motivation

Motivation: Daniel Pink

My co-workers and I discuss motivation of our students on a daily basis. So-and-So is simply unmotivated…if only he would find his motivation, he’s smart enough to pass, etc. We

teachers agree that we cannot give our students motivation. We can only inspire. But that’s often not enough.

 

Everyone has experienced the lack of motivation to create or pursue a dream. What is it that creates the “click”? The decision to act and work toward a goal?

Daniel Pink of Drive asserts that our businesses are operating under an outdated and unproductive system of carrots and sticks. Bonuses simply do not work long-term. What works, then? His research shows that there are 3 essential elements for enhancing motivation:

  1. Autonomy – “the desire to direct our own lives”
  2. Mastery – “the urge to make progress and get better at something that matters” and
  3. Purpose – “the yearning to do what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves.”

Essentially, extrinsic motivators do not work. Treats or rewards for good grades, reading books, practicing piano…they can actually undermine intrinsic desires.

Tomorrow, I will cover the first of nine strategies Daniel Pink identifies to awaken your motivation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When the High Bar Becomes the Low Bar

Scarcity creates hunger. It’s good to be hungry. You’ll work hard if you need to eat.

Extreme pain can prove to be an effective deterrent, ask anyone who has survived a war or depression. They’ll do anything – anything – to avoid experiencing that again.

Tough competition pushes you to your limits.

But the very best competitor and source of inspiration is yourself.

Stand up comedians always save their best line for last. Louis C.K. played the same act for years, with mild success.  But he changed when he heard  George Carlin suggest that after performing a successful set, comedians should scrap it all and start over. Louis C.K. then started his act with what was his last (and best line), effectively pushing himself to reach even higher bars. He’s now worth $8 to 10 million and is lauded by many to be one of the best comedians of all time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Um, Are You SURE?

Today was the first day of school!

For their time capsule, I had students answer some questions about personal preference and their current lives. They always get a kick out of their answers when they get their papers back  in May.

One of the most telling signs regarding success in class is their answer to this prompt:

My personal goals for this year are:

By “personal,” I mean goals that are not school-related. “Maybe you want to run a 9 minute mile, or wake up at 6am each day….or stop eating so much junk food,” I offer.

Here are some examples of what I received. Which student(s) do you think will do well this year?

for the blog tonight

Purpose Vs. Passion

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I just listened to a great podcast with Brian Johnson and Ryan Holiday (The Ego is the Enemy). One great take away (out of many) was the idea that using purpose as fuel for motivation is much more powerful and longer lasting than “passion.”

Often, you’ll hear that you need to find your passion. And that the passion will ensure that you reach your goals. But I’m sure you’ve had days where you didn’t feel that passion and then….you find yourself watching TV or Internet surfing or going out for drinks with friends instead of working on your “passion.”

If you focus on your purpose instead, your motivation goes deeper.

Let’s try an example. Let’s say you feel your passion is music. You practice your instrument and tell yourself that, at last, you’ve found your passion. At last! Now your life has meaning. You practice every single day, happy to be known as The Musician. You audition for a group and you don’t make it. What? But it’s your passion. How could this happen? You practice some more. Audition again. With each rejection, your resolve fades. Maybe this isn’t what you’re supposed to do…maybe you aren’t passionate enough.

But what if you tell yourself that your purpose is to play your best music and bring happiness to others through music? Yes, this is my purpose, you say. So you practice. You audition for parts and you do your very best. You don’t make it. That’s okay, you say. I’m going to keep playing and I’m going to play at the Alzheimer’s home each Saturday, because they always enjoy it. With each audition, you get better. At last, you make it. But you have felt joy all along, because you knew what your purpose was and it was detached from ego.

