By A couple days ago I posted my Coffee Break Question Of The Day on Snapchat regarding investment in doing something. Specifically, I asked: What does it take to be fully invested in something?
The question arose from various weekly interactions and conversations about the lack of investment in doing something by some people. Basically, dealing with situations that needed to be resolved due to the lack of full investment on the end of others. This is an interesting dynamic if you ask me and the answers I got to my Snapchat question varied in what it takes to be fully invested.
Confidence, passion, and motivation were three of the answers I got from my Snapchat peeps.
Obviously, confidence helps in that if you are confident in your abilities you will be fully invested in what you do due to the knowledge and experience you have on the thing in question, be it your job or a hobby. Also, if you’re confident in something, that confidence should arise out of the interest you’ve had throughout the years in the thing you’re doing. So, even before confidence there has to be a level of interest, which brings us to passion.
I think it’s safe to say that passion is one of the biggest driving forces for any human being. When you look up the definition it clearly states that it involves a strong feeling for something or about doing something. When someone is passionate about something it comes through at a first glance; it’s as if that thing embodies them entirely. You see it in the person’s words, body language, facial expression; everything. Passion is also extremely contagious, which is beautiful and powerful. A person who is passionate about what they do spreads that passion and actually motivates others at the same time, which leads us to our third answer: motivation.
You definitely don’t invest in something without the motivation; and while passion stems from within, motivation comes from a slightly different place. When you look at the definition of motivation it includes the following:
- The act or process of giving someone a reason for doing something: the act or process of motivating someone.
- The condition of being eager to act or work: the condition of being motivated.
- A force or influence that causes someone to do something.
Although the second definition mentions the “condition of being,” which can stem from within; the other two statements make it clear that at least in part, motivation is brought about by a reason for doing something or a force or influence that causes. When witnessing motivation in others, I’ve always noticed that it’s an external driving force that derives from the value they hold in that external thing. So, for example, some people are motivated by money, while others by making change happen and still others are motivated by the recognition they will get from doing that thing. What happens with motivation is that it can go missing if the person doesn’t see or receive the external driving forces that make them motivated. This renders motivation less constant than passion, which means that in the absence of motivation someone will not be inclined to invest as much in doing that something.
I would say it’s important for individuals to consider what level of investment they’re putting into something because if they’re only half invested that’s a clear sign that something isn’t right or doesn’t resonate with their purpose, their being; and what they’re occupying their daily life with (whether it’s a job or a hobby).
When I see people who clearly invest half of themselves into doing something I wonder why they’re not considering change or asking themselves questions in regards to what’s going on.
What do you think? What does it take for someone to be fully invested into something they’re doing? And what does not being fully invested tell you about their choice?
Inspiring Human Potential 