What motivates you in life?

maverick · Apr 12, 2013

Just finished typing a message to one of the members of this board when it struck me that the question is applicable to everyone.

I'm interested in knowing what is the thing that wakes you up in the morning; the source of that fire in your belly; the reason why you want to excel in what you're doing?

What:
- moved you to take action instead of procrastinating once more?
- wakes you up in the morning and propels you into action?
- drives you to seek and exploit opportunities as it arises?

I'll go first. My motivation is two-fold:

1- My father and mother have worked very hard to get me where I am today - they moved to a foreign country and provided me with food, shelter and an education. They've also blessed me with an inquisitive mind (i.e. one that does not accept the status quo). I want to return them this favor by making them financially independent.

2- I feel that my gift to society is in translating ideas into companies. As an implication of this I'll strive to provide people with meaningful jobs and give them as much responsibility as they want. With any surplus cash that I'll generate I want to invest into the people that are driven to better the world. What do I mean by that? The woman that has transformed her farm into a dog shelter, the family that has set-up schools for homeless kids in some poverty stricken country etc.

Whilst typing my thoughts I've realized that the answer to this question touches the core of your personality. If you know what drives you; you can distill your purpose in life from it.

maverick

Vick · Apr 12, 2013

personal freedom.

Vigilante · Apr 12, 2013

Marty · Apr 12, 2013

Congruence.
My values demand that anybody can make it, if they try hard enough and never quit. My words to my children have always been that if you want something, make it happen. No excuses! I want, with a burning passion, to create an empire, a legacy. I lied to my children for years (this kills me), telling them that I had no desire to be wealthy or own a business. I did this so that they wouldn't see me fail if I tried. My motivation? I must show my kids, my wife, my self, that the road to success in any endevour is self determination (one of my highest values).
Oh, and I like money too.

vtlambo · Apr 12, 2013

Vigilante said:
more

Vigilante's signature motivates me.

biggeemac · Apr 12, 2013

Vigilante said:
more

Lol, that makes me think of the Matrix Reloaded in the Agent Smith fight scene when he said "more", except, in my fantasy, I am agent Smith

GetShitDone · Apr 12, 2013

The fear of being average.

DeletedUser11 · Apr 12, 2013

Fear, freedom and a bit of revenge :dead:

Entourage · Apr 12, 2013

A cocktail of things.

One quote, from my favorite show, mad men:

"You're born alone, and you die alone. The world just puts a ton of stuff on top of that to help you forget that fact. I don't. I live like there's no tomorrow because well, there isn't one..." - Don Draper

coupled with the fact that I am now 18 years old, with a bit of luck, I will have 19,000 days left on this earth. If you count your life in days, it's remarkable how short life truely is, considering that the past 6,700 days have flown by in a mere 5 seconds, I'm pretty sure the rest of my life will flash before my eyes too. With that mindset, I refuse to live someone elses life, it's either all or nothing.

An analogy, that I found on this forum I believe: (great way to motivate salespersonnel by the way peeps!!)

Imagine if you were a client of a bank, that credited your account each day with 84,600 dollars. You are free to spend that money however you want, but here's the catch: Every cent not spent will dissapear, and the next morning you'll have 84,600 dollars in your bank account once again. It is needless to say that no person would simply let that money evaporate in thin air, and that each person would do anything that's possible with the funds.

This proves that people ARE irrational (I even feel free to call people dumb, hell, imagine how dumb the average person is, half is even dumber!) - each day life gives us 84,600 seconds and so many people waste them on frivolous things, I am surrounded by average chumps who have no big picture, no ideology, not a single vision in their life. And I refuse to be one of the sheep that gets led to the slaughterhouse.

Jose71 · Apr 12, 2013

maverick said:
Just finished typing a message to one of the members of this board when it struck me that the question is applicable to everyone.

I'm interested in knowing what is the thing that wakes you up in the morning; the source of that fire in your belly; the reason why you want to excel in what you're doing?

What:
- moved you to take action instead of procrastinating once more?
- wakes you up in the morning and propels you into action?
- drives you to seek and exploit opportunities as it arises?

maverick

Failure is one of my motivations! I made a lot of errors and believe me they were lessons that I will never repeat again.