Purpose is more pure and more enduring than passion as a motivator (but there’s nothing wrong with having both)!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I’ll Cure You of Disease”

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The girls (13 and 14) have had their eyes glued to their iPhones. Literally, they can be on Instagram and chat for hours at a time. I get it: It’s 110 degrees outside and you can only swim in our pool for so long. And they are practicing their violins for 60 to 90 minutes each day. If I ask, they fold laundry, take out the garbage and vacuum. That still leaves many hours in the day. They can sit for that long, watching videos, reading other people’s feeds and chatting with friends. Josie is just getting into Pokemon and asks for us to drive her around. I refuse. We tried it last night and I guess the server crashed (?) So No Pokemon Go. I consider this THE disease of their generation: apathy brought on by technology.

Fed up, I took their phones last night. They squawked. And then they went to bed. With the phones in my room, they knew better than to reach for them in the morning. Ava swam 30 laps straight away. Then they made themselves some breakfast. And then I asked them to peel, core and cut up 7 large apples for our apple crisp. They did a beautiful job.  I had Josie organize photos and papers for me while Ava completed making the crisp. “What else, mom?” Fold some laundry.

The girls are into 21 Pilots. We marvel at how distinctly different each of their songs are. We could hear a bit of Bob Marley, Red Hot Chili Peppers, maybe even some Bob Dylan.

“I love how they create so many different sounding songs.” Ava said.

“Yeah, I imagine they listen to a wide range of artists and then are influenced by them. They study what they like. You know, Ava, you play a lot of classical music, but that doesn’t mean you have to only play classical. You can let 21 Pilots influence you too.”

Ava agreed.

“I’m going to compose this song House of Gold and make the harmony for Josie, too.”

While Josie did my makeup (she insisted, I capitulated), Ava listened to the recording and replayed it on her violin. Then she got the computer and re-created the notes on a music software program, MuseScore.

Josie swam 30 laps.

They practiced violin.

We went to Target and came home. They got to be on phones for a bit.

Ava resumed working on the song.

It was a fantastic day. Tyler Joseph cured the disease!

Your Fossilized Remains

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Ancient Insects Preserved in Amber *

 

Fossilized remains show us what living creatures were doing at time of death. We can learn from fossils: climate,  diet, relationships, social structures (even of insects).

Chances are, you won’t be an actual fossil. Unless you’re caught up in something really dramatic, sudden and devastating, like the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in Pompeii (79 A.D.) However, you will leave a legacy. What will it be? Works of art? Enlightening music, film or novels?  Or a career of corruption? Maybe you will leave lives richer for your kindness?

My great, great, grandparents lived in Korea. Everything they did affected their children, which affected their children and so on until you have me. Here. In America. My father made the decision to not be like his father, who basically failed at fatherhood: gambled, left the family in debt, etc. My father chose to do the opposite. Because of his decisions and hard work, my siblings, mother, father and I are able to live in the Land of Opportunity.

Whatever you do, whatever you leave, it’s not permanent, but it does count.

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Pompeii victim plaster cast

 

Citations:

*http://blog.everythingdinosaur.co.uk/blog/_archives/2013/09/page/2

**http://tinyurl.com/hrmzu4d

 

 

 

 

Wake Up Calls

It starts as a whisper: a pain in the body, the nagging voice inside your head, a small “accident.”

And then it gets louder: the pain can’t be ignored, your boss talks to you, the accident incurs debt.

Looking back, you see the warning signs. But hindsight is always 20/20.

You can heed the call and attend to the real problem, or you can deal with the inevitable catastrophe.

 

Talent

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Miro’s Catalan Landscape

We like seeing art we have never seen before or art that takes something familiar and gives us surprise. This is Bloom’s Taxonomy on steroids. You create something off the charts. It’s YOU personified and it requires not caring so much what others think.

Examples of artists who take or have taken that risk:  Joan Miro, Andy Kaufman, Tig Notaro, Prince, and Rory Scovel.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/12/arts/a-comic-on-the-verge-his-absurdism-on-the-fly.html?emc=edit_th_20160512&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=68893378&_r=1.

Whatever your occupation, work to differentiate. Create.