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Seven Deadly Motivations for Doing Unrewarding Work
By Marsha Lindquist
What prompts you to work hard and enjoy it less? Discover your motivation and take it out for a spring cleaning! When we condense all the reasons we work to a fevered pitch, the rationale boils down to seven deadly motivations. And some people are guilty of several. When you dump drudgery, embrace enthusiasm, and feast in fun you stop the motivators from grabbing you by the work guilt rope. Stop being a slave to a calendar, a clock or a computer.
Marsha's Seven Deadly Motivations
1. External - The Devil Made Me Do It!
2. Internal - I'm My Own Worst Enemy
3. Competition - Winning is Exhilarating
4. Habits - Can Be Habit Forming
5. Perfection - Best at Everything
6. Survival - What I Do Makes a Difference
7. Accommodation - Yes People
External - The Devil Made Me Do It!
Peer, employer, or family expectations have set you up to play a role in someone else's drama. You satisfy someone else's goals to make money, attain recognition, get promoted and go for more, more, more. Or maybe it is important not to fail so you don't let anyone else down.
Internal - I'm My Own Worst Enemy
Guilt, a history of poverty, lack of confidence and other internal forces can drive you into a frenzied state. Money may also spell power and control for you.
Competition -Winning is Exhilarating
You love the thrill and the blood-pumping desire to triumph. Winning is everything and your senses are juiced every time you get to step up to the plate. You may even see yourself as the Superman character arriving just in the nick of time to save the day.
Habits - Can Be Habit Forming
You may not know why you are working so hard. You constantly put in long hours and rarely change your behavior or work venue. Working the way you do is keeping you in your habitual comfort zone and changing that may mean facing something more frightening. You may be a prisoner of your own work rules and feel trapped, helpless, hopeless, powerless, or immobilized.
Perfection - Best at Everything
Number One, Number One, Number One is the only location that matters. No one can do it as well as you can and you take an enormous amount of pride in the perfect end result. You put all of yourself into whatever you do but have difficulty delegating tasks to others.
Survival -What I Do Makes a Difference
You need money to simply survive and provide for the basics of food, clothing and shelter. Or you may believe what you are doing will make a difference to the company, the world, or future civilizations.
Accommodation - Yes People
Your attitude is a 'can do' attitude and you believe there isn't anything you wouldn't do for someone else. Setting boundaries or saying 'no' is difficult, but you often feel like a victim. You may have a sense of security in your oppression, as if being locked into the situation is living in a comfort zone.
Finding out what's in it for you is important to discovering what compels you to work so hard. What's the inducement that keeps you feeling like the Energizer Bunny sometimes? Do you think you have to pay your dues forever or imagine you must deliver 110% every day? It is time to stop and examine what you do and don't want.
About the Author
Marsha Lindquist, a business strategist for over 15 years, draws on her proven “down in the trenches” experience, creativity, and participative manner to provide real solutions to businesses to assist them in building and growing their businesses. She is an energetic presenter and is also the Chief Executive Officer of The Management Link, Inc. As well as being the author of “Why Are You Still Working Your A** Off?”, she has written and published several professional journal articles on business strategy and negotiations. She can be reached by E-mail at marsha@marshalindquist.com
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