Ep 42 - What Motivates You?

Have you ever wondered about the small things that truly motivate you in life and how understanding your unique drivers can help you make the most of each day?

Today I recount my harrowing experience of being awoken by a powerful earthquake during a recent trip to Morocco. In those frightening moments where I felt my life was at risk, I had profound reflections on the fragility of life and my unfinished goals. This illustrated to me how identifying our motivations can encourage us to live with greater intention and purpose.

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Podcast Transcript

PLEASE NOTE these transcripts are auto-generated and may not be wholly accurate.

Dr Alka Patel (00:00.77)

Hi, hey, and hello health activators. I'm recording today's session in the aftermath of the Moroccan earthquake and want to start by sending love and warmth to those in Morocco, hoping that their families are reunited and they're able to get to their homes in safety. And also of course, thinking of those who have lost loved ones. So thinking back to the 8th of September, I'm lying asleep.

in bed. It's a beautiful bed set in a stone casing in a gorgeous rustic villa in Morocco, in Marrakesh. 11.11 p.m. and the rumbling begins. This rumble is so loud that the top half of my body goes from horizontal to vertical in microseconds. I am bolt upright. Initially I think thunder.

and I wait for the lightning bolt to strike, but no lightning. Instead, there's movement. The bed is moving, the walls are shaking, the floor is undulating. My brain says earthquake. Power goes out, pitch black darkness. This is it. This is how I die.

And then three things happen. Firstly, I think, but I'm not done. I haven't done what I want to do in this life yet. I'm not ready. Then I fumble for my phone. I need to tell my family that I love them. And I send a text that says, I'm in an earthquake. I love you. And then I close my eyes. I think for the last time.

and I wait.

Dr Alka Patel (01:55.278)

If you ever thought about the fragility of life, I mean, really thought about it. Life is fragile, it's so fragile. And we need to love it and lead it with tenderness, take care of it. Living a long life matters, longevity matters, because when I went through what I went through, when I thought my life was about to be shortened, what did I say? I said...

I'm not done yet. And since the 8th of September, my first words on waking have been and will now continue to be Thank you for another day.

The question is, what does having another day mean? What are you doing today? What are you doing today that feels meaningful? What's driving you, propelling you, motivating you to do what you're doing today? You see, all humans have motivational drivers that propel us, drivers that lie at the core of why we do.

what we do. They give us our driving force that pushes us and propels us into action. So let's talk about human drivers. We all have seven human drivers and in any situation you have a primary driver. And a primary driver, well it can change depending on the context or the situation that you're in. Now understanding your drivers and which ones you want to engage in any moment is what helps you to make

decisions. What is important to know is that your decisions are based on which driver you prioritize, which driver you put first. So what are these drivers? Well let me tell you, let me tell you and you know me by now, I'm an acronym lover, your seven key drivers spell out the word drivers. So let's start with D for donation. Donation is about giving.

Dr Alka Patel (04:05.65)

and sharing and contributing. It's about a drive to serve others without any expected personal gain. It's a way to leave a mark in the world, make a difference, leave a legacy. R is the drive for recognition. Recognition is about feeling significant and important and special, unique, one of a kind. And why do you wanna feel significant? Well, because it helps you to feel needed.

and wanted and worthy. It builds your self-esteem and your self-confidence and it propels you also to raise your standards. Next we have I for independence. Now this is the drive for autonomy. It's that ability to be self-directed, to be able to make your own decisions and to implement your own choices. V.

V is the drive for variety. Oh yes, variety is the spice of life. This is the drive for surprise and suspense, things that we can't predict, that drive we have for change and being able to change focus. E is the drive for evolution, the drive to grow emotionally, intellectually, physically, to grow your capability and your capacity. It's a common primary driver because genetically...

We're primed for evolution, we're primed for growth. R is the driver for relationships. That's the drive to feel connected and have a sense of belonging, the drive to be loved and to bond. And the seventh human driver is the drive for stability, the drive for certainty, the need to avoid pain and gain pleasure, to feel safe and comfortable, to feel grounded and protected, stability so that you can predict.

what will happen. So today, raise your self-awareness of your own personal motivational driver, because what this will do will put this at the forefront of your decision making. Now, why is this important to do? Well, because once you become aware of your driver in relation to any action that you take, if you feel that you're not achieving what you want to achieve, then you can do well, you can do one of two things.

Dr Alka Patel (06:26.07)

You can either change your actions to meet your primary driver, or you can change your primary driver to meet your actions. What do I mean? Well, how does this work? Well, think of it this way. Let me give you an example. Suppose you like trying out new things. You notice that you've got a lot of varied interests. You know you like meeting new people. You enjoy having different types of experiences. In this case, a primary driver for you is the drive for...

variety. Now suppose you're someone who wants to lose weight and so what do you do? You join a gym and every other morning before you go to work you go to the gym, you get onto the machines, lift the weights, follow a full body workout routine and after a few weeks what happens? You stop going. So the question here is why did you stop going? What does this tell you in the context of your drivers, your primary driver?

Well, it tells you that your drive for variety isn't being met. It isn't being met by doing the same thing at the same time at the gym, which is why you've given up. So what can you do differently? Well,

Because you know that variety is a driver for you, then you can either change up your exercise routine or join different classes on different days, or try a class you've never tried before, or do exercises at home and in different environments. You can change your actions to create more variety. Or what you can do is review your primary driver and consider what other driver might be important to you that you could bring to the forefront.

So perhaps the driver of relationships, you like meeting people, you like getting to know people, making friends. So instead of changing your gym routine, what you could do instead is carry on with the machines, but at the same time say hello to more people at the gym, buddy up with someone or meet someone at the gym and have a coffee afterwards. Either way, what you're doing is continuing to meet your goals.

Dr Alka Patel (08:35.65)

by putting your drivers into play. So what's really good about knowing your drivers is that, well, once you know them, you can then influence them. So know your drivers to help you make your decisions. And what about data? We talk about data. What data can help with this? Well, I have a motivation assessment that I use with my clients. And what it does is it gives you a very comprehensive 19 page report.

on your motivators, based on your own data, based on your responses to a series of questions. And what I've found with my clients is that on average, by them setting goals that align with their drivers, it trebles their chances of achieving their goals. It is a route to success. So what I will do is I'll put a link in the show notes for a motivation assessment, if you would like one. So all you need to do is click the link and get in touch, and we'll be able to organize that for you.

And what about devices? What devices can help you to understand your drivers? Well, I haven't come across any specific drivers, any specific devices that can do that so far, but devices are the driver that nudge you to take action. Devices are what drive you to make decisions. So what am I talking about? Well, things like,

the CGMs, continuous glucose monitors, what they do is provide real-time data and trends that then drive you to make decisions about what you eat and when you eat. Or blood pressure wearables that track your blood pressure and then this drives you to make decisions about how to lower your blood pressure if it's high, for example.

or sleep monitors like the Aura Ring that are tracking your sleep patterns, including things like the duration of different sleep stages and your heart rate during sleep and your movement at night. And this, wearing this device then helps you pinpoint exactly where to target to optimize your sleep. So, what are you doing today? What are you doing with this day that you've been given today?

Dr Alka Patel (10:53.346)

putting mother earth aside, earthquakes, fires, floods. What I know is that today, well today the more that you give yourself every possibility of living the longest, healthiest life possible, then the more time you get to share your love and your passions for as long as possible and the more time you have to make sure that the world doesn't miss out on your gifts and your skills and your contributions and the more time that you then get

to see the ripple effect of the life that you've created. See you next week. And I wish you a health-activating day, driven by gratitude.