What Drives You

"The man without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder-a waif, a nothing, a no man."Thomas Carlyle

No matter who you are, you are driven by something, the word driven is a verb and a verb is doing word. To be driven means to propelled by. to be motivated by, an instinctual need. What is the real driving force in your life? As we venture into uncharted waters of this new year we should all ensure that we being driven by positive things. We do not wish for any person to be driven by negative things. Here are some of the things that have been driving our lives in the past that we must put an end to immediately.

Many persons are driven by guilt. These individuals live in the past, yet are constantly running away from the fruit of their guilt, shame and disappointment. They wished they had the courage to go after the new client that their colleague got; they wished they had the ruthlessness that the new VP had, then the position would be theirs.

 These individuals do not need any enemies, they constantly punish themselves and allow negative thoughts and perceptions to overtake their mind. They cannot take advantage of the new opportunities in front of them because they are engulfed with memories of yesterday. As a psychologist we often tell persons that they are a product of their past, but we often forget to remind them that we don't have to become prisoners of our past.

Many persons are driven by bitterness, resentment, anger and rage. These individuals are sick and tired of being overlooked, they are tired of getting the crumbs while others get the whole cake. They are tired of filling in for others with no reward at the end of the day, they are tired of being overlooked for promotions. These persons replay painful thoughts over and over in their minds all day long. They become sour to the internal customer, so God help the external customer.

Many persons are driven by greed. These individuals have an appetite that cannot be quenched. The more they get the more they want. They quickly befriend new employees that appear to be ponds that they can use for personal goals. These persons surround themselves with loyal incompetent individuals, thus creating a company within the company. What these persons don't understand is that  possessions are things, and things cannot build relationships, people do, however people who measure themselves by things are blinded to how destructive GREED can become.

Remember the housing crisis that toppled the global economy, it was fueled by greed. What we need to remember is that success is not individual, no one person is an island. If organizations are going to improve for the long haul we must create a positive team oriented environment that has as part of its culture, "All team members have the same value." Personal goals must not come before team goals. Also critical to this process is that all team players must take responsibility for addressing personal issues that have the potential to derail them and their teammates.