Discovering Your True Core Motivations in Life
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Chapter 1: Understanding Core Motivations
Many individuals drift through life, often unaware of what truly holds significance for them.
They can easily be swayed by the desires of others, especially when their role models are influenced by the curated world of social media. However, even if this doesn’t resonate with you currently, we all have the potential to fall prey to poor examples. Thus, recognizing your fundamental motivational drives becomes crucial.
What constitutes a core motivation? It is a persistent behavior that has influenced your life, guiding you to achieve a recognizable pattern of outcomes, as noted by Luke Burgis. Your core motivations are "enduring, irresistible, and insatiable," indicating they are not transitory behaviors but likely have been part of your existence since childhood. These motivational drives explain your inclination toward specific activities and projects.
To delve deeper into these drives, narrating stories from your life in which particular actions were "deeply fulfilling" is vital in uncovering what truly motivates you. Such a fulfillment narrative helps clarify your underlying motivations.
As highlighted in the book "Wanting," Luke Burgis emphasizes that to uncover your core motivations, you must reflect on the question, "Why did that action hold such significance for me?" A fulfillment story encompasses three key components:
It involves a decisive action.
You took a concrete step, becoming the main actor in your experience rather than passively observing. For instance, enjoying a fantastic concert may not represent your action, but it certainly is for the performer.
You perceive your effort positively.
A core motivational drive is less about how you think others view your actions and more about your personal belief in your performance. The significance lies in your perception of accomplishment, regardless of how others might gauge its importance.
It resulted in genuine fulfillment.
The experience brought you a sense of joy that transcended mere momentary happiness. Fulfillment means waking up the following day with a lingering sense of satisfaction, a feeling that can still be recalled fondly.
As Luke reminds us, "The narratives often revolve around actions that are generally regarded as intrinsically good: aiding others, contributing to a team's achievements, championing justice, or coordinating efforts that benefit the community." These are the types of stories to seek out to uncover your authentic motivational essence.
This video, "Know your WHY! Enneagram Core Motivations Explained," delves deeper into understanding your fundamental drives and how they shape your life choices.
Section 1.1: The Importance of Fulfillment Stories
To understand your core motivations, it’s essential to share fulfillment stories from your life. These narratives can reveal what truly resonates with you.
Subsection 1.1.1: Crafting Your Fulfillment Narrative
Section 1.2: Recognizing Your Patterns
Identifying the patterns in your fulfillment stories can aid in understanding your core motivations better.
Chapter 2: Building the Life You Desire
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The second video, "How to Build the Life You Want: Timeless Wisdom for More Happiness & Purpose," offers valuable insights on aligning your life with your core motivations for greater satisfaction and purpose.