PRIME MOVERS – Being Passionate

Welcome back Viphilus*

Leadership guru, John Maxwell, said, “Nothing of significance was ever accomplished without passion.”

After spending more than thirty years in public service and serving in the local church for almost forty years, I feel confident in saying, “Maxwell is right.” So let’s talk about passion. Better yet … let’s talk about what we can do in ourselves to help ignite passion. After all, passion is the deepest energy behind accomplishment.

What is passion?

Dictionaries offer some definitions. Passion is:

-       a strong positive affinity or love for something or someone;

-       a lively or eager interest in or admiration for a proposal, cause, or activity or love;

-       a feeling of unusual excitement, enthusiasm or intense, compelling emotion towards a subject, idea, person or object.

These definitions make passion sound like emotional energy, but I’m convinced that it goes deeper to something intrinsic …something triggered at the depth of the spirit. Passion is a rich form of personal and intentional energy that comes in three dimensions, each deserving a separate conversation.

Passion from Purpose Lights Us Up

Give people a purpose or mission and there’s nothing they can’t accomplish! And that jazzes us … all of us. Purpose is activation energy; it gets us up in the morning and energizes us through the day. Helen Keller reminded us that without it, life is joyless: “happiness comes from fidelity to a worthy purpose.” So it isn't just purpose, but the kind of purpose that benefits someone beyond you.

I’ve already written about the importance of purpose a couple of times in this blog, but I cannot overstate it. Purpose creates passion and life isn't worth living without passion. And while I have made it clear that I’m a Christian, it is clear that the power of purpose transcends religion, as evidenced by the following quotes … one from a theologian and one from an atheist philosopher:

William Barclay (Christian theologian) said, “There are two great days in a person’s life – the day we are born and the day we discover why.”

Frederich Nietzsche (atheist philosopher) said, “He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.”

Purpose-driven passion answers the question of why we do what we do.

Amongst the most satisfying times in my life have been when I've been involved with a team on an intense and focused mission. We all knew what we had to do and, for the duration of the mission, the mission itself almost seemed to define everyone’s raison d’être. 

I often worry for those who retire that they’ll lose their reason to get up each morning and that they will lose their sense of identity (which is very linked to the purpose motive). I have the same concern for young people. You can have a job to go to, but if it’s not clear to you what you’re doing and WHY, even the best job becomes a drudgery that drains your energy rather than rejuvenating you. {Managers pay attention: if your employees don't fully understand what you expect them to do, it is your fault if they are disengaged. You are guilty of managerial malpractice}. 

One fact worth pondering; religious people find it easier to see purpose, and therefore, generate passion within themselves. Why do you think that is?

A WISE ACTION: if the purpose of your job isn't clear, seek clarity; in absence of finding it, create it yourself (don't be a victim to a bad manager). Better yet, create meaning for yourself in all that you do.

Passion from Strengths Brighten the Light

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said, “The person born with a talent they are meant to use will find their greatest happiness in using it.” Sadly, most people live with artificial limitations in their lives which form ceilings to keep them from rising to their potential. A big part of that potential is defined by our strengths: things that energize us when we do them (in contrast to the traditional definition of strengths which are simply things we do well).

I briefly referenced this perspective on strengths and weaknesses last month when talking about P.I.E. I want to give it a fuller treatment today. From the time you were a child you knew that you were good at certain things, you enjoyed doing certain things, and certain things literally seemed to energize you. There were also things which you knew drained you. As you grew older you became aware that spending a lot of time with people also either energized or drained you, to varying degrees (this describes the different ends of the extrovert-introvert spectrum). An important part of being fully engaged in life is to intentionally spend time doing things that energize you. This does NOT mean that you are to become irresponsible and shun those things which drain you … that wouldn't be living in the real world. What it DOES mean is that you must become sufficiently self-aware that you know how to fill your emotional tank by making sure that some part of each day … or certainly each week … has activities which strengthen you.

