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Do you want to live your most fulfilling life?
In his 50s, middle manager Saul discovered a new hobby: furniture upholstery. After over a decade of struggling to find fulfillment in management, this new hobby reminded him of what he loved and missed about engineering: manipulating objects with his hands. He found his micro-motive!
What Are Micro-motives?
Micro-motives are personality traits that speak to activities that bring you the most fulfillment. Some examples of micro-motives are:
Making your surroundings beautiful — perhaps by selecting the perfect lighting, colors, or furniture in a space
Making something out of nothing — perhaps by taking random ingredients and creating a delicious, well-plated meal
Taking things apart to understand how they work — perhaps by spending hours tinkering in the garage fixing tech like computers or cell phones
Why Uncover Your Micro-motives?
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Your Judgements May Reveal Your Micro-motives
One way to discover your micro-motives is to be mindful of where you tend to pass judgement, as these instinctual thoughts can be revealing of what matters to you.
Next time you pass judgement, remember that this reveals something about you.
Subtle preferences or dislikes
Deeply rooted feelings and desires
Activities that motivate or make you happy
In other words, your possible micro-motives.
Try The Judgement Game
The next time you find yourself judging someone or something take the opportunity to play the Judgement Game.
Become aware of your judgement.
Identify the feelings you are having. Focus on what you like or dislike about this person or activity. Dig deep. Be attentive and specific.
Ask yourself why you are having those feelings. Be honest with yourself!
You may want to write down your thoughts.
You are now a step closer to uncovering your micro-motives!
Play The Judgement Game
It is Friday night. Nadira is stuck at home with her noisy siblings because she is sick. She ends up watching Princess Li, an influencer on YouTube. Princess Li is in her new car with the windows down and driving to her favorite spots in the city.
Her first thought is, "Ugh, she is so lucky. I wish I had that car."
She digs deeper and realizes, "I wish I could just be out."
She digs even deeper and understands, "I miss going for coffee with my bestie on Mondays at Central Perk. I miss our drive home and listening to our favorite music."
Quiz
Which might be Nadira's micro-motives?
Quality time with a friend and desire for routine and structure leads to greater overall personal fulfillment in her life. Owning a new car and starting a YouTube channel are things she might enjoy, but are not driving forces of her fulfillment that she can apply to other aspects fo her life.
Take Action
It is time to discover your micro-motives!
This Byte has been authored by
Amrita Gill
Curriculum Group Lead/Instructor/Author