Motivation

What motivates you?  When you rise up from your bed each day, what provides the spark to walk the path you have chosen?  The thing about motivation is that it really doesn’t matter what it is as long as it works for you, it can be shallow, deep rooted in your past, or even made up.  Your motivation is just that, "yours", it requires no explanation or justification.  Results are the only scale in which motivation is weighed and beyond that nothing else matters.  Did this thought or inner drive get you to where you wanted to go? If yes, then that motivating factor was positive. 

As I take the time to think about what motivates me I find that it really comes down to two things, vanity and competition.  These two factors are responsible for 99.9% of everything I set out to accomplish or become.  I am a person that places a great deal of significance on what others think of me... I know that is not the cool thing to say but for me it is absolutely true.  I care about the way people see me because perception is reality and the majority rules.  So I tend to go to great lengths to insure that those around me think of me exactly how I want them to.  Now this is different than saying I want everyone to like me, that is not the case at all, instead I want you to think of me the way I choose for you to think of me.  That may sound a little crazy but if you think about it, it makes sense, by shaping their perception I control my appearance.(Vanity-excessive pride in one's appearance)

My other motivating factor is competition, I love it, I crave it, and it is probably my only addiction.  I love to compete for one reason; I want to be able to say I am better than you. lol I know how that sounds and I know that it will rub some people the wrong way but I told you when I started this that I was going to be honest.  To have the ability to tell someone that at this moment, at this thing, I am better than you... what could be better than that?  And then to go out and prove it, over and over again...  If it were not for me being so competitive I don’t think I would do a whole lot but something inside me clicks when I see someone do something, anything.  It’s a voice in my head that says "I can do it better than that, watch; I bet I can do better than that".  It doesn’t matter what it is, I don’t have to be good at it, I just want to do it better than you and I am willing to risk losing to find out.(Competition-a rivalry for supremacy)

So be honest, what motivates you?