What is it that motivates you? Some of us may have an answer no more than three seconds after being asked that. But, if you’re anything like me, you might feel like you’re being asked to fill out a job application. “What do you mean? A LOT of things motivate me” you might be thinking. No, but really. There are so many factors that contribute to the motivation of people. In fact, there are various hypotheses to try to help us better understand motivation.

There’s the Instinct Theory, which says that people are motivated in certain ways because human instincts program us to be. While this may be partially true, it doesn’t explain all of our behavioral patterns when it comes to motivation. The Incentive Theory, which I’m sure many of us are familiar with, says that people are motivated by external rewards. Anybody seeing a ‘$’ popping up in their heads?

There’s the Drive Theory, which says that people take action to reduce tension that is felt when a need is unmet. This can range from biological needs to psychological needs. The Arousal Theory says exactly what it implies. People take action to either increase or decrease levels of arousal. There is the Humanistic Theory, which is very closely related to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. This says that people must fulfill basic needs in order to be motivated to fulfill higher needs.

The Expectancy Theory is a bit more complicated, but it says that people form different outcomes for the future in their head and will feel more motivated to pursue positive outcomes. There are three key elements that play a role in this theory, but if you’d like to read more about it or any of the other theories above, you can click here. So, what is it that motivates you? Do you have a little bit better of an idea now?

Okay, okay. I get it. You probably find yourself (as I did myself) relating somewhat to more than one of those theories. I’ll help you out. I’ll go ahead and describe some common motivators for people, and I want you to see if you can find some similarity to one of the theories I described above. Here are four common motivators according to Forbes.

1-Money
2-Mission
3-Relationships
4-Creativity

That’s it. I’m not going to give any crazy explanations. Now I just want you to make the link.

If your motivator is Money and you relate mostly to the Incentive Theory, perhaps look for a job where you receive recognition in the workplace or that has an incentive program.

If your motivator is Mission and you relate mostly to the Drive Theory, perhaps one of your unmet needs is finding a cause to be a part of.

If your motivator is Relationships and you relate mostly to the Arousal Theory, perhaps you need to not only find the balance between time alone and time with others but also to balance exhilarating activities and relaxing activities.

If your motivator is Creativity and you relate mostly to the Expectancy Theory, perhaps you will be more motivated if you pursue a career in which you will have more free time to express yourself.

Now, these are all just examples. The third example is actually my own. That’s all I’m asking of you. Find the link that motivates you and hold onto it! Use it to your advantage(: Ask a friend or family member for help if you need to. Someone who knows you best! And comment below what your motivator is and what theory you relate to most. I love getting to know the community that I am lucky enough to have visit my little corner of the web(:

Please share with others who might be looking to figure out what it is that motivates them! And until next time, remember to have fun and make life as simple as could be!

XoXo-Branndolynne

P.S. In case you couldn’t already tell, I’m now a college graduate and I’m pretty excited about it(: