Are you driven by profit? Do you want to create for the fun of it? Or do you want to make the world a better place?

My favourite TEDx talk is by Dan Pink about the puzzle of motivation. You can watch a great RSA Animate video which really brings this talk alive. I've included a link at the end of this post.

Dan's talk smashes the idea that higher rewards bring better results in the workplace. He claims that money is a motivator only up to a certain point and that three factors lead to better performance and personal satisfaction: autonomy (we want to run our own lives), mastery (we want to get better at stuff) and purpose (we want our efforts to be for a reason).

We all live in the real world and usually find it hard to scrape together spare time to work on a pet project. What do you do in your discretionary time? For most of us it's hundreds of small but unavoidable tasks between sun-up and sun-down. Technology has certainly freed up a lot of our time by washing our dishes and clothes, giving us more reliable transport and tools that get the job done faster. Yet somehow we don't seem to have more free time.

What are your pet projects or goals on your bucket list? How do you avoid putting off these tasks? Ultimately we want to work in a job that we love, that pays the bills and to have a bit of fun along the way. Are you driven by profit? Do you want to create for the fun of it? Or do you want to make the world a better place?

Write down a list with everything that you want to do or learn. If it requires using technology then do a course, Google it or ask friends. It has never been easier to learn and be creative with technology.

[quote]"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined." - Henry David Thoreau[/quote]

(And don't forget to watch Dan Pink's video on motivation)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc