Issue #188: The Motivation Pyramid
Good morning. It’s Thursday, May 18th.
Today’s Quick Win
From the Lab: The Six Layers of Motivation
Speed Read: NBA Going European
Thursday Night In: Napa Chicken Salad w/ Sesame Dressing
“Ego is what keeps you from helping others thrive.”
The percentage of people that have important or meaningful conversations with a neighbor in a given year. If you do - consider yourself one of the fortunate few.
From the Lab
A telos crisis - when you don’t know your purpose.
Why do we care so much about purpose?
Without it - every setback (and there are many) sends us into cynicism and selfishness. We can’t handle life’s obstacles - because we aren’t sure why we should fight our way through them.
Building off Issue #187 - it’s easy to go through our day-to-day and lose sight of our own WHY.
Plus, we’re bombarded with the notion that we should be seeking out financial success and social status - the result of literally billions of people showcasing their best life on social media.
So our motivation consolidates around material possessions and our ego.
But this doesn’t work - “ego is why we need to win all the time and at the expense of others…to why having what we want doesn’t seem to make us feel any better.” (Ryan Holiday)
Those who have found a strong meaning and purpose figured out a way to quiet the ego (it’s still there and that’s ok - ambition is still a good thing).
David Brooks points to the six layers of motivation. We need to bypass these first two (2) layers and transition to learning about and engaging with our community and with others.
This doesn’t have to be some massive effort to find our “calling” - it plays itself out in everyday life…
So many Saturdays I look back to the days when I could surf and hang out at the beach without a care in the world - now weekends are taken up by taking care of my kids. The selfish part of me longs to be free - free of responsibility, free of tantrums, free of everything.
But when we take the time to slow and be present it becomes more obvious that the real joy and fulfillment in life come from service - like when I’m teaching my kids, directing them, helping them figure out this crazy world.
Trust me - there are still times I need to get away. But when you shift the mindset to one of abundance (of giving and love) and away from scarcity (of time) - it changes how we think of our role and our purpose.
It’s these micro-moments - with our kids, our partners, our parents, our colleagues, our neighbors - when we live out our purpose. We make a difference in every interaction of every day.
None of us are perfect here - I still think about money all the time.
It’s simply the aspiration to keep climbing the pyramid.
Imagine if you had it in front of you as a reminder throughout the day - what would change?
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Speed Read
Health & Longevity in the News
Euro Football for NBA: European soccer is confusing (no matter what Max says). They have all these mid-season tournaments to go along with their normal league schedule (with no playoffs - what??). Well the NBA is trying this concept on next year and we’ll see how it fits. Like anything new, it will take time to build, but we’ll be watching (or at least checking scores on the ESPN app). (The Athletic)
PS: the Spurs won the Victor Wembanyama lottery Tuesday night
The Chocolate Milk Debate: In February, the USDA proposed a ban of flavored milk in school cafeterias and has received 90K comments since. The problem is all the added sugar - a key contributor to childhood obesity. Will this actually happen or will Big Food and parents fend off the ban?? (WSJ)
You Got My Blood Boiling: It’s easy to tie the devastation of a hurricane or tornado damage to mental health - it’s a little tougher when it comes to the heat. But growing research shows an increase in ambient temperature contributes to a higher probability of experiencing depression and anxiety. Perfect timing with climate change. (TIME)
Thursday Night In | Napa Chicken Salad
It’s salad season! Max and family had this a couple weeks ago. It’s a little shorter Thursday Night In recipe to help as the kids’ schedules transition from school to summer activities. This salad is great the next couple of days, so make another serving if you have a few open lunches.
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The information in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and may not be appropriate or applicable based on your individual circumstances. Thrive25 Labs LLC does not provide medical, professional, or licensed advice. Please connect with your healthcare professional for medical advice specific to your health needs.