My Wife and Children! I want to be able to provide them with financial freedom so when the day comes that I'm no longer walking on this earth I want to leave them without a worry in the world for them and their kids when it comes financially!

Steve37 · Apr 12, 2013

This will sound stupid, but flip flops. I've spent nearly every day for the past ten years in shorts and flip flops ( minus when I have meetings that I must look presentable in ) working on my own terms. My motivation is essentially to spend the rest of my life doing the same so in a sense flip flops are symbolic of i'll do what I want, when I want, how I want.

Other motivations are a competitive streak, early retirement, and funding vacations and hobbies.

GuestUser8117 · Apr 12, 2013

getting away from normal.

The Autobahn · Apr 12, 2013

Im not interested in Work ( slavery ) and the regular Pension fund.

Rickson9 · Apr 12, 2013

Gratitude.

theag · Apr 13, 2013

[video=youtube;Ll3uipTO-4A]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ll3uipTO-4A[/video]

craig1928 · Apr 13, 2013

Has to be freedom

Laverdure · Apr 13, 2013

To Make Average People Feel Stupid Of Doing Nothing ??

liquidglass · Apr 14, 2013

Very good question I'm glad you brought it up!

I'm motivated by a large variety of things. I would say the main one is TIME. The only thing that can buy your time back from the slavery known as a job is money. I think the movie Out of Time with Justin Timberlake (regardless of your thought on the quality) best exemplifies the fact that our time is our money and we only have but so much. I can always make more money but I can never make more time exist. I gladly spend my money to keep my time and make money "appear" to keep my time in the hands it belongs: mine.

Other things such as my past, my parents worked hard and always told me get a good job, work hard, keep your head down, and you'll survive. Growing up I knew there had to be more than life than this. Even though they haven't changed their mindset I changed mine. When I was in college I often asked the question to anyone that was older than myself "What's the point?" What's the point of getting a degree, getting a job that pays a comfortable salary from 9-5 each day (I was going to be a lawyer so try 80 hrs per week starting out). Coming home, relaxing and having dinner, going to bed, then getting up to do it all over again....... for 40 F*ckING YEARS. Just to hope that I invested my 401k and IRA well enough that I could travel and live comfortably for the (hopefully) last 20-30 years of my life. It seemed pointless and until I discovered we didn't have to live like this I struggled with the purpose of existence (not suicidal mind you) but instead, why exist when our only purpose is to perpetuate an average existence to our off spring and generations to come.

I possess the inability to do nothing, the inability to be average, and inability to be valued at the hours I would spend behind a desk. That is my motivation.

This could give some perspective for anyone struggling to stay in a job or join the fastlane. However, disregard the call that minimum wage should be raised. I think people are paid exactly for what value they provide. The Mininum Wage Machine - disinformation

Astute · Apr 14, 2013

My main motivation is the fear of being on my death bed and looking back on a mediocre life.

EastWind · Apr 16, 2013

Life itself.

Rawr · Apr 16, 2013

Right now I am so confused I can't tell you - worst feeling is when the answer is "debt" or "ego"

the right answer is somewhere around "making world better" and "helping people because WHAT ELSE IS REALLY THERE when you go to bed?" but it had been hard to accept that.

FiveOone · Apr 16, 2013

I have a bunch of different reasons but for the most part, freedom. To be able to do what i want, when i want, and to not have a ceiling over my head when it comes to earning potential.
Another reason is because people keep telling me that i cant do it, they dont out and out say, i cant do it, but they instead preach slowlane tactics, scrimp and save and the rest of the regurgitated crap that was passed down to them.
I dont blame them for thinking this way, i just its kind of sad that they cant see through all of this crap for themselves.
I want to show them that the times and the landscape have changed and it is possible to create your own freedom.

I want to succeed not so i can turn around and say i told you so, but rather as an effort to inspire change in their own lives, for them to see that there truly is another way than grinding away and selling your life for a shitty paycheck.

The function of man is to live, not to exist. -Jack London.

vtlambo · Apr 16, 2013

Rickson9 said:
Gratitude.

This is the reason why I have a lot of respect for Rickson. Very motivated but humble.

Jake · Apr 16, 2013

Excellent responses..