Marcus Buckingham defines “a strength” differently from most. “A strength,” he says, “isn't just something which you re good at … it is something which strengthens you when you do it.”  He gives examples of things at which you may excel, but which actually drain you; these are tasks which the responsible person has to do. There are also things which you may not be very good at, but which actually energize you; these, he whimsically muses, are hobbies. But there are those things which are true strengths which make you feel good when you participate in them, they increase your internal energy because it is effortless to do them, and you get better at them with time because you were literally made to do them.

Forgive the nerdy analogy but this is like “cold fusion”; you get more energy out than what you put in. I know that when I do work that plays to my strengths and avoids my weaknesses (things that drain me when I do them, even if I’m pretty good at doing them) I accomplish far more and feel more energized when I’m done!

A WISE ACTION: don’t be a square peg in a round hole … find or create opportunities to work in areas of your strengths at least 15% of the time; amazingly, it will energize you for the rest of your work. Really!

Passion from Callings Set Us Ablaze

I've been a keen people observer for decades and have come to a conclusion; paradoxically, the one thing we all share in common is that we each are unique. Previously, I linked uniqueness to our strengths. When those strengths are applied to a purpose that benefits others beyond ourselves, the inner light gets very bright and we come alive.

Now let me share my best wisdom on this by taking it one step further. Rather than a generic purpose, what if it’s a purpose that seems custom-made for you? This helps distinguish an occupation from a vocation. An occupation is something you choose, whereas, a vocation is something that chooses you. A vocation (from the word, “vocal”) is a “calling” and something that you feel compelled to do. In fact, it drains you (or even crushes you) if you don’t do it. If unsatisfied, a calling becomes an inner state of angst that rises up from within, signalling that there is a specific mission you've been “called” to but are ignoring. Bill Hybels, pastor of Willow Creek Community Church describes the inner angst that comes from resisting called-purpose as a “holy discontent.” He believes this comes from resisting what God may be asking you to do. Having experienced this myself I agree with Pastor Hybels.

It is in this context that we are finally getting to the original meaning of the word passion. Our English word, passion, originates from the Latin word, patior, meaning to suffer or to endure. People endure hardships with passion and conviction for seemingly incomprehensible reasons, because those reasons reside in the core of their spirit (maybe the expression, "the passion of the Christ," finally makes sense to you in this moment). To resist such a calling crushes the spirit because it is working against called-purpose. To fight the inner calling of passion is debilitating and disorienting and renders most other things to be of little importance.

This is a lesson I learned only in the last decade, and it has progressively become my wisdom. My time as a meteorologist with Environment Canada, especially the decade that I served with the Canadian Hurricane Centre, was exceptionally rewarding. I almost always had a clear sense of my purpose, whether it was a daily challenge, a weekly crusade, or a seasonal mission. I also had great managers and directors who were savvy enough to put me to work according to my strengths.

But it was never a vocation. I wasn't called to do it. As for the man who replaced me? Now he was called to do it. From the time he was a young child he “knew” he was meant to be a meteorologist. It’s like he was created for the job. I believe that he was. For years I was known as “the hurricane guy”; that was my occupation. In my final five years I found what I was made to do and in the process became known as “the life balance guy.” I found my calling. I was made for what I’m doing now. That light inside me is like a raging fire. Although I’m retired from public service my passion has never been so ablaze. Clearly, I must keep doing what I’m doing.

Caution: you might not discover your calling just by looking for it. I think that's fine. In fact, it might be necessary that you gain other experiences or training in your time of preparation for when you do discover it. Don't be bummed out if you don't know what you were made to do ... there's still a lot to do that will fill you with passion until your calling is clear.

A WISE ACTION: my best wisdom on this is to discover what you were made to do and DO IT! But until then, purpose-driven strengths-focused work can make for a great first career and a great life.

Closing the Loop

Let's take a final look at the basic needs that I've been writing about this month (someday I may tackle writing a book just on this diagram because there is soooooooooo much to learn from it.)

The Power to Rise Above the Animal in Us – Some Conclusions

From the previous two blog posts I showed that animal needs and human needs work in a completely opposite sense from each other. Animal needs, or “needs of deficiency,” motivate us to fill them when they STOP being met. On the other hand, human needs, or “needs of growth and being,” motivate us to fill them when they START being met.

