Who’s the Best Motivator in the World?

This is Part 4 of a series of posts examining the first principles of motivation and how they apply to our mission at VitalSpark.  

I’m not sure anyone has ever tried to answer this question, and it is a book-length discussion if we are to treat it seriously.  However, for our purposes, I think the best answer might be Jesus Christ or Muhamed, who both inspired billions to live their lives according to a particular worldview, posthumously no less.  In more recent times, John Wooden or Vince Lombardi are the types who usually jump to the top of the list, and they are definitely people of interest as we try to deconstruct the ingredients of motivation.  That said, it may be useful to look at this question through a population-level lens.  I grew up in Canada, and the people who lived through World War Two passed down a belief that Winston Churchill was one of the greatest leaders of our time, but if we’re thinking in purely motivational terms, how about the person on the other side of that story, Adolf Hitler?  

Evidently this question can get pretty controversial, but without being too reductive what can we learn from people who have convinced millions to do something out of the ordinary, well beyond the scope of their daily choices and interactions?  Is there a common mechanism that we can identify in their motivational framework that moves entire populations, whether it be for good or evil purposes?  

First and foremost, this question exposes the moral hazard that comes hand-in-hand with any effort to motivate, and I think there’s an important lesson embedded in the fact that there IS moral hazard. Powerful motivation itself is intrinsically attached to a moral viewpoint.  All of these figures articulated something singularly influential in their determination of right or wrong.  It’s as if they had all read Simon Sinek, long before he published The Power of Why.  Each of these leaders had a deeply held view of the world that was transmissible through simple words and rituals that has endured well beyond the reach of the individual who originated it. With unusual clarity of conviction, we can unlock the kind of durable motivation that moves billions.  

Another key characteristic that these four leaders shared: adversity. Whether it was political or spiritual, all had clearly defined enemies who pushed them to extremes to define their beliefs.  Jesus and Muhamed’s travails in their lifetimes are well documented, while WW2 provided an oppositional force with the weight of the world behind it.  Without the crucible of opposition, the motivation that these leaders engendered in entire populations wouldn’t have been forced to grow and improve in multiple dimensions.  Angela Duckworth might identify this as where ‘grit’ comes from, but by whatever name, adversity has been present at the creation point of extraordinary motivation across the centuries.  

So, what does this mean for us? How can we use these ingredients in our quest to unlock our own intrinsic motivation that will last longer than the latest fad?  Two actionable insights top the list from my perspective.  The first one is simple:  spend some real time getting very clear about what you think is right and what you feel is wrong relative to the daily habits that govern your life.  Do you believe exercising every day is a requirement to live a just life, or not?  How do your moral values relate to your health?  The choices we make on a daily basis aren’t part of a menu of activities abstracted from our values; they are an active reflection of our core beliefs.  The more explicit we can be about that relationship between health and our moral life, the stronger our motivation will be.  

The second ingredient is counterintuitive to some degree, but maybe equally important.  Choosing our enemies well and cultivating them can provide a real gift, a boost in our motivation.  Adversity can take many different forms, and we have an opportunity to define it to best suit our health and fitness goals.  It can be the joy of competition on a team, or it can be the inner voice that encourages us to put the weight down before the last rep, or it can be the inexorable march of time against us.  

I’ve seen this mechanism play out firsthand as a National Team Coach.  There’s nothing that feels better than representing an entire country in a sporting contest; it is an opportunity to demonstrate that the values that we embrace produce extraordinary quality, and the adversity is crystal clear.  Lining up at the line with five other countries who are all equally desperate to win the gold pulls your entire character into the conflict.  

The mechanics of how these elements of motivation can be applied are almost infinite, and we’re really excited at VitalSpark to put new tools into the hands of our customers that help each of us identify and live our values in a way that leads to a more satisfying, happier life.  Understanding the ingredients is just the beginning of the journey, and in subsequent posts will continue to explore how to transform understanding into action.