ROI Part 2 - The 4 Ms of Motivation

ROI Part 2 - The 4 Ms of Motivation

In the last post we considered the concept of Return on Investment (“ROI”) and noted that we are all driven by this calculation in some way shape or form.  We have been trained to do so from the very beginning of our cognition, and it seems that humans have a collective tendency to maximize the net worth of the species for some kind of deep, miraculous reason.  Somehow it’s a perpetual, ongoing, unending effort.  This is what I call the “ideal of imperceptibility”, BTW, and I’ve written/spoken about that elsewhere, here for example.

So this tells me that each moment of human life is an investment.  We’re confined to the Realm of Action, taking actions in every moment and unable to stop doing so.  To improve our results, we need to examine our motivations.  And that’s where the 4 M’s come in.  They represent our respective individual motivational calculations, and we each need to optimize them in our own ways.  That’s one of the facets that I help leaders and creatives to work with in an intentional way.

“Motivation” is not one of the 4 M’s.  It’s the Meta-M.  All 4 M’s affect our motivation, and the resulting blend is the ROI of each action we take.

If you have a problem with any of them, the whole system is out of balance and demands to be recalibrated.

The 4 M’s are:

1️⃣ Material

2️⃣ Meaning

3️⃣ Mental Peace

4️⃣ Morality

We are all operating from some combination of each of this in every moment.  Here’s a brief characterization of each:

1️⃣ Material - This could also be “Money”, but Material is more complete.  We all need a certain level of material abundance to support our lives and those we love.  Food, shelter, insurance, luxuries, education.  Anything that costs money.  We are inescapably economically motivated.

2️⃣ Meaning - We are here to do certain things, experience certain things, accomplish certain things, go certain places, spend time with certain people, grow ourselves in certain ways.  This is all related to meaning.  It’s crucial, and looks different for everyone.  We are motivated by meaning.

3️⃣ Mental Peace - I thought of saying “Health”, but I question the concept of Mental Health.  So I pursue peace of mind.  In the midst of all that we do and pursue, is our mind at peace, free as much as possible of agitation, anxiety, and absurdity that becomes depression?  If not, we need to draw motivation to find Mental Peace.

4️⃣ Morality - Are we doing what’s right?  Are we telling the truth?  Are we satisfied with our ethics?  Are we doing what needs to be done and abstaining what shouldn’t be done?  These questions are often more challenging than they might seem on the surface, especially for creative leaders, but answering them satisfactorily is crucial to our reputation and self esteem.

These are our momentary motivations.  The 4 M’s.  Are you sensing an imbalance?  Which M is out of alignment?  When they are balanced, your life will give you the ROI you seek, and empower you to help others find theirs as well.  There’s really nothing more to a life well-lived than the 4 M’s.  Want me to help you optimize your blend?  I’ll talk to you soon!