Trigger Question #116:
A funny thing happened on the way to the modern workplace. People expect to feel motivated to get the work done!
I think this is an unintended consequence of that deceptive hippie battle cry, “Do what you love.” Deceptive? Yes, because it sounds so right, but can play out painfully wrong.
First, let’s get real. Only rich people have the luxury of being able to do what they love. Everyone else must work at almost any job to pay the bills. Agreed? So get a job, even if you don’t love it. At least not yet.
Second, what you love to do rarely aligns with what your boss would love you to do. Which leads to…
Third, no one can motivate you. Not even your boss can motivate you. Motivation is an internal feeling. Only you can motivate yourself. The best your boss can do is to create favorable conditions for your motivation to grow. Or to remove obstacles to your motivation.
Ah, you say, but your boss can motivate you with a good salary and a bonus. But tell me, how long did you feel motivated by your last salary increase? A week? Two weeks? And no doubt your bonus boost only lasted until you blew it.
Let’s consider that the best your boss can do is to remove the obstacles to motivation. Now pay attention: Money as a salary does not motivate. But the absence of money demotivates. Not having enough money, or feeling that you deserve more, becomes an obstacle.
Here’s the thing. Most people on planet Earth must work at something, even if they don’t like it. And at work, ‘feeling like it’ does not matter. Not much. Because it’s just a job. You know you can get it done even if you don’t feel like doing it. So most of the time you do it, like it or not.
And here’s the silver lining. Do it often enough and one day you might wake up to find that you love what you do because…? You’ve become good at it! (Well done. You’ve grown up.)
But then, maybe, one sunny day, you will feel rich enough, not only financially, to risk doing what you think you’ll love doing more. (Good luck with that. I mean it.)
Because dreaming matters. It keeps us motivated.
Welcome to my side of the nonsense divide.
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Quote of the Moment:
“Do what you hate quickly so you have more time to do what you love.” The Chief Nonsense Officer.
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