kosher Ham]

Happiness. I just want to be happy overall with my life. I'm not there yet, but I'm working on it.

You want that moment where you are sitting in your favorite place, with or without your favorite people...just sit there and take a deep breath... and say...Time to celebrate ?

[gbear]

from a blog post I wrote in July, http://thelifewelllived.blogspot.com/2012/06/value-of-effort.html

“We’ve bought into the idea that education is about training and “success”, defined monetarily, rather than learning to think critically and to challenge. We should not forget that the true purpose of education is to make minds, not careers. A culture that does not grasp the vital interplay between morality and power, which mistakes management techniques for wisdom, which fails to understand that the measure of a civilization is its compassion, not its speed or ability to consume, condemns itself to death.”
― Chris Hedges, Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle

It is such an easy thing to forget. For what do we strive? Even for those who say "the all mighty dollar," is it the money or the things we will (not might) do with it? I'd hate to waste my life for a sheet of paper. Writ large for our society, the same remains true. What is to be the use of being the strongest wealthiest people/country in history?
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What motivates me is what I can do and what it may mean first for the life of my family but also all of society around me.

[pjfootballer]

You want that moment where you are sitting in your favorite place, with or without your favorite people...just sit there and take a deep breath... and say...Time to celebrate ?

I guess you can say that. You know, when the weight is finally off my shoulders. Almost sounds like I'm talking about death. haha.

[Kosher Ham]

from a blog post I wrote in July, http://thelifewelllived.blogspot.com/2012/06/value-of-effort.html

“We’ve bought into the idea that education is about training and “success”, defined monetarily, rather than learning to think critically and to challenge. We should not forget that the true purpose of education is to make minds, not careers. A culture that does not grasp the vital interplay between morality and power, which mistakes management techniques for wisdom, which fails to understand that the measure of a civilization is its compassion, not its speed or ability to consume, condemns itself to death.”
― Chris Hedges, Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle

It is such an easy thing to forget. For what do we strive? Even for those who say "the all mighty dollar," is it the money or the things we will (not might) do with it? I'd hate to waste my life for a sheet of paper. Writ large for our society, the same remains true. What is to be the use of being the strongest wealthiest people/country in history?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What motivates me is what I can do and what it may mean for first for the life of my family but also all of society around me.


If I didn't have money I would probably strive for it. I am indeed fortunate. I have made sound financial choices.

I want to be there for everyone, but everyone does not appreciate my efforts.

A smile or a thank you is all I ask. My wife and I are doing work for people with prosthetic needs. We love it and it makes me smile and feel that it is worth our time.

As I have stated to you previously, I have a good friend with MS. We are doing what we can to make sure that we can advise and support her in any circumstance.

[gbear]

Kosher Ham,

That's worth a lot. Prosthetics have come a long long way, and I see so many thankful to have them. Your ability to provide for their need is awesome.

[Kosher Ham]

I guess you can say that. You know, when the weight is finally off my shoulders. Almost sounds like I'm talking about death. haha.

Not at all man. Life. Live.

Do all you can while you can. I try to whenever I am on vacation.

I feel like if you are not living your life for you, than whatever you do to do otherwise is not real. You have to survive to make anyone else happy with your accomplishments.

You can't make anyone happy if you are not happy.

I feel if I died today...I would die a happy man and I would have left my impression enough on the people that meant the most to me in my life. Family, friends, teachers, etc., I even made my grandmother proud (in spite of me being a jerk) at times).

---------- Post added October-11th-2012 at 03:31 PM ----------


Kosher Ham,

That's worth a lot. Prosthetics have come a long long way, and I see so many thankful to have them. Your ability to provide for their need is awesome.

I tell you though, I never even thought about it before.
We watched a show (one of those CEO going to employee shows) that really opened our eyes to the issue. The kids are growing. The kids deal with ridicule and frustration everyday...but the kids...it's not their fault. The costs for those issues and the lack of insurance support for them is sad.

I am not ranting or bragging here. We support any effort to help people because we can. I have my own medical problem (high blood pressure). It's not always about me though.

[Koolblue13]

You can't make anyone happy if you are not happy.

I feel if I died today...I would die a happy man and I would have left my impression enough on the people that meant the most to me in my life. .

perfect

[KDawg]

Love this answer.

I don't fear failure. I expect it at times, I build off of it to make myself a better individual for me.
But I do dislike failure at any level, as a son, a husband, a friend, a brother, an uncle, a employeee, a boss, etc.

Exactly how I feel. It doesn't matter what we're talking about. I want to strive to be the best. To me, there's no other way to live. It's okay to not be the best, I'm not someone who beats myself up for not being number one... But I sure don't like it. And it's in regards to everything I do. It's fun to challenge yourself consistently and push yourself to your limits. And while I "fear' failure, I push myself to it and then try to figure out why failure occured and grow as a person.

I'm a different person than I was last year. Way different than two years ago. And I'm EXTREMELY different from the way I was at age 20.

It's funny how when you're 18, 19, 20, whatever, you think you're good. It isn't until you mature that you realize that you knew nothing. And while I still know nothing, I know more of nothing than I did when I was younger. :ols:

Sorry, kinda went on a rant there :ols:

[Koolblue13]

You know when you put your pants on and your boxers/briefs band sits just above the tops of the pants and the elastic kind rolls over? Yeah, that's motivating. I didn't see not being chubby on the list. :(

[HOF44]

It's funny how when you're 18, 19, 20, whatever, you think you're good. It isn't until you mature that you realize that you knew nothing. And while I still know nothing, I know more of nothing than I did when I was younger. :ols:

Sorry, kinda went on a rant there :ols:

Thus the old saying "It's a shame youth is wasted on the young!"

[skinsmarydu]

I'm gonna say sleep till I figure out how old I really am.
OK, nothing gets me moving like saying my grandkids are on their way. Seriously. Grandma's gotta have stuff goin' on. I'm getting back into fingerpaint.haha...ya'll jealous?

[GoSkinsGo]

Family, and making my father proud. Beyond that I honestly want to be better than everyone else in what I do, I want to leave a legacy in my field.

[GibbsFactor]

Anybody ever heard of psycho geometrics? Cool stuff in the Myers Briggs personality type kind of way.

The premise is that out of 5 symbols, one can deduce the dominant motivating factor in your career.

Circle for appreciation.
Triangle for upward movement within a business.
Square for organization.
Squiggly lines for creative license.
Rectangle for a transitional period in your life.