Source: Pixabay
I have been writing every day for one month now. As I look back, and ask myself what motivated me, it surely wasn't rewards.
Even though I posted daily, I have barely earned anything in the whole month. And my first goal is never to earn rewards— but to grow myself.
I am quite sure that I have benefited from this small journey.
But when I questioned myself, if it wasn't rewards, what was it? What motivated me to write daily?
The answer was simple. I find writing meaningful.
And it motivates me to write daily. Rewards don't have that kind of motivation as compared to meaningful work.
You can only give your best when you are motivated.
True motivation doesn't come from money. Instead, it comes from meaning.
The assumption about motivation is that it is driven by external rewards like money. But that kind of motivation is a short lived one. The actual and long term motivation comes from meaning.
Think about all those people who climbed the Mt. Everest.
Think about all those who survived the worst conditions( 127 hours, Victor Frankl).
And think about all those who gave up all their wealth to live a simple life in a remote town.
They were not motivated by money. Yet they took action. Consistent action. And achieved their goals in the long-term.
If meaning comes from rewards, it's short lived.
As soon as you get your rewards, your bonus, your payment, you will stop there.
Maybe that's why people don't achieve more. What was promised to them, they got. Now putting any more efforts makes no sense. It all stops there.
Whereas, when you have meaning behind your work, you will never stop doing it.
People who work solely on the basis of money, they fail to give their best.
We can find meaning in our work.
Even if you think that there is no meaning in your work. You are just wasting your time—you can still find meaning in your work.
How to find meaning in your work?
Ask yourself how your work-- what you are doing-- can help someone else. Whatever you are doing— it is definitely helping someone. That's why you are getting paid for it.
You just need to ask who are you helping with your work. And then devote yourself to help them.
The more effort we put, the more meaning will come.
The more time and energy we spend doing something, the more meaning we will find in it.
Because we get attached to it. Then we want to do our best to make things happen.
But getting too much involved into something will lead to over attachment.
When I used to put more and more time and energy in trading, I felt that I can never stop doing it. It was not an addiction. It was merely an attachment.
Similarly, I have been reading books for a couple of years now. And I feel the same attachment to reading books. I can't stop doing it.
This attachment is good when you are growing in your work. But it will make your life difficult if you are stuck with a sinking ship.
For example, my parents are not ready to leave the city we live in. It's polluted to it's core. There are way too many factories for a small town like ours. But they have spent 36 years of their life here. Now they care less about pollution and more about their attachment with our house, our neighbourhood and our locality.
Similar things happen with athletes.
For a long time, they were alphas of the world. Now they are nothing. And this sudden shift often leads to depression. They were way too attached with their old life. Not ready to move on.
So, if you feel that something is not working out, even after spending a lot of time on it. Better to spend a little bit less time doing it.
It's hard to stop once you are attached to your work.
Never underestimate the power of appreciation.
Many people think that appreciation is mere words. And they do it for the sake of being nice.
But appreciation has more power than money.
I know a lot of people who earn good money, but they are underappreciated in their jobs and by their families. They are left in a state of frustration. Unmotivated to work.
Similarly there are people who earn very less but are always happy. For example— your cab drivers, some salesman, maids and hundreds of people you don't remember but when you met them, you thought— this person is really happy.
In short, it can be said that if we give meaning to our work, our life will be less miserable.
It means even if your work is miserable and you find a meaning to do it, you will do your work happily.