The Root of Motivation

New beginnings take place constantly. When you thread them together, you get a lasting experience.

I started my 100-day countdown on Sunday, May 28, 2017, a new beginning, to a new beginning, that will culminate on Monday, September 4, 2017; the launch of my website, which includes videos, ebook, blogs and more.

I am a process oriented person who believes strongly in the fact that only humans tell stories. It then makes sense that I will transmit the narrative of this exciting process as the days progress.

This is a perfect example of the process; I can countdown my progress.

60 days to go: Thursday, July 6, 2017 

Motivation; what drives this process. I live the paradox of being an individual, socially dependent human. I have been developing as an individual while in relationship with others. My social media experience is a case in point. I have written about myself as an integrator and as someone who is process versus product driven. Ali 🐝 Anani, Brand Ambassador @beBee, in his relationship with me, has challenged me to grow in my thinking as an individual. Dr. Ali comes up with the right questions to enable me to develop and articulate my thoughts with each piece I write. Here are the questions behind my topic for my 60-day countdown:

Dr. Ali's question: “In complex systems, a small change in initial state might send us into different paths (journeys). Do you consider each path as a form of a process that ends up in a strange attractor? If so, we have an infinite number of paths "processes". How feasible it would be to try to understand each process individually?”
My response: Let me start with the last question; "How feasible it would be to try to understand each process individually?" It isn’t feasible, that is why I am process driven and not product driven. As long as I am in the process and am aware of what is taking place, what brought me to this point, what is influencing my next step, what elements are involved, learning, understanding and finding meaning, all this is plenty. I am not in the process to understand it all. Not in my lifetime. What I am in awe of is the fact that “we have an infinite number of paths "processes"." That’s the big picture I can hold while I immerse myself in the present path or process. And that takes me back to the first question, “Do you consider each path as a form of a process that ends up in a strange attractor?” Absolutely! If it was all predictable, why bother with the process? This is the root of motivation.

What an eye opener for me that the thought process involved in responding to Dr. Ali’s questions would allow me to uncover what I consider to be the root of motivation: “each path as a form of a process that ends up in a strange attractor.”

"Every action needs to be prompted by a motive." - Leonardo da Vinci

As an integrator, I often look for the common denominator. Often that common denominator is motivation.

Part One: The Academic Side

What makes us unique among other species is our self-reflective nature. We try to figure ourselves out. In this way, I call myself a process oriented person.

In the field of developmental psychology many theories of human development abound. Maslow proposed a theory found in his 1943 paper "A Theory of Human Motivation". His hierarchy of needs remains a very popular framework in sociology research, management training and psychology instruction. Although Maslow himself never used the pyramid, his hierarchy is often portrayed in the shape of a pyramid with the largest, most fundamental levels of needs at the bottom and the need for self-actualization at the top.

1. Biological and Physiological needs - air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep.

2. Safety needs - protection from elements, security, order, law, stability, freedom from fear.

3. Love and belongingness needs - friendship, intimacy, affection and love, - from work group, family, friends, romantic relationships.

4. Esteem needs - achievement, mastery, independence, status, dominance, prestige, self-respect, respect from others.

5. Self-Actualization needs - realizing personal potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences.

We come into this world dependent on others. As such, a paradox takes shape:

In order for an infant to develop a sense of self as independent from others, it is dependent on the other to provide the environment in which to develop this sense.

The environment in which we do this can be found in the theoretical concept that Winnicott, a pediatrician and psychoanalyst, developed. He developed the theoretical concept of a “holding” environment: an environment that allows you to safely feel taken care of, protected, understood, accepted unconditionally, and held in such a way that your consciousness which, at the beginning of human development is unformed, fluid, and changeable, can grow spontaneously and naturally on its own. (Excerpt from The Holding Environment)

So, it looks like who (if any) we depend on, to whom we bond and attach, the quality of that dependent relationship and the amount of time we are in such a relationship (not enough time or too long each have their impact on our development) will influence our sense of self and others, how we relate and how we form relationships.

We carry over that first experience into all other relationships and groups in which we find ourselves living or working within throughout our lives.

Being aware of what our needs are fall into two categories; conscious and unconscious. We come into this world with an innate mechanism that dictates to us what our primary needs are and how to get them. Then as we grow and develop, we become more conscious of what needs are important to us and strive to have those needs met.

Part Two: The Personal Side

“Do you want to know who you are? Don't ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you.” ― Thomas Jefferson

I have to admit that my motives are directly related to my needs; how and if they were met. That means I need to bring to consciousness my unconscious experiences. Hard work; what can motivate me to do that?

For me, the key motivator is control; I need to understand what is in my control and know what to do or how to cope with what is not in my control.

I need to come to terms with the fact that I can no longer neatly package motivation to fit each area of my life; business, health, relationships, but that control is a factor in each motivator that I could identify; success, happiness, intimacy.

In order for me to become successful in business, lead a healthy life, be happy with my life and share my life with others, I have to admit that these things are not in my control; I cannot have these things because I want or need them, I am dependent on others and my environment and circumstances in my process for getting these needs met.

How I make meaning of this process will determine the outcome.

Where does control lie? Control lies in our ability to choose.

"Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom." - Viktor E. Frankl

My drive to be in control, to choose how I respond to what is happening in my life, internally or externally, is my force of motivation.

Part Three: The Expanded Side; a new paradox.

At the root of this drive and process is the realization that it is the unknown or “strange attractor”; the unpredictability of it all, that is the motivating factor towards being in control.

An exhausting process, but definitely worth the effort. In this journey, 60 more days to go.