Passion is actually doing what you love. It could be wanting to be a professional golfer or as simple as having a quiet life, living in a small cabin in a rural area, and going golfing every day. In both cases, it’s your passion that’s driving you. Some people will say that the person wanting to be the professional golfer is passionate and the other person isn’t. Really? Who decides a person’s dream but the person themself. They both have a reason behind their dream. That reason is their WHY, which is their motivation. People can be motivated by many different reasons. Passion is just one of the reasons behind motivation.
Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation
There are basically two types of motivation; Extrinsic and Intrinsic. Extrinsic is simple things from the world such as money and tangible items. For instance, giving a child an allowance for doing his chores is extrinsic motivation.
Intrinsic motivation is from within and is tied to some deep sense of personal satisfaction. A child constantly practices on something such as playing basketball is intrinsic because they are getting great internal satisfaction as they get better.
Motivation in the Workplace
Motivation in the workplace is completely different than trying to motivate someone in life. Although it can be difficult, it should be easier because work is just a piece of the puzzle of life. Extrinsic motivation, such as some type of reward is more often used. As a leader, it is your responsibility to identify what motivates the team. It all starts with you. Let them know you trust them. Have an open-door policy with them. Be transparent and radiate positivity. Learn what makes people tick. Give them feedback. Allow them to lead. If you have the means, incentivize them. Give them a reason to do something.
Life Motivation
In life, motivation needs to be more intrinsic, although extrinsic is viable. What do you want to be or do in life? People say you need to dream. However, there’s a dream and a fantasy. If you work for it, then it’s a dream. Otherwise, it’s just a fantasy.
Realize, you can’t motivate someone. You can’t give them a “why”. A friend once told me that she always tried to motivate her son. One day, standing in the kitchen, her son looked at her and said, “Mom, you want more for me than I want for myself.” It saddened her, but she realized if it isn’t self-motivation, it doesn’t work.
When a person has a “why”, it has to be big enough to overcome any and all obstacles. Just because you didn’t make the starting team, doesn’t mean you quit. It means you just work harder at it. Just ask Michael Jordon when he didn’t make his high school basketball team. Wow, what a letdown! But he picked himself up and turned that cut into motivation.
Who decides what a person loves to do? Only the person themself. Everyone is different. If you want to help someone, just stay positive because a negative mind will never give you or someone else a positive life. Also, remember the power of the smile because when you do, you enforce a positive attitude. As my friend once told me, when her son is ready, he will find a niche for himself that he has chosen and loves to do.
Do what you love to do and you’ll be fine. Live your life your way and not the way others think you should do.
