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Ponderings: What Motivates You?

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Motivation – the thing that gets you out of bed every morning and carries you through the day. And up the next day and so on and so on. Motivation is something that must spring forth from within and be an undercurrent in everything you do.

I am personally motivated by wanting to do the very best that I can to meet the responsibilities that I have made, to myself, my family and others, as well as to allow myself the time to do the things that I want to accomplish. I can't relax doing the fun things until I have done the chores that need to be completed.

I am a list maker and checking off those boxes gives me a sense of accomplishment and moves me on to the next task.

I am also motivated by the fact that I believe that no one is going to hand you everything you want in life – you need to work for it and earn it yourself. Being independent gives me the push I need to accomplish the tasks that need to be done.

Since I am such a motivated and enthusiastic person, I am happy to share some of mine with others, it is like a smile, you can share motivation with others and help give them the positive boost they need to get going. Having some to spare is a great feeling and it feeds my motivation more know that I indirectly helped someone else accomplish what they need to do.

โ€œI said “Somebody should do something about that.” Then I realized I am somebody.โ€

โ€•ย Lily Tomlin

Thoughts from Pam Ross:

What motivates me is making a positive difference to people. In everything I do, I try to make a positive difference for people.

In my personal life, I add fun and energy as much as possible, for me, my family, and my friends. My business mission to improve the Canadian customer experience is really about spreading positive vibes through business, to employees and customers.

Through volunteering both locally and in New Orleans, I hope I make a positive difference to people not as fortunate as myself. Life is too short for negativity. When people tell me I helped them through a problem, or to see things ย more positively, I know I'm making a positive difference and it feels awesome.

โ€œAbility is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.โ€
โ€•ย Lou Holtz

Thoughts from Susan Borst:

I think weโ€™re all motivated by many of the same things, such as being a good
human being/parent, etc. But I have found that my Myers-Briggs Personality Type
Indicator result gives the best insight into what truly motivates me as an individual.

Like Bill Gates, Margaret Thatcher and even Jerry Seinfeld, I am an ENTJ – designated
a โ€œfacilitatorโ€, โ€œchiefโ€ or โ€œfield marshalโ€ – which basically means I am motivated
by โ€œdoing.โ€ Breaking it down:

(E) Extrovert – My battery recharges around people. I am motivated to have a
positive impact on others.

(N) Intuitive โ€“ While Iโ€™m detail oriented, Iโ€™m more motivated by seeing the big
picture and the final product. This served me well as I moved into Strategic
Planning in the ad agency world.

(T) Thinking โ€“ I tend to value objective criteria/logic above personal/social
considerations. My favorite compliment from a respected boss was โ€œYouโ€™re
intellectually curious, and thatโ€™s a good thing.โ€

(J) Judging โ€“ Iโ€™m motivated to plan and predict outcomes โ€ฆcreatively and quickly.
Iโ€™m an awesome vacation planner!

This โ€œdoingโ€ motivation transcends both my personal life with my husband and two
daughters, as well as my professional life.

ps – I am also motivated by champagne, travel, high heels and Swedish Fish.

โ€œTalent is a wonderful thing, but it won't carry a quitter. โ€

โ€•ย Stephen King

Thoughts from Joshua Estrin:

I am motivated by the belief that “tomorrow” is a gift not a given.

โ€œThe individual who says it is not possible should move out of the way of those doing it.โ€
โ€•ย Tricia Cunningham

What are your thoughts about what motivation is and what motivates a few of my friends. What motivates YOU?

Featured image courtesy ofย ย Artois Bibliothรจquesย vua Creative Commons.
Article by Peg Fitzpatrick

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8 Comments

  1. I’m with all the great thoughts in this post! For me, it’s ALL about effecting positive change in the world and showing my boys what that looks like!

    1. I love that you always consider your boys and being an awesome role model for them which you certainly are! Positive change rocks!

  2. Hi Peg ๐Ÿ™‚ great topic and a great post.

    What motivate us all is what make us unique at the end of the day.. we do what we need to do and aย littleย bit more,ย we reachย our goals and a litter big more…ย 

    I think that if you love what you do and do what you love then you reach a very very good state of motivation ๐Ÿ™‚ but it’s not trivial.

    i’m a big fan ofย @susanborst:twitterย and super happy to see why she is motivated ๐Ÿ™‚ – a very very smart person thatย alwaysย articleย her insights so logically andย passionatelyย ๐Ÿ™‚ย 

    Thans for sharing this postย @PegFitzpatrick:disqusย ๐Ÿ™‚ happy to engage here.ย 
    Sharel

    1. Thanks for the comments Sharel!

      I am a Susan Borst fan as well – she is smart and engaging.ย 

      Appreciate your pondering with me,
      Peggy

  3. I agree that motivation is a tough concept like joy or enthusiasm. These are the things I think about so I think others may also have thoughts about them. I hope.

    I think my grandma was my positive role model. She was the sweetest person and always had a kind word & a smile for everyone. She was loved and respected by everyone who knew her. She had a very hard life and never once complained but always looked for the positive in everything. I miss talking to her but she gave me lots and lots to think about and was an amazing example to me.

    I appreciate your kind comments Chris!
    Positively,

    Peggy

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