What Motivates Us
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Have you ever been standing in a beautiful place, all by yourself, taking it all in? Have you ever found yourself thinking something like, "This is what it's all about?"

It happened to me a few weeks ago as I stood on Popponesset Beach. The calendar had turned, and with the summer tourists gone, there were only a few fortunate souls observing this sparkling day on the shores of Nantucket Sound. As the waves washed gently onto the sand, a guy in the distance sat reading in a faded beach chair, and a chocolate Lab wandered, accompanied by his sweatshirt-clad owners.

As I took a deep gulp of pure ocean air and buried my bare feet deeper into the wet sand, this thought flashed into my brain: "Now this is why I work." To have the opportunity to stand in utter awe. To be able to just be there. When I wanted to be there.

Years ago, had you asked what motivated me, the answer would have been different. Because, you see, it changes.

I will never forget my first "big" job interview, as a finalist to become news anchor under a brand new news director and general manager. The two new guys had a lot riding on this choice. Ratings, reputation...a chance at taking a good TV station and making it great. I suspect that I had stiff competition, but I wasn't thinking about that, or even what would be the "right thing" to say when we sat down to dinner. I was just excited to be there.

I will never forget the moment when Bob "Suitcase" Sutton, a larger-than-life figure in the business, leaned forward with his elbows on the white linen tablecloth and asked, "So what motivates you? What do you really want?" Without hesitation, I declared, "Oh, that's easy! I want to be the best anchorwoman in America!"

It was an utterly spontaneous, completely unscripted response. A youthful declaration that, at the time, felt like it came out of nowhere. Looking back, I now understand why I got the job. He was witness to my unadulterated passion for being the best. It was real and pure. Straight from the heart. All he had to do was ask.

As our lives change, our motivations change. That is as it should be. What's important is to know for sure what really inspires people. If they're willing to go the distance, do what is necessary, and face the challenges, they have to have a burning reason.

I think about "Suitcase Bob" and how he tapped into something deep inside me, simply by asking the right question. You can't assume that you know someone's reasons for giving it their all. You may think it's because he or she just bought a house, or wants to help their kid graduate from college without too much debt. You might be right. And you might be wrong.

When you ask, you are often pleasantly surprised to learn what is really in a person's heart. I have found this to be a core principle in successful coaching. Asking someone about their motivations doesn't just give you insight; sometimes they haven't thought about it in awhile either. Saying it out loud and expressing what's in their hearts can be a powerful thing.

Lucky are those who knows what inspires them. Luckier still are those who have someone who asks, "What inspires you?" Sometimes that single question is all it takes to help a person figure it out, and then go make the most of his or her own God-given talents.