Animal needs push or DRIVE us, whereas, human needs pull us inward towards inner development and growth. The deepest of all human needs … to connect to God and the thing(s) He wants you to do… is where the inward pull is strongest; it’s what I refer to as being “called” rather than pulled. This is PASSION at its greatest.

Now please pay attention to the point I made last week because it’s the punchline … and for you, this may be all you ever need to get from this blog:

Fulfilled human needs have the power to override our animal needs 

... and the deeper the human needs that are fulfilled, the greater this power!

Clarifying the Point

This blog is about “breaking the self-sabotaging blocks of self-limiting, self-defeating, and self-destructive thoughts and behaviours.” It’s about learning how to train your elephant (if you missed them you might want to check back on the Mar 16 and Mar23 posts).

The only path, I believe, to learning how to get out of the trappings of the superficial animal-needs levels is to intentionally engage yourself in the deeper human-needs levels. GO DEEP!  At the deepest spiritual level where God meets us, we find, in Him, the power to stop thinking and behaving like an animal … all the while letting the strength of that animal do our heaviest lifting for us. One of my favourite authors, Gordon MacDonald, wrote a powerful book in the 80s called, “Ordering Your Private World.” Through him, I learned the profound wisdom that life works much better when we choose to be CALLED rather than to be DRIVEN. The former sustainably rejuvenates while the latter is exhaustible and must be continually filled.

Now don't make the mistake that too many Christians make ... that all you need is faith in God to reach your full-potential and become a decent human-being. That's simply wrong and I can cite dozens of biblical passages that refute that thinking. There is still work that we have to do ... a lot of work ... but that work can only achieve the results we want when we partner with God in our deepest character development.

A great place to start is to do whatever you do with passion. If you can't pursue something with passion, then don’t bother doing it!

Blessings Viphilus,

Your friend, Omega Man

OCA Training

* Viphilus means, "lover of life"

PRIME MOVERS – Being Inspired

Welcome back Viphilus*

Today we will look at INSPIRATION, how it works, and how it is fundamentally different from DRIVE.

To get us started, let’s throw out a definition. The word “inspire” comes from the Latin, and literally means, to breathe life into. Inspiration then means, “full of breath” or “full of life.”  INSPIRATION can be external but it is mostly internal and it is that thing you feel inside when you are moved to grow and BE better. If you recall from the May 4 post, DRIVE is that thing you feel inside when you are moved to acquire (get) more (or better). See the difference? One is about GETTING while the other is about BEING. That’s just the beginning of the differences.

Last week I introduced this diagram of our basic needs and spoke about the outer animal needs, often referred to as the "needs of deficiency." I showed how those needs DRIVE (or push) us outwards as we seek to fill unmet physical and emotional needs. They come from instincts for survival and we are born with those needs ... needs that drive us to seek pleasure and avoid pain.

The human needs, often referred to as "needs of growth and being," work in the exact opposite sense of the animal needs. Animal needs, motivate or move us to fill them when they STOP being met while human needs motivate or move us to fill them when they START being met. And, whereas the animal needs block us from being motivated to fill the deeper needs until they themselves are met, the human needs are a self-sustaining, self-generating form of motivation … the more you fill them, the more you want to fill them and the even deeper needs.

Back on April 13 I introduced you to Dan Pink’s 11-minute video on human motivation. If you haven’t seen it yet you should check it out … then come right back for the discussion.

I’m guessing there were a few eye-openers in there for you. Let me highlight a few of those. First, did you understand the truth that employees aren't motivated to do work if you aren't paying them enough, but once you take the issue of basic monetary needs off the table (pay them enough to survive) then money no longer motivates the same way? This is prime example of animal needs vs human needs.

