Key to Success: Use Your Natural Motivation

Your motivation is a key to your success. Have you ever noticed that you find some types of work to be fulfilling and rewarding, while other types of work are just a sheer drudgery and stressful? The reason some things are enjoyable for you and others are just painful is because the things you enjoy help you to fulfill your natural motivators.

You will work to make certain your needs and wants are met. Abraham Maslow talks about this in terms of your drive to fulfill your basic needs. So if your hungry you’ll do what you need to obtain sustenance, and only after you’ve eaten are you ready to think about your higher level needs. The natural motivators that I’m talking about are higher level needs above and beyond your physical needs. Yet, your motivation to fulfill these needs is every bit as strong as your motivation to take care of your basic physical needs. In fact, even though you may not be consciously aware they even exist you are driven to fulfill them.

What are natural motivators? There are six natural motivators: theoretical, utilitarian, social, individualistic, aesthetic, and traditional. Of those six, there are one or two that are your personal motivators. Motivators are what get you to take action. As you understand action is absolutely necessary for success. You can’t simply think yourself to success, that’s dreaming. Action is what makes success a reality.

Let’s take a closer look at each of the motivators. A person motivated by the theoretical is someone who has a thirst for truth through knowledge. A utilitarian wants to get a return on their investment for their efforts and they appreciate things for their usefulness over their beauty. A person motivated by social has a need to help and serve others, and will place the needs of others ahead of their own. The individualistic motivation is always in association with another natural motivator, and this person is motivated by the attainment of power and position. Those motivated by aesthetic enjoy form, balance, and harmony and are driven to self-growth and fulfillment. The traditional believes there is a system for living and that everything will be good if you and others just live by the system. So how do these motivators tie into your desire to achieve success?

Building your path for success around your natural motivator’s means you’ll get there faster and more easily. As you formulate what you want to get success, what that will actually be like to live once you get there, and how you’ll get there; ask yourself if it serves your natural motivators? If it does: you’ll be much happier once you get there, you will have the persistence and determination to overcome the obstacles to get there, and you will naturally be very good at whatever you need to do for success. Don’t build a “successful” life that you don’t want to live. Understand your motivators and how you will fulfill them when you achieve your ideal for success.