What motivates you?

The desire to do good work. Financial goals. Feedback from peers and managers. Passion for my work. Helping others.

Great question!

I knew I wanted to be a software engineer since I was 6 years old and had no idea what that meant. But that dream kept me going through school and college.

When I graduated, I realized that my biggest motivator has always been learning. I love to learn and find patterns in the world around me, making connections (whether intellectually, interpersonal, etc) and learning to see the world a little differently every day.

I am motivated by the opportunity to learn something new. There should never be a time in your life when you are finished learning. Graduating school is not the end.

Taking care of my family also motivates me. That is a good reason to get out of bed in the morning.

Surprisingly, studies show that earning more money is not the most motivational. People are more motivated by appreciation and the feeling that what they do makes a difference.

Every person has their motivations. Keep searching until you find yours.

My main source of motivation is challenge, whenever I find something I don't know how to do or something it's hard for me to do, solving that "problem" or thinking about solving it is a great source of motivation.

There are many different motivations for working hard and succeeding in a career. First of all, working hard and doing your best is more likely to produce greater rewards from whatever field you are in - you are more likely to make more money, achieve a better quality of life, and earn the appreciation of those you work with, which will give you more opportunities in the future.

Also, things just tend to be more fun if you try hard and apply yourself. If you have a positive attitude and focus on learning as much as you can, even tedious things can become more interesting.

Also, the feeling of contributing meaningfully to something bigger than yourself and helping people, whether that be your coworkers, customers, or the world at large is a good feeling.

Hi Eric, 

You have asked a great question that everyone should ask themselves. Getting to know me makes me take risks because I know that I can do anything possible. I strongly feel that it is so important to be able to explore the things that you want to do. Living life and engaging in fun activities makes me feel motivated because I have a purpose in my life. I enjoy making a difference in people lives, which is a part of my job as a Social Worker. When I have accomplished some of my desired goals, it builds up my esteem to continue to set higher expectations for myself. I really have a very strong desire to do college counseling and help young people reach for their dreams and aspirations. I am definitely planning to pursue my desires because it is very important to me. Never give up on your goals, continue to live out your dreams. Enjoy life. 

This is a great question Eric. It can also be very difficult to answer because a lot of what can motivate you is very personal and comes from a lot of self-reflection.

For me, it was a combination of two things, one that I knew for a long time and another that I had to discover from gaining a lot of experience in my career.

The first thing that motivates me is that I love to learn all kinds of new things and understand how they work. I think you will find that a lot of us that work in technology in particular share this motivation!

Second, and what took me a long time to discover, was that I get really motivated by seeing how someone else uses the products I've worked on and how it affects their everyday life. Knowing that someone experienced a lot of joy from using that product is a great feeling.

To find out what motivates you, I would suggest taking a moment every once in a while to think about why you enjoy the things you do. It's not always obvious what makes you want to work hard on something, but by spending time understanding how you feel when you get really excited about something, you can start to see where your own motivation comes from - be that learning, building something, or otherwise.

Being able to work with people I like and are supportive of each other. Also, working hard and being paid well so I can do the things I want to do when I'm not working.

Hi Darryl,

I often find motivation when I have the opportunity to solve challenging and complex issues. The sense of accomplishment derived from completing work on a challenging project is quite euphoric. Additionally, I find that working for a company or organization with a culture that embraces you for you is a tremendous motivator. At the end of the day you feel appreciated, included and respected which increases my engagement at work.

Positive people. And be positive yourself.

Having a job that helps others and also is rewarding while making a quality living for my family

Relevant and meaningful work.

Learning! Always be curious and commit to a lifetime of learning.

As a software engineer, i LOVE knowing that what I create is running within some of the most important and mission critical apps at the largest companies in the world. Those apps are used by millions of their customers everyday.

Learning new skills and making a positive contribution with my work motivate me.

This is a great question and there is a different answer for each person. What motivates me is trying to find ways I can improve and change those in my world. I try to help and serve others. When I put others first I feel happier and that in return motives me to want to do get out of bed and do it all again. My life motto is leave better off than you find. Sometimes we get so caught up in our own world we forget to help others. Go try to help others and see if it doesn’t fill you with a sense of accomplishment for that day.