My wife and I were at a marriage seminar a few years back and we heard the same concept being espoused by the facilitator, except in regard to sex. “In marriage,” he said, “sex only accounts for about 20% of what makes up a good and healthy marriage … unless there is no sex happening … then it is 80%.”  My wife and I looked at each other and said, “Yep.” We looked around the room at all the other “mature” couples and saw many nods of acknowledgement. We had all learned that as long as there is enough sex to satisfy the basic human needs, then sex isn't really all that important … meaning … there isn't a strong urgent need to satisfy the libido, because it IS being satisfied. But take that away, and the unmet need for sex becomes an obstacle to almost everything else and a healthy marriage is pretty much impossible. Even the Apostle Paul, a celibate, understood this and taught it in his marriage seminars (1 Corinthians 7).

Now here’s the problem. If the basic animal needs are not satisfied … with enough to take those issues off the motivational-table, then they pose a huge barrier to personal growth because filling the deeper needs becomes unimportant. It’s not impossible to fill these deeper needs, it’s just very difficult to even want to. This is where inspiration and passion come in (we’ll look a passion next week). There are things we can intentionally do … proactively … strategically … tactically … to begin filling the deeper needs even if our more superficial needs are not being filled. This is hard at first but it has an immediate snowballing effect if you can find the start button. And here is your motivation to find it:

The deeper the human needs that you fulfill, the greater the power that you have to override the animal needs.

Once you begin intentionally repeating this, it changes from a snowball effect to an avalanche effect and you will unlock the unconscious mind and make possible amazing personal growth and development. Things like protest fasts-to-the-death, or martyrdom, can’t be explained any other way.

This is where Maslow was criticized by other researchers because they knew his basic theory had some holes, knowing that the system isn't linear. Like most organic systems, it is much more complex because it contains synergistically linked switches that turn on and off. Unmet animal needs (physiological – emotional – etc.) turn the switch off for wanting to fill the deeper needs. BUT … and this is a BIG BUT … if you can find some way to get past the lack of desire to do it and proactively fill any of those deeper needs anyway, what you have actually found is another switch to turn off the need to fulfill those more superficial desires. Once you do that, it then becomes even easier to continue “going deep” and pursue the filling of the deeper needs. And the more you fill the deeper needs, and the deeper that those needs are that you are filling, the greater your ability (power) to turn off the animal needs almost at will. This power is greatest at the deep spirit level.

Inspiration is finding the motivation to want to fill those deeper needs, regardless of whether the more superficial animal needs are met or not. It is a pulling or “calling” inward by the deeper longings to be a human being and not an animal. In other words, the deeper the needs being fulfilled, the greater the power or “call” to override the more superficial outer needs.

In practice it is the inhaling of good ideas, philosophies, paradigms and stories which incite you to positive action. This is the idea behind the Apostle Paul’s instruction to dwell on positive (inspiring) thoughts which should then stir your actions:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8-9)

This raises perhaps the most important point left to make … that self-inspiration involves more than just thinking – it also involves actions. Following through on positive thoughts or impressions and actually doing the right things plays an important role in perpetuating inspiration. Doing right will mean that you’ll do things you don’t always feel like doing or things that you have to do. Yet, it is these very things which determine what you’ll be able to do more effectively in the future. This is the power of rituals. Doing right actually creates the inspiration to continue to do right as well as instill greater confidence that you are doing right. The legendary composer, Igor Stravinsky, said, “Just as appetite comes by eating, so work (action) brings inspiration, if inspiration is not discernible at the beginning.”

Inspiring yourself also includes the practice of exhaling the bad ideas, philosophies, paradigms and stories which keep you locked into negative actions … locked into poor behaviours which don't match the desires of your conscience. And just as you must intentionally focus on the healthy thoughts for inspiration, you must intentionally cast-out negative thoughts which leave no room for the positive. This is the practice of high-performers and highly effective people.

The beauty of such self-motivation is that, unlike the basic outer needs turn themselves off once the needs are fulfilled, the deeper needs provide a sustainable source for motivation because they are never truly, “satisfied.” They continually pull / call you to new depths of character development and growth. Look at the graphic below, with some new annotations on the one from above.

How Do I Find the Start Button?

