What Drives You - Fear or Greed?

Love it or hate it?

There may be incentives between these two emotions that motivate you but in my experience it is mostly about fear or greed. Watch any financial infomercial and you cannot ignore the blatant usage of fear tactics (job loss, outsourcing, injury) or greed (never work again, buy a boat) to get you excited. So the question is what works for you?

Fear driven action is every where. Assumed fear (I will lose my job) and actual fear (I have no job) can both compel us to take action. We tend to get into a fearful state either due to unforeseen circumstances or due to poor choices. We can blame circumstances but many facets of our life are determined by our actions or in some cases inaction. Lethargy, comfort-zone syndrome, fear of change and lack of motivation can all contribute to situations which are beyond our control. And then we are gripped by fear and desperation and have no choice but to act.

Greed can also be translated into a desire for a better life, including financial success, business success or personal success. It is a desire to succeed and it compels us to take proactive action to achieve our goals. Getting an education/license to start a new career, starting a business, learning to invest are all examples of actions taken to change your circumstances. There is a certain sense of excitement and enjoyment in this kind of pursuit. I do it because I want to and love doing it.

Given a choice most people would rather pursue what they want to do and enjoy doing instead of being dictated to. So why do we not pursue what we want to? Unfortunately there is no right answer for this question. It is a personal discovery of what makes you tick.

Sometimes we forget what we truly want to do and just go with the flow – we meander. Sometimes we wake up and pursue our calling in life and take proactive action. So the question is – how do you want to navigate your life?


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