#42 Motivation

Is it wrong to start a post on ‘motivation’ feeling demotivated and fighting the urge to write about the ‘Slow Movement’, a book titled ‘Do Nothing’ and a wonderful news website I discovered a few years back titled ‘Delayed Gratification’, which promises to be “Last to breaking news”?

Our modern (and allegedly evolving) world of motivation is filled with influencers offering their secrets to their success in rituals starting with a run at 4am, hot-housed athletic children suffering stress-fractures before puberty, ‘101 things I wish my younger self had known’ articles, at-risk bonuses that reward stretch target achievements and (this surely can’t be playing a role in our evolution) fitspiration coaches.

Yet, a wise man who only lived to the age of 62 worked it all out for us before he finished his final year of life in 1970.

What motivates us?

Abraham Maslow, a leading psychologist in the field of motivation, worked out that there are various deeps of motivators for humans. He viewed them as not strictly linear or hierarchical and not mutually exclusive. But he did think of them as being built upon each other, from the very basis needs to the complex needs that motivate.

From his hierarchy of needs, built up from the most basic, he saw these motivators that cause humans to spring into action as:

1. Biological and physiological needs – air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep, etc.

2. Safety needs – protection from elements, security, order, law, stability, freedom from fear.

3. Love and belongingness needs – friendship, intimacy, trust, and acceptance, receiving and giving affection and love. Affiliating, being part of a group (family, friends, work).

4. Esteem needs, which Maslow classified into two categories:

(i) esteem for oneself (dignity, achievement, mastery, independence) and

(ii) the need to be accepted and valued by others (e.g., status, prestige).

5. Cognitive needs – knowledge and understanding, curiosity, exploration, need for meaning and predictability. Cognitive needs drive our pursuit of knowledge and understanding. ?Meeting these needs facilitates personal growth, comprehension, and a deeper understanding of life and its complexities.

6. Aesthetic needs – appreciation and search for beauty, balance, form, etc. Fulfilling these needs leads to a deeper sense of satisfaction and harmony in life, as individuals seek environments and experiences that are pleasing and resonant with their sense of beauty. This involves the appreciation and pursuit of art, music, nature, and other forms of aesthetic expression. Fulfilling these needs isn’t just about physical beauty but also the emotional and psychological satisfaction derived from experiencing order and elegance.

7. Self-actualization needs – realizing personal potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth, and peak experiences.

8. Transcendence needs – a person is motivated by values that transcend beyond the personal self. Beyond self-actualization, they represent the human desire to connect with a higher reality, purpose, or the universe. This level emphasizes altruism, spiritual connection, and helping others achieve their potential. Individuals seek experiences that move beyond personal concerns, aiming to achieve a deep sense of unity, understanding, and belonging within the vast expanse of existence.

Beyond the Motivational Basics

The motivation I’m keen to explore is that beyond the basic needs such as the fundamentals of life (such as oxygen, food, energy, safety, order etc).

The aspects of motivation that relate to procrastination, avoidance, delay through to drive, energy, and ruthless focus.

What role do our love & belongingness, esteem, cognitive and aesthetic needs play in our micro and macro actions? And can a deeper understanding of our personal ideas regarding these needs change or improve our motivation?

I have no doubt the answer is “Yes”. It’s possibly even “Hell yes!”.

These four groups of needs define the essence of our soul. These contribute perfectly to our psyche. Explore these four facets of any human and you’ll know them deeply.

Fast Forward Forty Years

A young 6-year-old Daniel Pink was learning how to read and write when Maslow’s research ended with his death in 1970, and by 2010, Mr Pink (who had finished with the candlestick in the library) wrote a book on motivation titled Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us.

Cutting to the good oil, he was writing for the mass market about two key phenomena in the world of motivation:

1. People performing cognitively demanding work do not perform better when there is a carrot reward for better results. In fact, they perform worse!
2. People are most highly and sustainably motivated when three key factors are at play:

-> Autonomy – space to do it freely and however is desired

-> Mastery – a desire to get better at it

-> Purpose – a deep, meaningful and engaging reason for doing it

The concept of at-risk payments for stellar cognitive-based performance has been proven in research to not only not motivate people to achieve greater things, but in cases it produces worse results than people incented for less.

And yet at-risk components of remuneration are still prevalent. One can only assume that the targets are too ‘easy’, they are being measured in a way that allows them to be ‘met’ or there’s a lot of gaming going on.

Assuming the research is sound, just imagine what sort of targets could be met without the carrots!

Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose in Maslow’s Hierarchy

Autonomy doesn’t explicitly feature in Maslow’s Hierarchy. Although I believe it is strongly linked to trust (my workplace trusts me enough to let me do this in space, and in a way I think it should be done).

It can also be found in esteem (for oneself) in independence and to a lesser extent dignity.

Mastery is explicitly called out in esteem (for oneself) and is clearly an intrinsic motivator.

Purpose sits at the top of the pyramid, although I believe it to be foundational when it comes to motivation.

Regardless, when I mashed Pink and Maslow together in preparing this post, I was delighted to see that they’re compatible and not contradictory.

Your Motivation

The double-loop learning model is a great one for getting to the basis of any root cause. I think there’s a lot we can do to understand our own motivations or perhaps to understand why our motivation might be waning, by considering a double-loop learning approach with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

Rather than beating yourself up next time you find yourself procrastinating, delaying, blocked from progressing by your own lack of motivation, stop.

Don’t ask they usually question: Why am I so demotivated?

Try this: What assumptions, beliefs, or habits are influencing my motivation, and how can I challenge or reframe them to create a more energizing environment?

This about this question bringing in your love & belongingness needs, esteem needs, cognitive and aesthetic needs.

Get motivated to know yourself a little better and explore your own motivation!