This is the big question people seem to have. “How do I find the start button to going deeper?” Christian psychologist Dr. Henry Cloud, in his book, “Integrity,” suggests that the required motivation to make a character change happens only when people have to finally face the reality that their lack of ability in some areas is costing them. And Dr. Cloud is very specific in listing three basic motivations: reality losses, rewards, and consequences. He says that, “People change when they ‘play the movie,’ which is to take a hard look at their life and work, then play that reality forward to see if they like the way the future movie of their life and career plays out. In that way, people begin to experience the future losses, rewards, and consequences right now and get with reality.” In, “The Power of Full Engagement**,” Loehr and Schwartz would have you ask yourself the question this way: “Is the life I am living worth what I am giving up to have it?”

Connecting this to our needs, Dr. Cloud suggests that we can imagine future “needs of deficiency” being thwarted, and use this to spirit (inspire) our change. This is a brilliant way to use the weaknesses of our animal side (those outer needs) as a platform for strengthening the human part of us. The fear of future losses, anticipation of future rewards, and clear vision of future consequences can be the beginning of self-actualization (level 7 in the concentric circles). Once that deeper-level need begins to be fulfilled (beyond the beginning), it can quickly become self-perpetuating. 

ACTION TIME … inspire yourself with the following reflections.

The following suggestions of Stephen Covey build directly on what I just shared from Dr. Cloud. Consider imposing 4 underlying assumptions about yourself for a period of 4 months and see how this influences your self-motivation. This can be powerful guidance to fuel your spiritual energy because it causes you to draw from a very different well of strength and integrity. The following can encourage you to live a more balanced, integrated and powerful life each day, engaging all four of your dimensions of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual:

For the body – assume you've had a heart attack; ponder how you should live … then live accordingly.

For the mind – assume the half-life of your profession is two years; ponder how you should spend your time differently … then spend it accordingly.

For the heart – assume everything you say about another, they can overhear; ponder how you should change your speech … then speak accordingly.

For the spirit – assume you have a one-on-one visit with your Creator every quarter; ponder how you should live … then live accordingly.

If you are serious about learning how to inspire yourself, thinking alone won't do it ... you need to give yourself action steps.

See you next week when we look at the Prime Mover known as Passion.

Blessings Viphilus,

Your friend, Omega Man

OCA Training

* Viphilus means, "lover of life"

**  "The Power of Full Engagement" is one of the most important books I have ever read.

PRIME MOVERS – Being Driven

Welcome back Viphilus*

OK, let's jump right in to talking about being driven.

Abraham Maslow was an American psychologist, best known for creating the “hierarchy of needs” for human beings in 1943: a pyramid structure that had 5 ascending levels he labelled physiological, safety, love (belonging), esteem and self-actualization. He later modified the hierarchy (along with others who tweaked it) to include 8 levels in total.

The first thing I noted was the logical progression in Maslow’s hierarchy from physical, through emotional and mental to spiritual. In my own reading of the literature, coupled with my strong belief in the role that the deepest spiritual needs are as real as the other needs, I added an additional 2 levels at the top (and 1 more categorical level that I call “deep spiritual”).  In the graphic here you’ll see the 5 categorical levels as well as the double sub-levels with each category.

You’ll undoubtedly note that I've made the image into a cone-shape rather than a pyramid. This is for two reasons: 

1) I wanted to respect and preserve the original work for what Maslow, and others had in mind ... so the pyramid shape is still evident;

2) by accentuating the conical shape it allows a viewing from above which allows me to discuss this subject from what I feel is a better perspective … that of concentric rings.

I’m going to refer to this image over the next few weeks. For today, I want to focus on the things that DRIVE us.

If you recall, last week I referred to DRIVE as the thing that moves us to acquire (to get) more … or to acquire better. As I define it, we are “driven” to obtain things that we are lacking (or feel we are lacking). Linking this to our basic needs we are driven by our physical and emotional needs (and arguably, a little bit of mental needs). As Maslow originally postulated this, these particular needs are referred to as “needs of deficiency” … you don’t experience the need (you are not moved to fill the need) until you sense or experience a lacking in that particular thing/area. As long as the need is being filled, or you sense that it is being filled, you are unmoved to fill it. But the moment you sense a lacking in that area, you are “driven” to fill it. This drivenness can, at times, become intense and appear almost irrational.

