So what's your motivation?

Meranda Writes' blog caught my eye today. Hassled by her editor to submit some of her stories for national awards, she confesses that awards or "external praise," as she calls it, serve as no motivation for her when it comes to doing her job.

Motivation is actually something that I've given quite a bit of thought to lately, yet it's a topic that doesn't seem to come up much. Motivation just exists. It just "is," like breathing or walking. Everyone is motivated by something, but we don't often take time to think about what it is that continues to push us and drive us to achieve our highest potential.

In an attempt to coax more daily progress out of my newspaper-focused coworkers (aside: remember that I'm the only magazine rep, so I'm on a completely different schedule from them), my ad director initiated the Awesomeness Board. Posted right outside her door, the Awesomeness Board consists of a piece of posterboard with our names written down the left-hand side and plenty of empty space next to them. The idea: every time one of us does something awesome, we get a sticker. The sticker then goes next to our name on the Awesomeness Board for all the world to see.

Apparently, the Awesomeness Board works wonders for my coworkers. They all have so many stickers that we'll need to add another board soon. I think have four stickers total. I was honest with my boss.

"That doesn't motivate me."

"Well, it doesn't motivate me either," she said. "Money motivates me."

Ah, money. I can think of at least two more of my coworkers who are driven by cash. Offer a $150 spiff and they'll work and work and work until they meet their goals. However, at the moment, money doesn't motivate me either. Not that I don't need it. I just don't place as high a value on it as my married coworkers with two or three kids to support.

So what does motivate me?

Expectations. Goals. I want to be the best of the best. I want to surpass everyone's expectations and then some. I want to do better than my predecessor. I want people to be amazed at what I can do at my age. I want challenges, and I want obstacles. And I want to blow it out of the water.

I think my boss has figured it out already. Two weeks ago I met my goal on one of my magazines. While I was happily rejoicing, she looked at me and said, "I want you to get $1,000 more." At first, I looked at her in astonishment. There was no spiff involved, no bonus, no extra anything. There was just the challenge. A week later, it was done. $1,700 over my goal.

So yeah, money's nice. Being awesome is nice. Winning awards is nice. But ultimately, meeting challenges and being above average is what drives me to succeed.

What motivates you?