Motivation Level 5

I have never met a lazy person in my entire life. I have been looking for a lazy person, but have not been successful in my endeavor. People question my laziness because I am looking for a lazy person.  They ask me “Why don’t you go get a job?” I tell them “I already have a job. My job is looking for a lazy person.” They ask me, “Does anyone pay you to do this?” I then respond, “Is that what a job is, doing something that someone else gives you money for?” 

What seems to be the main motivation that all human beings have? Is it to acquire more potatoes? Or to store more tomatoes? If a real job is when you are doing something that someone else gives you money for, and money has no value in itself, then what is their real motivation in acquiring money? I can understand acquiring potatoes and acquiring tomatoes. These will help you when you are hungry to give you the energy to live. What motivation do we have in acquiring money? Why do some people spend enormously large amounts of money for something that is insignificant as a fancy watch, or an uncomfortable car that can go faster than the speed limit? 

What is motivating their actions? The only thing that money seems to give you is status. As in the song “If I Were a Rich Man!” Then everything in his life would be good because everyone would listen to him, his wife would be happy, and the whole village would come to his door to ask him for advice, and it would make no difference if his advice was right or wrong because he was a wealthy man.  You may have noticed if a young man is looking for a wife and buys a brand new expensive car, they will be lined up waiting for his call. 

When a person buys a new car or house all of their friends will give them more credibility and more value because of their possessions. This is because in the animal world dealing with evolution a male that has large feathers and spends its time dancing, must be very powerful, as the large feathers and the dancing will make them less obvious to predators, and harder for them to run away. Therefore they must be very powerful and strong to survive despite their showing of play of pointless activities. This is why you can go into a ghetto, and everyone has a tricked ride that they have spent lots of money on, with a motor that makes lots of noise, and shock absorbers that can make the car bounce up and down for no purpose. With this signal to the females, the person has lots of money and resources, so they can afford to squander this on frivolous displays. 

The same thing happens with the females. They will buy expensive clothing and jewelry to establish a superior position in the group. If you have so many resources that you can spend on a shiny rock, then you must be very powerful, or have a powerful caretaker. 

What is our motivation for doing things in life? What kind of people do you wish to attract? Are you trying to impress people with your material possessions, big boxes, shiny rocks, or rapid wheels? Or are you trying to impress people with your intellect or intelligence? Or are you trying to impress people with your compassion and empathy for others? If you take some time to observe your life and see where you seem to be directing your resources this will help you know what is the most important thing in your life. 

As human beings, our main motivation is food, safety and shelter. Once these are taken care of, then what is our next motivation? It is usually getting the approval and the cooperation of other human beings. Even the very first group on Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs is food shelter and safety, all of these hinge on getting approval from others. 

This is why our tribe is so very important to us they will help us carry out and accomplish our tasks. If we examine our tribe carefully, this will help us understand our motivation, why we do things, and what is important to us. In every tribe, there is always a hierarchy, power, and position that make others seem less powerful. When we are asking people to do things for us and we do not give them respect or proper motivation, they will likely refuse to continue to do the task for us.  This is not because they are lazy, it is because we have not been given proper motivation. If you are offering them money, it may not be enough money. The reason that it is not enough money is because only a low-class person can do a job for such a small amount.  

A minimum wage worker may only make eight dollars an hour. Try to offer this to a plumbing contractor. Let’s see if you can hire a lawyer for ten dollars an hour.  They will usually laugh at you. This is not because they are lazy, it is because you have not given enough honor to their position or status to the community. These people may have large sums of money in the bank and real estate, yet they still refuse to do the job for such a small amount.  When your child or spouse refuses to do jobs for you, it is not because they are lazy, it is not because you have not offered them money. It is because you have not offered them love, kindness, and respect for their efforts. 

If we want to motivate other people, then we want to understand our relationships with other people, and the type of people that they are. If you want to motivate yourself to do something like lose weight, join a gym, or Weight Watchers group that is taking care of their diet. By surrounding ourselves with people with similar goals we will find it much easier to motivate ourselves. These people will keep track of our progress, remind us if we slip up, and help us stay the course. The more that you care about these people, the larger your influence will be on you.  

Remember that you are never lazy. You just may not have the proper motivation. Everyone, including scientists, writers, and artists, performs all of their work to be admired to be respected by other people. Wanting everyone to like and admire you for your work is not healthy either. A great artist will continue on with their work, and wait for great admirers to show up. You do not need everyone in the world to like, or appreciate your efforts. If you can find two or three close friends that you can connect with, and maybe several hundred that recognize your work, you will be doing quite well. By having the small group support you, you will be able to continue on and be motivated to play your part. 

You may or you may not be recognized by the rest of the world, so carry on dude.