Got Motivation #2?

Speed reading rules.

Why would a divisional v.p. of a Fortune 100 company quit to joinna start-up internet operation? What moves her to hock the house to be an independent entrepreneur?

Why would a lawyer give up a lucrative partnership in a 500-person international law firm, to start a two-lawyer office? Joe C. was guaranteed two million annually, as a partner, and earned it for the past seven years. What could influence, persuade and convince him give up a sure thing, for a long shot? But she did.

The answer is Motivation: an inner urge (endogenous vs xogenous) that movesus by stimulating our Emotions. We researched executive Headhunters (consultants)who agreed the motive (reason) was less likely dollars and cents, but more likely feelings of personal meaning and purpose.

Sometimes it was as simple as hurt feelings or loss-of-face that decided a move.

Reward or Punishment

Does this make sense? Fear of loss is greater than desire for gain. Homo sapiens will work harder without reward, in order to avoid losing something they already have (own). Sort of backing up your bet? The reason is a confirmed loss changes our comfort-zone, status quo, and homeostasis (balance).

One more once: motivation is biological, social, cognitive, or emotional forces that activate (trigger) and direct our behavior. Would you knowingly give up your life to save your child? What about a friend? Stranger? It is emotionally or socially programmed, right?

Internal or Exte
al

Is it always an internal stimulus, urge, or inducement, causing an emotional reaction? Exception: (5%) knowledge for knowledge sake. Picture the struggling artist who never sells a painting, the musician who never gets a big-time gig, the writer with ten unpublished novels. What motivates them to continue?

School

Teachers have two weapons – negative consequences – if you don’t graduate you will lose over one-million dollars in lifetime income. I used to imagine going home to my parents with an F and disappointing them. It spurred me on to stay to graduate when I wanted to screw around and procrastinate with my pals.

How about offering students positive consequences to give up the warm sunshine of fun and games? Win 2 tickets to the ball park or a three-day weekend for high test grades? You are thinking they should study for its own sake, right? Could you?

Stress

Students have anxiety imagining the chronic stress of the market place? Would you go to your daily drudgery without a paycheck? Yet students have no immediate tangible incentive to excel.

Get this: neurological research indicates – fear of punishment motivates people more than an offer of a reward. Do you work to support your lifestyle or for personal power?

Do you work harder because of tough economic times and fear of a lay off, and for your long term financial security, or to have a fun place to go to in the morning?

Out of sight, out of mind. The ultimate punishment threat is seeing a veteran executive lose his/her position. The threat becomes easily transferable to your own circumstances. How long will you be motivated by punishment compared to a tangible incentive?

Power of Immediate vs Postponed Gratification

Don’t we all want the good things in life now, not later? Who wants to wait until we have accumulated all the capital to own our home? It is called a mortgage and was almost non-existent until the 1940s for residential property.

Did you know until after World War II just 40% of the U.S. population owned their own home? From the 1950s to date it has risen to 70%. How come? The answer is government legislation. Is it good? Sure, but at least 50% of the additional 30% are financially weak.

These homeowners have the financial resources to last for only two months in the event of loss of income due to illness, loss of occupation, or uninsured disaster.

Those folks who can postpone gratification until they can afford it without living off their credit card, do not live under the sword of loss of habitat, and its emotional consequences.

Impulsivity

How many people do you know who are impulsive and successful? They are opposites because successful people resist impulsive actions through NeoCortex analysis. Humans have a veto power in our frontal cortex, executive brain to stop impulsive triggers. It is a hardwired neural network with survival value.

Impulse vs Thought

Three characteristics of impulsivity. nna) Attention: when we are bored with complexity, we want immediate gratification. Red light. Some decisions must be postponed for further research of options and the advice of special counsel.nnb) Motor: we feel activated by the instinct to go into action. We can veto it consciously for further information. No one loses face by refusing to be rushed into action for action’s sake, not ours.nnc) Cognition: inability to thoughtfully plan and strategize. People who are obsessive, compulsive or excessively conce
ed with how they appear to others will ignore thoughtfulness for emotionally choosing to act now.

Coda:

Almost all humans want immediate gratification compared to delayed (postponed) gratification of their desires. It is our PreFrontal Cortex (PFC) that mediates between – I want it now – and I want to check out the consequences unemotionally.

The consequences of lack of impulse control are often divorce, bankruptcy, and failure to succeed. As a layman you cannot predict the stock market, and neither can 90% of the experts with decades of experience.

Expertise required one of the follow three levels of experience:

1. Ten years of research in the area of knowledge or …
2. 10,000 hours of field work in the specialty or …
3. 50,000 chunks of knowledge in the field.

We have two kinds of brain neurons: pyramidal neurons that excite activity, and interferon neurons that inhibit action. We require judicious use of both. That is why we have a conscious veto power. Pay for a second and third opinion.

Endwords

Would it make you more competitive to be an expert in your field? If you could read and remember three times as much as your peers, would it enhance your career prospects? Are you too old to learn how to learn? Ask us how.

Speed Reading Rules.nncopyright © 2009 H. Bernard Wechsle
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ing.orgnhbw@speedlea
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