1. Why do humans act how we act
2. Competition in life
3. What’s Intelligence
4. The test we take at the end of life
5. Science of motivation

Why do humans act how we act?

“Metrics drive Behavior”

I’ve been perplexed by human behavior, I desperately want to understand why the hell we do what we do… this one broke through for me. Why do we do the things we do? We’re driven by the carrot of the stick. Those come from relationships, society, family… and recently I’ve been thinking they also come from the Capitalism that we’re built on. There are tremendous benefits to it, it also helps explain why many of our conversations and actions are centered around money.

Stiff Competition

The reality is life is a single–player game. You’re born alone. You’re going to die alone. All of your interpretations are alone.

• Naval
  

This one’s a weird one. It’s you vs you, our own race to run. Nobody really cares how we live or what we do – They’re too busy worried about their own lives.

The True Test

“The true test of intelligence is if you get what you want”

• Naval

Mk, yup. This one’s a good one. Really makes me think about what matters. So easy to get caught in stuff that other people think is important… what about me?

Life’s Incentives – a thought from me

“At the end of our lives on our deathbeds, nobody grades us on the number of hours we worked or dollars we made. We’re graded on the quality of our relationships, our fulfillment, and how much of it we enjoyed…and the evaluator is us”

A Surprising Article on Motivation

One More Time: How Do You Motivate Employees by Harvard Business Review 1968

Summary: “When Frederick Herzberg researched the sources of employee motivation during the 1950s and 1960s, he discovered a dichotomy that stills intrigues (and baffles) managers: The things that make people satisfied and motivated on the job are different in kind from the things that make them dissatisfied.

Ask workers what makes them unhappy at work, and you’ll hear about an annoying boss, a low salary, an uncomfortable work space, or stupid rules. Managed badly, environmental factors make people miserable, and they can certainly be demotivating. But even if managed brilliantly, they don’t motivate anybody to work much harder or smarter. People are motivated, instead, by interesting work, challenge, and increasing responsibility. These intrinsic factors answer people’s deep-seated need for growth and achievement.”