I was asked this question the other day and it really made me think. I honestly used to be motivated by fear: fear of failure, fear of disappointing my family or friends, etc... Now I'm motivated more by love. Having a family has really changed how I view the world. When I'm tired or feeling unmotivated I just have to look at a picture of my little girl and somehow I find the inspiration I need to make it though the task at hand. What motivates you?
nothing really. i'm too comfortable to be getting out there. I'm just chasing short thrills and nothing more. bleh.
I just kind of floated along in corporate America, not really motivated at all other than making good money, until I decided to become an independent consultant and starting my own business. Now, just the thrill of setting my own rules and schedule motivates me, along with providing for my family. In other words, work is fun the past few years, instead of being a job. Plus, there is a certain confidence that comes with solely attaching your name and your credibility to your income. I know I've posted this before, but I love my job.
I have to admit that sometimes I scare myself I'm so good, but usually I just love myself to death for who I am. So I'm unselfishly motivated by love.
Brad Pitt said in an interview a few years ago that he never felt really fearful until he had kids. He was rich, good looking, etc, and nothing could really fuck with him. People go out of their way to make your life easy. But once you have kids, a lot of that shit really doesn't matter. They get Sudden Infant Death or a hundred other things that can go wrong, and it would just destroy his life, and no amount of money or fame would ever make it better. He'd be fucked forever. I don't live every day afraid of bad things happening to my kids. But in the far back corner of my mind there's a place filled with the dread that Pitt was talking about (and of course I don't have near the safety net he does). I don't like going there. It's a very deep fear, and it's only there because of love. Shoving that fear back further by trying to build a bigger safety net is probably now one of the biggest motivators in my life. It's probably just biology--just like trying to find the right mate was the biggest motivator earlier in my life. At it's core, I don't know that love or fear motivates me. I think it's evolutionary instinct. Survive. Find a mate. Produce offspring. Make sure that offspring survives. It's true for me just like it's true for the male angler fish.
