An amazing article from, PickTheBrain.com, gives two simple factors that explains what motivates us. The article is by Anvil Merchant, a software engineer at Entfusion. I'm glad I ran into this article. I know these two things motivate me and the guys I workout with... What do you think?
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I’m in a crossfit gym, absolutely drenched in sweat and
gasping for air, with a trainer breathing down my neck yelling at me to push
harder. Others around me have already
given up, with just a few remaining survivors.
At this point, I have two options:
1) I drop what I’m doing and tell the trainer: “The hell
with this! I’m paying you, I’ll go at my
own pace!”
2) I suck it up, somehow muster up some more energy, give it
all I got and push harder.
I chose option two.
Why did I choose option two?
My body was telling me otherwise.
My mind was telling me otherwise.
All natural reasoning pointed to giving it a rest. Yet I chose to continue on. Why?
What is it that motivates people to go above and beyond. Why is it that, given a group of say 10
people of similar ability, one person will come out on top? In short, what is it that motivates people to
succeed?
I’ve analyzed the above moment over and over again and have
extracted two concepts that drive me.
Two concepts that motivate me to succeed in all areas, whether it be
physical fitness or my career. And while
I certainly can’t speak for everyone, I’d like to share these two ideas
here. So, without further ado:
1) Competitiveness – the desire to come out on top
In the above example, there were a group of 15 of us in that
particular crossfit session. Although
this wasn’t a direct competition, it was clear in each person’s eyes that every
man or woman wanted to last longer than the other. I wanted to win and this desire alone allowed
me to mask out all other feelings and continue going. It is simply the competitive nature of Human
Beings. However, some are more
competitive than others and strive harder to prove so. Larry Ellison, when discussing yacht racing,
once said: “I’m addicted to winning. The more you win, the more you want to
win.” And this seems to be a shared
testament amongst all those who are most successful at whatever it is they may
do. It is well known that Bill Gates and
Steve Jobs were incredibly competitive and drove each other to innovate and
succeed. Likewise, several members of
the Forbes ‘World’s Billionaires list’ have stated repeatedly that they
strongly desire to continue to move up the rankings and will continue to pursue
the top spot for as long as they are able.
These people have more money than most people can ever fathom, yet are
driven by just the handful of people that are financially ahead of them. Competition from others is a great force in
motivating people to push harder to succeed.
2) Knowing deep down that this is for my own benefit
This one may be a bit more personal. Let me again reference the above
example. When given the choice whether
to stop or continue, I had a split second to make my decision. I’ve realized that within that short period
of time, I reminded myself that I was in fact doing this for my own good. The harder I train (without pushing myself to
injury of course), the more I benefit.
Sure, I had already completed a vigorous workout and could’ve easily
stopped at that point, but I had one final push in me and I knew that by
choosing to continue, I would reap the benefits. Constantly reminding myself that the harder I
train, the harder I work, and the harder I try will benefit me in the long run,
motivates me to keep going until I’m able to attain the level of success I
desire.
Motivation, it’s a curious thing. I don’t necessarily believe that the above
two items are universal motivating factors for all people, but I do know that
they drive me to reach levels I once deemed impossible and I strongly believe
that each and every person has his or her own motivating forces somewhere
within themselves.
What motivates you to succeed?
Anil Merchant is a Software Engineer by day and founder at
Entfusion by night, where he also maintains a personal blog Entfusion is a social platform aimed to help
connect customers searching for entertainment vendors and vice-versa. In his spare time, he enjoys staying active
through weight-lifting and boxing. Connect with Anil on Twitter!
(source: http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/what-motivates-you-to-succeed-2-significant-factors-for-success/)
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