Does Motivation Matter

Again, I’m just a character.

The other day, I needed a ride to the store. The reason I needed the ride would involve a lot of words and doesn’t matter for this story. What does matter is that I asked my bestie, Jeanine. She couldn’t do it.

“I’ll just ask Deb,” I said.

“I’m sure she’ll take you, but it’s just so she can feel superior to you,” was Jeanine’s reply.

This confused me. Did I care? As long as I got my ride, why would I care what motivates Deb? It kind of sucks that it’ll make her feel like she’s better than me, but actually, she does that already. What is that to me?

I decided I don’t care what motivates Deb.

But that’s her. Do I care about my motivation? If I gave someone a ride, I’m sure my motivation wouldn’t matter to them, but would it to me? Here’s where it gets tricky.

In the second book about my life, (not out yet) my special guest mentor is Coyote, a native American. One of his specialties is personal power. He tries to teach me how to accumulate said personal power. I’m sure there were many times when he wished he were teaching someone else.

Let’s look at an extreme case of motivation. You boldly walk into a convenience store, stroll the aisles for a moment and slip a Snickers into your pocket. You wave to the clerk as you cruise out the door with your booty. You don’t steal because money’s a problem. The Snickers won’t save your life. You aren’t even really hungry. Your only motivation is the high you get from stealing. Instant energy. But after the high slips away, your disappointment robs you of your personal power. In the long run, your energy diminishes.

Let’s go back to asking Deb for a ride. Let’s say that my only choice is to accept the ride, so I do. But the whole time, I’m angry with Deb because I know my needing a ride gives her the upper hand, and it just torques my jaw. Accepting the ride actually makes me feel worse about myself, so I lose energy.

On the other hand, if I accept the ride and convince myself that by accepting help, I’m making Deb feel better about herself, and that’s good. I feel better about myself. I gain power.

Let’s say I give someone a ride. If I do it to be nice, I gain power. If I do it to feel better about myself, I lose power. So subtle.

One key to gaining personal power is doing what you believe is right, for the reason or motivation that makes you feel better about yourself.

Sounds easy, but it’s very, very hard. At least, it’s very, very hard for me.

BUY THE BOOK! READ THE BOOK! REVIEW THE BOOK!