What Motivates You at Work?

Have you ever thought about what motivates you? What gets—and keeps—you going? When we know WHY we do something, we can use that information to accomplish more. Knowing what motivates us will help us achieve our goals, both personal and professional.



No matter what we do for a living, or where we do it, what motivates us can be found in the following list. Many of us believe that the only reason we work is money. Although there is no question that money, or what it buys (rent, food, etcetera) is a prime motivator, money alone does not create the sense of fulfillment and accomplishment that many of us are seeking.



LIMRA International, a research association, suggests you prioritize the following motivators for yourself. Once you've identified what works for you, share it with your boss. If you're the boss, ask your employees to prioritize their motivators. Whether you're the boss, the employee, or it's just you (a work-at-home mom or a solopreneur), this is important information for you to know.



INDEPENDENCE: The freedom to run your business activities as you wish; the opportunity to "be your own boss.”Do you ever feel restricted? Do you feel overcome by rules and red tape? Do you often feel in disagreement with superiors?


RECOGNITION: The tangible rewards you get for doing a job well, such as being singled out in a publication or speech. How important is winning to you? How do you feel when others receive recognition? Do you go out of your way to win awards?


ACHIEVEMENT: The feeling that you get from successfully accomplishing a job...overcoming obstacles and obtaining goals.Is your performance relative to your effort? How do you feel when you have completed a task? What kind of goals do you set for yourself?


LEISURE TIME: The amount of time that you have free to use as you wish and the extent of enjoyment that you get from this time.Do you find yourself neglecting things? Have you postponed a desired activity? Do you really enjoy your leisure me?


POWER: The sense of control that you feel you have over your destiny and the destiny of others...your feelings of influence to direct the behavior of others.Do you feel that you have control over your destiny? Do people tend to lean on you, ask your approval? Do you find yourself doing things you'd rather not do?


PRESTIGE: The respect accorded you by your peers and by business or community associates...how others feel you compare with your peers.Is prestige important to you? Do others tend to hold you in esteem? Do you find yourself performing to gain esteem?


MONEY: The amount of personal financial income provided by your job.Are you proud of what you earn? Do you tend to talk about money or how you spend, save, or invest it?


PRESSURE: The constant feeling or need to show continuing improvement in your job performance.Do you feel guilty about not exerting enough effort? Do you continually feel that you must do more? Do you want continual motivation from superiors?


SELF ESTEEM: Your feeling of self-worth...how you feel you measure up to your peers.Are you confident that you do as well as you can? Do you feel guilty about poor performance? Are you satisfied with your performance?


FAMILY LIFE: The amount and quality of family activities that you engage in.Do you spend enough time with your family? Is time meaningful when with them? Do they talk about the time that you spend with them?


SECURITY: The certainty that you feel of maintaining your position...the feeling that tomorrow will be at least as good as today.Is job security important to you? Are you afraid to try something new? Do you do things that tend to secure your job?


PERSONAL GROWTH: The feeling of growing as an individual or becoming more competent, more efficient—a better person.Do you think that you have grown over the past year? Do you do specific things that result in improvement? Do you have plans for doing more?
Now that you've prioritized this list, you have clear idea of what motivates you at work. It's not just money, is it?

Tips for Setting Goals

The Six P’s of Goal Setting
Research tells us that when we write a goal down we are more likely to achieve it. Written goals can be reviewed regularly, and have more power. Like a contract with yourself, they are harder to neglect or forget. Also when you write your goals in a particular fashion you are able to stimulate your subconscious to be continuously alert to situations that will further your goal. In order for your written goals to have the greatest impact, write them by incorporating the special power of these six P’s of goal setting:

POSITIVE
Goals must be stated in positive rather than negative terms. ("I am a neat and organized person," rather than "I am no longer unorganized.")

PRESENT TENSE
Goals must be written as though they are happening now or have already happened. The subconscious mind only operates in the now. If you create goals in the future tense, your subconscious will never get there.

PERSONAL
Goals must be about you, and under your control, not about someone else.

PRECISE
Goals must be clear and describe exactly what you want to do.

POSSIBLE
Goals must be realistic and within the realm of possibility to achieve

POWERFUL
Use words that convey action and emotion.

Write these goals and place them where you will see them at least twice a day. If possible, read them aloud and visualize what you are saying.

What You See Is What You Get
Visualizations are the pictures of achievement we have of ourselves. Those pictures greatly affect the outcomes we produce. If we see ourselves succeeding and attaining our goals, we very likely will. If, on the other hand, we have no image of success or create an image of failure, we very likely will fail.

Visualizing is something everyone does, every day. When you daydream, think about someone you know, or remember a place you visited in the past, you are visualizing. And you can make the technique of visualization work for you. You can use it to help achieve your goals by seeing yourself achieving your goals.

Enjoy the feeling of success, and often think these positive thoughts. In giving you these guidelines, I am hoping for your success too!