How to Find Out What Really Motivates You

Ask yourself these 3 big questions.

Photo by Jeremy Perkins on Unsplash

Many of us spend our time wandering through life without much direction, not really knowing why we do the things we do — we just do them because everyone else is. After we’re born, we go to school, get a job, get married, buy a house, have kids, get old and die. At least, that’s what the mainstream ‘ideal’ life is like.

The problem with this idea for many people, myself included, is that it’s not specific enough. Without knowing how this cycle (or other life patterns) apply to your life, it can lead to losing your sense of purpose, which is an important aspect of overall health and wellbeing.

So what do we do when we’ve realised the job we’re doing, the subject we’re studying, or our personal lives aren’t fulfilling our self-actualisation needs? Meeting needs beyond those for survival? At this point, in the past, I turned to the advice I saw online, which was to “find your passion!”

However, “finding your passion” was always extremely difficult because I like to do lots of things. Judging from those around me, I’m not alone. It’s quite rare to find someone who is entirely focused on a singular path/vocation in life. If you’re one of those people I envy you, however, if you’re more like me, then what do you do?

You take a step back and find out what motivates you. When you can determine where your motivations come from, it’s much easier to guide yourself towards a sense of purpose.

Why “Finding Your Passion” Doesn’t Always Work

The simplest answer I can give, from someone who has formally studied and practised lots of different vocations (like music, art, marketing, linguistics, data analytics etc.) is that what we’re passionate about can change over time.

Sure, some passions might be stronger than others, but our feelings about them are fluid. For example, until relatively recently, I spent my formal education studying music but switched at Master’s level to marketing because my passion for making music waned. But I still love the way listening to music makes me feel.

You could also talk to anyone who’s made any big career switch, ask them why, and chances are…