Tapping into what drives you

Recently, I finished reading Peter Sheahan's latest book, ‘Making it Happen: Turning Good Ideas into Great Results'. One of the key concepts that struck me while reading this book is the research done by Dr P.R. Lawrence, who has found empirical evidence to suggest that there are four omnipresent human drives.

These four drives underpin everything we do and are common to all humans. They are the:

• Drive to acquire - to gain goods, services and experiences
• Drive to bond - to connect on a deep and personal level with people, brands or causes
• Drive to comprehend - to understanding the world around us and give it meaning
• Drive to defend - to protect and keep secure those things that we already have in our lives (family, friends, work, things we believe in etc).
  

Throughout our day we are often required to find our own internal drive, as well as to influence and motivate others. If you keep these four key drives in mind and satisfy as many of these as you can simultaneously, you will increase engagement and commitment.

So, when you are next looking for some drive about a certain project or an action at work, you need to ask yourself the following four questions:

1. What do I want to get out of this?
2. Who (or what) could I connect with on this?
3. How can I learn from this and understand things better?
4. What is important for me to protect and look after in this situation?
   

Warm wishes,

Darren and Alison

Overflowing or Fulfilled?

Over the Easter Break we decided to stay at home, relax and play with the kids. Another pastime we decided would be worthwhile was to grab a couple of new release DVDs and chill out on the couch.

Well one of the movies we watched was a completely over-the-top Hollywood blockbuster that, to be honest, was pretty terrible! Amongst the carnage, special effects, and some truly terrible acting however, lay one little gem. In one scene, a sage mentor spoke with a troubled student, who was grappling with a huge decision. Desperate for advice from the wise one, the young man became frustrated when his mentor overfilled his cup of tea.

"The cup is full, no more..." cried the young man.

"Sometimes to be fulfilled, you have to empty your cup to start with." Replied the old man.

It got me to thinking...how fulfilled can we be in our lives when our ‘cup' is full of other stuff? Fulfillment in our lives and work is not simply about being full to the brim; in fact a great many people cannot fit another thing into their chaotic loves, but are far from fulfilled. Does this sound familiar?

To be fulfilled, sometimes we need to reassess, empty out the waste, and start by making sure that every drop that goes in is worthwhile and matches our personal values. Only then can we truly live a fulfilled life.

Pretty deep stuff from a far-fetched, unrealistic movie, eh? Hmmm, looking back on it, maybe it wasn't so bad after all...

Warm wishes,

Darren and Alison