Let’s make this clear by looking at the sub-levels within the categories of physical and emotional.

PHYSICAL

Level 1: Physiological -  air, food, water, sex, shelter, warmth, etc.

Level 2: Safety/Security – protection, money, law & order, limits, stability, etc.

EMOTIONAL

Level 3: Belongingness – family, affection, relationships, working groups, etc.

Level 4: Esteem – achievement, status, responsibility, reputation, etc.

ANIMAL NEEDS

Levels 1-4 (the physical and emotional ) are sometimes referred to as the “animal needs” because of the instinctual response to fill the need when it is lacking. Maslow’s original theory on how this works came under dispute, however, I don’t think he was wrong … I believe that his theory was simply incomplete. His basic notion was that a person would not be moved to fill a need if one of two conditions existed: 1) the need is already filled; 2) there remains an unmet need at a lower level.

Example # 1 – Consider your need for air. As you have been reading this you have likely been supplied with all the oxygen that you needed to live. Accordingly, you probably haven’t been giving much thought to filling your need for air. However, had something happened and all the air in the room was sucked out, you would have immediately been driven to get air … at almost any cost.

Example # 2 – Continuing with the need for air … had all the air been sucked out of the room and you were desperately trying to fill that need, I’ll hazard the guess that you probably stopped reading this fascinating blog because a Level 1 need trumps a Level 5 need (your cognitive needs to learning … we’ll touch on this one next week).

Maslow’s thinking was that this is true for all the animal needs. Using my concentric ring analogy, as long as an outer (more superficial) level need exists, it will be difficult to impossible to be motivated to fill the deeper needs. This is where we get the John Maxwell axiom, “people won’t care what you know until they first know that you care.” Translation: people won’t be motivated to want knowledge from you (level 5) until they have been first motivated by your care for them (level 3).

Where Maslow’s theories came under dispute was the reality that people routinely are motivated to do things even when their more basic animal needs remain unmet (or are threatened). The examples that are usually raised at this point include starving artists and suicide bombers. What I want to point out is that Maslow wasn't wrong … his theory just wasn't complete.

Things that DRIVE us are not bad … but they can become points of obsession and thus, create a dysfunctional lifestyle. How? If we develop an irrational sense that we don’t have a sufficient supply of Level 1-4 things, a scarcity mentality takes hold of us and we shut down our motivations that come from the deeper levels … levels where personal growth and maturity come from. Tending to only the physical and emotional needs creates a shallow life.

An over-supply of Level 1-4 needs is like the gardener who sprinkles his lawn with a bit of water every day; it promotes shallow roots. In fact, it is only through the occasionally intentional withholding or denial of water where the grass is forced to grow deeper roots in search of water. The end result is a much healthier and more resilient plant.

I want to stress that there’s nothing wrong with meeting our basic needs … physiological … safety and security … belongingness … esteem. Just don’t forget about intentionally seeking to fill the deeper needs where your mind and spirit are developed. We’ll get to those in the next couple of weeks.

FEAR

Have you ever thought about what fear is and where it comes from? Fear is essentially the emotional outcome of the belief that one of your basic human needs is not being met … or won’t be met … or will be thwarted in some way. The threat doesn't even have to be real … it can be imaginary or simply perceived. Fear can be nothing more than a state of mind, but it is driven by the threat of an unmet need, generally in levels 1-4.

Each year a list is published of the greatest human fears. Year after year the top 10 on the list shuffles around a bit, but for decades now, the number 1 & 2 spots have remained pretty much as number 1 & 2. Number 2 is death. Number 1 is public speaking. Jerry Seinfeld’s response to this was hilarious. He said, “that means that if you are at a funeral, you would rather be the guy in the casket than they guy giving the eulogy.”

