Above it was stated that motivation is a neutral energy of E=MC2. In layman's terms, it means that motivation is not a physical thing. However, this is not an attempt to blind you with the science of psychology, only to say that without “motivation”, humans may not even exist. Though we rarely give it much thought attention, the very nature of life requires motivational energy to eat, sleep, move, grow, and develop, etc. Individualized out; one could attribute tens, if not hundreds of character traits that demonstrate and harness the energy of motivation.
As an example: He is prosperous because he has strong will power. Alternatively, he is prosperous because he is insecure. She is an excellent employee because she listens. Alternatively, she is an excellent employee because she is passive.
Which is it?
Which energy motivates?
Which is the main core driver?
Is he motivated by the fear of insecurity, worried that he may not achieve?
Or is he motivated by the genuine desire for the love of success?
Likewise, is she motivated by the fear of passivity, worried that she might say, or do the wrong thing?
Or does she genuinely strive for the desire to grow, developing herself, and the company?
Which is it?
Either way, it is motivation right?
Yes, you got it. No matter what! Whether fueled with fear, pain, inspiration, or desire, the energy is motivation.
Albeit extreme, the sheer strength and power of these motivating forces can be seen in the following example.
At the point of suicidal despair, individuals who miraculously survived jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge later spoke of a last minute desire to live. Albeit this surfaced at the point of no return, it is conclusive proof that sub-unconscious drivers exist. Yet how do we know these to be innate and that they did not jump for attention?
Well, for those unfortunate individuals who had jumped (and somehow miraculously survived) spoke openly of what flashed through their mind during the four-second fall. They stated that after jumping, and when there was no way back, that four-second fall turned into slow motion. They then described a reversal in their gut instincts from desperation and death to a desire to live.
However, let us now move on.
It is said that at the root of all human dynamics, and that includes motivation, desire/love, or fear/pain are at the core.
This can be discovered and experienced during sex. Yes, have you ever noticed how powerful, and "how much a part” sex can play in business?
There is a simple but true story, and it goes like this:
A man employed a beautiful woman, not to gawk at, abuse, or secretly betray his long-standing spouse. On the contrary, he was already in love, yet motivated by beautiful creations. Inherently he knew that by surrounding himself with pleasing motivators, he would experience uplifting and inspirational positive energy forces that in turn would drive him to get up, go to, and return from work. According to the story, the man used this system of motivation throughout his entire working life. He served well into his eighties, was happily married to one woman, and was respected by all his staff.
OK, this is a somewhat comical chauvinistic example, yet, could this be how the world, including modern man still functions? Male and female innately driven with two primal motivators - Fear and Love.
However, while it is commonplace for women to use the love word, for men this is totally taboo. Yet when a man desires something, is he really stating a desire, or is it a core love that has neatly evolved into a desire? With no sexist intent, it is widely understood that men tend to manifest life’s motivators through their physical world, while women express through their emotional. Men might feel motivation from desiring a powerful car, while women through a fictional emotional love story.
In a general sense, though not meant as absolutes. Men's motivational desires can be seen expressing through anything and everything that is connected to the prospect of physical stimulation. Whereas for a woman, she is said to operate from the heart, and anything and everything that touches her emotions will at some level motivate her. A man’s fear is expressed through his egoic mind, with power and control at the top. While a woman's fear is expressed through her heart, with a lack of worthiness and fulfillment at the top.
Does a man go to work, for the love and desire of humanity?
The reality is that unless the company is his, he thinks only for himself, and his own personal successes. He thinks only of his position in his world, his material possessions, and his sexual attraction too, and from the opposite sex. Modern man may have changed, yet his primal motivational drivers have not.
Does a woman go to work disconnected from her home, her family, and her children? Does she leave it all behind in favor for the love of the company?
Irrespective of her outward appearance, women are different to man. She feels; she nurtures; she cares, and rationally evaluates all that she does. She is in touch with her emotions, aware of beauty and love, and she thinks mainly of balanced and fair outcomes. Like men, modern women have changed, yet their primal motivational drivers have not.
FACTOID
While a man can be motivated by the power of physical attraction in a woman. A woman can be attracted by the power of emotional passion in a man.
We could go one.
However, let us now look at individuals who operate from core survival energies. As when striving for daily targets and goals, these individuals cannot help but remind themselves of their own core fears. For example, we all talk to ourselves and during these periods of self-chat, individuals operating from survival tend to fret more and stress over daily activities, which then push them into operating from a platform of concern, eventually becoming de-motivated. Yet when individuals are operating from the opposing platform of desire, the exact opposite is experienced. That is, one may feel love for the very thing they are doing, or aiming towards, and that includes their work. Though this is not real love, it is where self-motivation expresses through enthusiasm, inspiration, and excitement, etc. However, there is a major difference.
In brief and when operating from fear/survival, we can visually perceive this person to be moving away from something. We may not know what that something is, but generally it is not too difficult to get a picture of what’s going on. Likewise, when a person is operating from love/desire, as a general rule, we can sense their passion and what it is they are moving towards. The key words here are moving away and moving towards, or briefed down even further - towards or away. If you like, it can be related to as a duality, i.e. positive and negative, push and pull, for and against, etc. etc.
FACTOID
Operating and living from fear shortens, while operating and living from desire lengthens life?
By now, you may have already worked out that whether motivation is operating from a root fear, or root desire, as motivation is only the “dynamic”, or better stated, “vehicle”. They both use the same energy of motivation.
Though what’s really being brought out from the woodwork and highlighted here, is that the origins and roots of motivation are not as detrimental as the use of it. To rationalize and understand this even further, we only need to look back in history. After several thousand years of social human studies, no single answer has arrived for how and why the dynamic of motivation exists. Only that it does and that humans would not be human without it.
So, while the origins cannot be traced back to the absolute beginnings, for most the energy itself can be traced from birth. As we will discover later, many de-motivating factors are unknowingly self-programmed that can with a little effort, be undone.