More
Flip flops

Yes on both counts. Avoidance of a "normal" life is what sent me down my current path. I wanted to see the world and get a whole lot more than anyone I knew. I found a way to make some cash and fell in love with Thailand and my current wife so I hung up my workers hat and jumped on the flip flop lifestyle for a couple of years. I returned to "the grind" when I became aware we had a baby on the way so now it's about making what I can to minimize risks associated with starting my own business(es) and, well..parenting in general.

I want to travel..constantly.

I like nice restaurants. I just had an excellent meal with a bunch of forum members in Hong Kong. I'd like to fly out to various parts of the world to do that on a monthly basis.

I saw 5 McLaren MP-4's parked next to each other down in the Causeway bay area. One of the cars had the license plate "U WISH". I would like to pull up beside him in a LaFerrari with a similar license plate.

I like to look at my watch, not because I care what time it is, but to admire it.

and..even though I like materalistic bs, I do like / must provide for others and that in and of itself is the most motivating reason and the reason why I err on the side of caution when it comes to my receiving of a paycheck.

I ate at Bubba Gump Shrimp in HK yesterday (awesome restaurant) and took in the view of HK Harbour..as I was leaving I saw a sign that said "Live life like it's the 2 minute warning" Death motivates me.

Zen Focus · Apr 16, 2013

To not disappear as just another one.

To really, provide happiness.

To live the best way.

To make things a lot better.

To change the world.

FearAverage · Apr 16, 2013

I'm not sure where I got this quote from but it always lifts me up.
I have it set as the background of my phone and laptop and have it written down on the back of a business card that I keep in my wallet

What do I fear?
I fear stagnation and lack of progress.
I fear never reaching my potential and being average.
I fear being forgotten.. The past.. Yesterdays new.
I fear giving up and being passed, by going softly into that good night.
I fear letting those I love down, letting myself down.
I fear settling, giving in to the ''thats just the way it is'' mindset.
I fear dying without leaving my mark.
I fear not feeling these fears anymore and just floating along.
These fears feed me, they nourish my drive.

I LOVE MY FEAR!

D11FYY · Apr 16, 2013

What motivates me is that i feel i have a burning desire to succeed in something.. That something is business I always have had passion towards crazy sometimes stupid business ideas startups (i know alls i need is just the one time for it to be a good success), iv always loved and admired property cars and the finer things in life also and with this burning desire i know i will achieve it
It scares me the thought of living just a normal life and sorry if i seem bold big headed or selfish but im really not

JAWS · Apr 17, 2013

My family sacrificed a lot for me. They moved to a different place in America in order to give me a better education, and due to the recession, they were put under heavy debt. But even in that time of (unhealthy) debt, they worked their butts off! They gave me everything - but still instilled a need to accomplish something GREAT in life (they always said I "was meant to fly"). Cheesy, but when they are thousands of dollars in debt...their continuous positive attitude struck a cord.

So I do it for my family - who sacrificed a lot and has always pushed me to become a better person (personally and spiritually)

For myself...I worked for millionaires/billionaires starting at the age of 14 at a private club. The experience and references I got in being in their presence, seeing deals get done, and the subtle behaviors/emotions REALLY rubbed off on me. To this day, I know that I will be back at that club...only as a member this time.

For the world. Its generic, but I truly believe this is why we are all entrepreneurs. We believe in bringing value to the world, to one person or a million/billion. The world is a pretty messed up place, and if I am able to say that I helped change the world for the better - and have people who TRULY love me - than I will be happy.

Motivation comes from so many sources in my life that it is hard to pin it down to one reason. Most of you guys know, it is simplythat fire you can't get rid of...the fire to be the change you want to see in the world.

DeletedUser2 · Apr 17, 2013

the fact that death is coming. and I dont get a repeat of being here.

so damm, if you only get one life in this game. WTF? why waste it.

if im feeling a little slow, or like I am procrastinating,

I think

Wait, Death is still heading my way. better use up what I got, because I dont get to take any with me

Z

million$$$smile · Apr 17, 2013

To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go

To right the unrightable wrong
To love pure and chaste from afar
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star

This is my quest
To follow that star
No matter how hopeless
No matter how far

To fight for the right
Without question or pause
To be willing to march into Hell
For a heavenly cause

And I know if I'll only be true
To this glorious quest
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm
When I'm laid to my rest

And the world will be better for this
That one man, scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable star

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What motivates you in life?

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