Some (many) people are motivated by the desire for money.
I am too, though not really by the need for excess reward (which I reserve the right to define for myself). That said, my children and I have certain minimum requirements, and certain aspirations, and any lack in being able to accommodate these in measures that I judge as appropriate is always a significant inhibitory force on my energy and commitment.
Some (many) people are motivated by professional recognition.
I am too, because I like to have the respect and affection of the people I work with.
Some people (less than many?) are motivated by the desire to control others and, by implication one supposes, their own life.
I am not. I have never craved power, and do not consider myself the kind of person that must always be in charge: you miss out on the fun of collaboration if you're too pathologically intent on telling people what to think and believe all the time. That said, I do generally find myself falling naturally into leadership roles.
Really, for me, it’s all very simple. I want and need to believe I am making a contribution that, within the terms of my own moral compass, means I leave things better after being involved with them than they were before I was involved with them.
I reserve of course the right (within consensual boundaries) to determine for myself what qualitative terms like "better", "worth", "contribution" (and indeed "morals") actually mean :)
So what floats my boat? Simple and unremarkable: the feeling of being sensibly rewarded for a good job well done. |