Now this is crazy right? Or is it? Let’s dig a bit deeper. The public speaking phobia is essentially the belief that a level 4 need is not going to be met (the esteem need). The fear of death is a belief that a level 1 need is not going to be met. Now I doubt for a second that if someone put a gun to the head of a person who was terrified to speak in public that the person would say, “go ahead, pull the trigger.” When it came down to it, adrenaline would lead the person to mutter some words to the crowd rather than being shot. So what’s going on with the fear? I think that while we imagine all sorts of terrible things that can happen to us, the ones that are most likely to grab hold of us are the ones that we have already experienced in one form or another. Embarrassment (or shame) is something everyone has experienced; the sensations are strong, the loss of esteem is keenly felt. But ... and I think that this is the key ... it is close to the deepest level need that can feel threatened just by thinking about it. This may become more apparent when we dig into the deeper levels in the next couple of weeks. 

Meanwhile, ponder that as it relates to your own sense of being driven. As I look around I get the sense that the majority of people are overly driven to please others ... to look good in the minds of others ... to control how others think about them. For many (most?) this may be the greatest motivational driver in their life. The simplest (pithiest) thing I can say to help you put that in perspective is what I learned from my Mom who told the teenage-me, "you wouldn't worry so much about what other people thought of you if you realized just how little they did." (what she was really saying was, "my son - don't flatter yourself - nobody's thinking about you.")

Being driven is a reality that all of us experience. But there are better (deeper) motivations such as inspiration and passion which help us to grow and move away from self-limiting, self-defeating and self-destructive lives. Let's learn about these together.

I hope to see you back next Monday.

Blessings Viphilus,

Your friend, Omega Man

OCA Training

* Viphilus means, "lover of life"

PRIME MOVERS – The Motivation Trinity

Welcome back Viphilus*

This month I want to take a look at what it is that moves us to do what we do. I’m calling these things the Prime Movers.

Discussion about what motivates a person usually brings up names like Maslow or Max-Neef in reference to basic human needs, or else names like Skinner or Herzberg and directly developed motivation theories. Check out those links if you are interested

Motivation can be categorized into a variety of ways. For example, motivation can be classed as extrinsic or intrinsic:

Intrinsic motivation refers to the motivation that is driven by an interest or enjoyment in the task itself, and exists within the individual rather than relying on any external pressure. These are the deeper motivations.

Extrinsic motivation, often referred to as “carrots & sticks” motivation, comes from outside the individual. Common extrinsic motivations are rewards, coercion and threat of punishment. These focus primarily on the physical and emotional. Psychological research studies have shown repeatedly that extrinsic rewards can lead to a subsequent reduction in intrinsic motivation. Shallow stimulation promotes shallow growth.

Here’s an interesting business axiom … those who are least motivated to pursue extrinsic rewards are more likely to receive them. (reflect on that one).

In following this literature with great interest over the last decade or so I have settled on another way to think about and categorize motivation. I’ve lumped everything into three categories, each with a unique and independent perspective. I call this the “trinity of movers.” (I recognize that you may think of these words in a slightly different way, so be careful to notice my definitions).

DRIVE is that thing you feel inside when you are drawn-driven to fulfil an unmet need in your life. Drive is tricky because it can be both positive and negative, but generally it is driven by scarcity and generally is extrinsic.

INSPIRATION can be external or internal but it is that thing you feel inside when you are called-drawn-driven to grow and BE better. The word “inspire” comes from the Latin, and means, to breathe life into. Inspiration then means, “full of breath” or “full of life.”

PASSION is that thing you feel inside when you are pursuing purpose, either towards accomplishment or by working in areas of your strengths (I’ll define “strengths” later in the month). It is that inner resonance when you do what you know you were made to do. Stephen Covey lists “passion” as one of the four pillars of a powerful life.

That’s it for this week … just an introduction to the trinity of movers. Take time to ponder these and what the words drive, inspiration and passion mean to you before we get to next week, when I drill down into DRIVE.

Blessings Viphilus,

Your friend, Omega Man

OCA Training

* Viphilus means, "lover of life"