Encantado Magazine October 2017 Issue | Page 58

What’s Your Primary Motivation? The Hidden Cause of Success and Failure Written By: Darshan Shanti S ometime back, I was doing business in Chicago. need to survive. In fact, it’s their primary motiva- tion. Everything was great except for the mosquitoes. Practically no area of my body was sacred to those That’s the point. You need to discover your pri- little buggers. They were out for blood and they mary motivation. In other words, what is it that weren’t going to stop ‘til they got it. makes you do what you do? Your primary motiva- tion sponsors all the rest of your beliefs and your That got me to thinking about why some people actions and it runs your life. Your primary motiva- are very successful and some others are not. It got tion determines a great deal of what your life looks me to thinking about what motivates people to like and how much success you’re likely to achieve. do what they do and don’t do. What drives some It is the context with which you live your life. It people to keep pushing in spite of every obstacle? determines your attitude towards success, failure, What gets people to change their life for the better? how you perceive the world, what you do or don’t What makes people quit, give up and make excus- do, your choices of careers, partners... virtually ev- es? erything. Then this question hit me. It’s easy to discover. If when you’re thinking about your goals and dreams for your life/business and Why don’t we have the drive and the determination your future terrifies you into non-action, you know and the focus of a mosquito on the hunt? What’s a your primary motivation is based in fear, safety, mosquito got that we don’t have? and security. On the other hand, if you’re excited about it, chomping at the bit to get going and make I believe the answer is survival. For example, it happen, you know that you’re more motivated by Mosquitoes: risk and adventure. 1. Don’t give up. 2. They are focused, driven and determined. 3. Keep going forward in spite of the inherent risks. 4. If at first they don’t succeed, they try, try again. They are relentless. 5. Don’t get discouraged. 6. Don’t second guess themselves or question their motives. 7. Don’t look at their past “failed” opportuni- ties. 8. Don’t hold back. Now I realize that they do those things out of a In general, people are more motivated by avoid- ing pain than they are by gaining pleasure. After all, it’s much easier (less painful) to swallow a pill to get your blood sugar under control than it is to eat right and exercise. At least that’s what people think. So, if your primary motivation is based in fear and the avoidance of pain, then you will see your future as too scary because you may fail or get hurt or get rejected or earn disapproval. Now, just by reading the past few sentences, you already know your primary motivation. You know