10 Things That Motivate Us (+ why)

As I sit here starting this post, I’m feeling incredibly unmotivated to do so. But that’s not stopping me – it can’t. So welcome to my post covering examples and reasons for the things that motivate us.

Motivation can be fickle.

It’s kind of a flake – canceling plans by surprise, showing up unannounced…you know how it goes. But it’s required to reach our goals.

So I hope this post highlights some key characteristics and examples of motivational sources that you can leverage and reapply to better control things.

In the end, motivation is personal. So a little self reflection may be more important than any blog post.

Still, the ideas here are relatively universal – so I’m pumped to have you here!

Now let’s wrap up the chit chat and dive right in.

What Is Motivation (and What’s Happening In Our Brains)?

Motivation is inherently understood. But if you have to put a formal definition to it, how would you describe it?

Here’s my take:

Motivation is the inner drive for why we do something. It stems from a collection of beliefs, reasons, values and goals and usually forces some type of action.

Now let’s unpack things a bit more. Let’s consider where motivation exists in our minds. You know, what’s really happening when we feel motivated?

Research shows that motivation is the result of dopamine signaling and release. It’s a sort of reward system in our brains and mainly happens in the amygdala.

This dopamine release can stem from our environment, a memory or our physiological state.

This makes sense since we often associate dopamine with a happy chemical release, usually stemming from something enjoyable – like a sugary cake.

What Things Motivate Us and Why? 10 Core Things

Finding what motivates us is a fun process and changes often – I hope this list provides some answers and inspiration for you.

Whether you have just one sole motivation, or a collection of many inspirations, knowing what drives you will give you more control and focus (and will get you closer to your goals).

Alright, let’s get it.

1. Recognition or Approval

Recognition and approval are big motivators for a lot of people.

And it’s not just the social media, fame-focused type of recognition I’m talking about.

Recognition and approval can come from a single person (say a parent), coworkers and bosses, your inner circle or your niche.

For example, I’d be lying if I said recognition amongst other musicians and producers wasn’t at least some part of my motivation to constantly be improving.

No shame. I say own it – but just be sure you prioritize yourself and realize your own self worth as well. You don’t need anyone else’s approval to be awesome.

Why recognition and approval create motivation:

Recognition makes us feel our work is valued and valid
Approval is a form of acceptance by a group (and that feels good, especially evolutionarily)
Social recognition is motivating
Approval is positive attention

2. Money (to a certain extent)

No motivation list would be complete with mention of money.

Of course, this green stuff has an impact on our actions and motivation. But, there is a limit.

I remember one of my business management courses at my university talked about this.

Essentially, once our basic needs (and perhaps a bit more) are met, any further pay increases only create a small amount of additional motivation and productivity.

That’s why it’s important to recognize these other motivational drivers – so we can better control our habits and focus.

Why money influences our motivation:

We need enough money to survive
Money can solve a lot of stressful fiscal-related problems
Health, wealth and relationships are among the top shared goals and priorities

3. Some Higher Purpose

Do you have some purpose or mission? Some sole motivation that drives your actions?

If not, of course that’s fine, it’s sort of a big question. But this is definitely one of the more common sources for motivation.

A driving purpose can help push us through the menial parts of our work, because we recognize and assign them to some higher value or mission.

They’re integral pieces of the puzzle to meet our goals.

So if you’re struggling with getting started, try assigning your work to some larger, macro goal or purpose. It definitely helps to reframe things.

Why a higher purpose can drive motivation:

Purpose creates meaning in life
People with purpose have lower risk of heart disease, feel less lonely and are happier overall
Purpose creates a more enjoyable work experience and makes doing the hard things easier

4. Skill (or Self) Mastery

Learning a new skill is definitely motivating and exciting – especially early on. Similarly, focusing on self improvement and self mastery is incredibly rewarding.

For example, my sole motivation right now is music production mastery and reaching a state of flow when creating music digitally. I want to reach the potential I know I’m capable of.

I’m also practicing on staying in the moment and reducing stress around things that don’t really matter in the macro.

Easier said than done, I know.

But self mastery is one of those personal pillars I have. I throw it in the same basket as my wealth and health priorities.

Why self or skill mastery influences motivation:

Personal development and skill building can pay off in dividends
Self mastery places importance on happiness, clarity and assuredness
Learning and applying new skills is exciting and creates a strong sense of accomplishment
Skill mastery can boost social and financial value and status

5. Competition or Conflict

Competition can force a lot of extra motivation and talent out of us.

Maybe it’s the additional pressure, the extra eyes or simply the drive to prove you’re on top of your game.

Whatever the case, a little competition or conflict creates a serious boost to motivation. Maybe not for everyone, but it’s definitely a popular source for many people.

Why competition affects our motivation:

Adversity and the underdog persona can prompt inner motivation to prove someone wrong
Challenges motivate us
Competition can push us farther
Conflict and competition gamifies our skill or expertise

6. Personal Goals

Personal goals are somewhat related to the higher purpose example above – but subtly different.

While purpose and mission are overarching themes that act as guardrails, goals tend to evolve and are things to be checked off or completed.

For example, I have a goal of writing one new blog post every day, at least one new song drop every month and daily social media content.

These personal goals definitely spark motivation in my day when I’m feeling tired or disengaged.

Why our personal goals matter for motivation:

Personal goals create a why to your work
Goals add a purpose to seemingly unrelated things, which is motivating
Goals usually improve your situation and context in some way

7. Injustice or the Pursuit of Justice

There are some interesting social experiments on this – but we tend to act when we see injustice.

Despite all our differences in opinions and the contentiousness of…well, so much…when push comes to shove, we look out for each other (well, most of us).

So it makes sense that injustices foster motivation and action.

From nonprofit and donations to simple acts of kindness, we don’t always need a paycheck to do good sh*t.

Why injustice influences our motivation:

Humans are generally empathetic and recognize pain and injustice
Activism fosters a hero persona
When everyone is equal, we all do better
Humans have a long history and evolutionary advantage for altruism

8. Our Environment

We can view our environment as our upbringing or our current situation. Both can have an impact on our motivation levels and what we’re motivated by.

For our purposes, let’s dial in on our current environment, since we have great control over that.

This can be everything from your room and home, how and where you spend your time and who you spend your time with.

Why our environment matters for motivation:

We become the average of the things and people in our lives
Our environment influences our behavior and personality
Over the long term, our environment may influence our personal characteristics more than habits and efforts

9. Memory and Visualization

My ability to visualize future success is uncanny. I’m quite the daydreamer – and I’m pretty sure I’m not alone on this front.

But the capacity for our memories and mental stories to translate to real action is a universal thing.

It’s a huge driver for taking action and striving for big things.

We all have dreams and ideas. Often these are strong sources of motivation.

Why our memories matter for motivation:

Nostalgia can create inspiration to recapture some feeling or experience
Memories and visualizations create powerful emotions, prompting motivation for something
Memories influence our perceptions and experiences in life – including motivations