Motivated for Another

I cannot recall the exact story, but it goes something like this:

A group of refugees fleeing the Nazis in World War II were crossing dangerous, hilly territories with the help of an experienced guide. Among the refugees was a single elderly man who would regularly complain and need frequent pauses in order to collect himself. Finally, in the middle of a difficult section of hiking, he collapsed and declared "I can't go any further, go on without me." In response, the guide obtained one of the infants from a mother in the caravan, gave it to the man, and said "Now take care of it."

Despite having been burdened with the weight of another human being, and having to see to the needs of two people, rather than just himself, both man and infant reached the journey's end alive and well.

I took a class on motivation. The lectures were philosophical morality tests, and the book had the flavor of a biology text; it talked about fundamental motivations such as hunger, thirst, reproduction, as well as biological dampeners of motivation. It did not really cover what I would call human motivation; it did not cover what drives us, rather what compels us.

I take a look at my successes and failures. I look at the times I did my best, compared to the times where I merely did enough to get by. Consistently, I found that the central difference was the presence of another person.

Having

Having someone depend on you, need you, rely on you, put their faith on you, or merely find happiness through your efforts is a powerful motivator. For children, having parents or teachers who rejoice in their development and hard work can do wonders to garner a strong interest in their educational career.

For adults in relationships, it is not uncommon to hear 'you bring out the best in me.' In actuality, though, nobody can bring out the best in anyone; rather, they bring their best self out for the other person. They do it because the best person they are, is also the best person for those they care for.

Lacking

It is difficult to give your best, when it seems to accomplish the same as 'enough.' When nobody needs you, wants you, or relies on you, it is easy to conclude that the most logical route is just to get by. The path of least resistance is preferable when you have to walk by yourself.

Lacking is a powerful motivational dampener. It can undermine aspirations, diminish performance, and even weaken base pleasures. It can be unpleasant to go to a restaurant for a nice meal, when you have nobody to enjoy it with, or pay for, or benefit with your company.