Ash's Four Point Motivational Philosophy
If I need to exert any non-spiritual energy in order to do something, it's probably work. Particularly in the creative industries (but also in others), I find that there still seems to be a lot of what I would call 'slave labour'. I've avoided slave labour only since the time that I decided to retain some self-respect and inner dignity; prior to that, I sometimes prostituted myself too cheaply. Sorry if the use of the word 'prostitute' offends you; you probably prefer to see yourselves as working boys and girls.
There are a few philosophers that have looked into work motivational theories and what you need to be happy in the workplace; you can probably remember discussing some of them at college, particularly if you studied Sociology, Psychology or Business. Here are some of the other ideologies just to remind you.
I have developed a philosophy that I take with me in my working life which I am going to explain. This system can be broken down into four points. I expect that the four points that I use could be similar to yours (but they don't need to be identical). Try using the structure which I have developed below in order to create your own using my very basic equation. Unlike the theories of Maslow and Herzberg, my system recognises and allows for unique, individual factors; I realised that it needed to allow for this during a debate about the meaning of life (etcetera) with a good friend of mine who is also developing a system that looks at the human condition (Pepes, Spyros).
I'm happy to share my own system in the hope that it will help others. My happiness at work has improved greatly since creating this system, and in turn it has helped me in other aspects of my life too. If everyone follows a similar Four Point Motivational Philosophy similar to the one that I have developed, then I believe that there will be a reduction in people that end up working for free or involved with get rich/famous schemes; this is particularly a help for those people who may end up working or paying agents or middle men so that they can decide if it's actually worth it or not. In my professional life, I can apply my Four Point Motivational Philosophy when deciding if to take a contract out or not (I freelance so regularly need to make decisions on accepting work or not). This system also helps me to negotiate on a contract in order to make sure that I achieve these factors.
My system differs somewhat as, actually, I am not sure what defines 'working for free'. If you are an entirely selfish individual with not a single cell of charity upon your entirety, then it would be pretty simple; - you need to see the money right? Sometimes, probably mostly; this is an ok attitude but I feel that my system will help those that are still unsure if to work for no pay. Most of us can find a time and a place for that, but we owe it to ourselves to ensure that we aren't treat like slaves [refer to paragraph one]. In other terms, lets not accept anyone to rip the p*ss.
OK, now to the equation; you didn't have to buy a book for this (but contributions are, as always, welcome and this one will pay for the Early Grey tea that I have been drinking whilst writing this).
There are a few philosophers that have looked into work motivational theories and what you need to be happy in the workplace; you can probably remember discussing some of them at college, particularly if you studied Sociology, Psychology or Business. Here are some of the other ideologies just to remind you.
I have developed a philosophy that I take with me in my working life which I am going to explain. This system can be broken down into four points. I expect that the four points that I use could be similar to yours (but they don't need to be identical). Try using the structure which I have developed below in order to create your own using my very basic equation. Unlike the theories of Maslow and Herzberg, my system recognises and allows for unique, individual factors; I realised that it needed to allow for this during a debate about the meaning of life (etcetera) with a good friend of mine who is also developing a system that looks at the human condition (Pepes, Spyros).
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| Before I begin, I wanted to share this great mind-map by Jessica Hische, in which she rationalises if to work for free or not. It's pretty good, especially if you prefer a graphical representation. (Clicking should make it legible.) |
My system differs somewhat as, actually, I am not sure what defines 'working for free'. If you are an entirely selfish individual with not a single cell of charity upon your entirety, then it would be pretty simple; - you need to see the money right? Sometimes, probably mostly; this is an ok attitude but I feel that my system will help those that are still unsure if to work for no pay. Most of us can find a time and a place for that, but we owe it to ourselves to ensure that we aren't treat like slaves [refer to paragraph one]. In other terms, lets not accept anyone to rip the p*ss.
OK, now to the equation; you didn't have to buy a book for this (but contributions are, as always, welcome and this one will pay for the Early Grey tea that I have been drinking whilst writing this).
Ash's Four Point Motivational Philosophy and Equation
(For the workplace) - please adapt upon this for other areas of your life.
V1+V2+V3+V4 = X
V is a Variable Factor with X the result which will be a number.
My theory would be written like this if simplified. It's really that simple.
1. Decide is what your variables are - You can't have five; this a four point system so if you have any more than four you have to decide what the most essential variables are.
1. Decide is what your variables are - You can't have five; this a four point system so if you have any more than four you have to decide what the most essential variables are.
Mine are:
Food/Water
Food/Water
Career
Happiness
Money
Yours could be different, but they really shouldn't be too different. These are, after all, basic work needs; a bit like Herzberg's Hygiene Factors. The only variable that is there that isn't actually a basic need is 'money' - but just because I can't eat it; and it doesn't make me happy to either look at it or share a room with it; this is why when I decided upon the four most important reasons for 'working', I chose it as variable four.
Yours could be different, but they really shouldn't be too different. These are, after all, basic work needs; a bit like Herzberg's Hygiene Factors. The only variable that is there that isn't actually a basic need is 'money' - but just because I can't eat it; and it doesn't make me happy to either look at it or share a room with it; this is why when I decided upon the four most important reasons for 'working', I chose it as variable four.
Remember that we're talking about the workplace and so I can only imagine a handful of scenarios where you wouldn't want to get paid; after all if the alternative was to do your own thing and not get paid or do someone else's thing and not get paid, which would you choose? - exactly. You could change the variables for helping assess a lot of non-employment scenarios or to make other decisions too. You don't have to have 'money' in there but when choosing your variables, make sure that whatever you have in there are the things that make you want to work in the first place. For example; you don't go to work so you can have a holiday, but you may go to work to earn the MONEY to have the holiday you desire - in this case your variable is MONEY not HOLIDAY.
2. Decide how much abundance you have of each of your variables within your workplace/contract by rating these out of 4.
As follows:
As follows:
0 - I will sacrifice much of the variable.
1 - I will neither gain or lose the abundance of this variable.
2 - There will be a basic increase in my abundance of this variable.
3 - There will be a considerable increase in my abundance of this variable.
4 - I will receive an exceptional level of this variable.
3. Work out X in the equation.
V1+V2+V3+V4 = X
Follows is an example which you can use if you don't understand the dynamics of the equation. It was of a film-producer who asked me to help out on his film during the early stages of my career:
V1 = 2
Food and Water will be basically increased, the employer will provide sandwiches and I can choose what filling I want in the sandwiches but can't have roast dinner (which I would have preferred). I have to have my sandwiches at a time convenient to the employer, not at my own discretion but the length of time given to get this will be more than reasonable. I have access to water when needed.
V2 = 3
Career will be considerably increased, the employer would like me to work on a film set and the director and camera people are genuinely established within the industry; I have seen and enjoyed some of their work. I expect to learn a lot from these people. Working on this set would increase the quality of my CV and I may value it as training. It may also open up further career opportunities in the future but I am not guaranteed any future positions that I am interested in at this time. The producers make films in a variety of regions where I would be happy and willing to relocate to. They don't currently work in any areas where I would be unhappy to take my career in the future.
- Personal happiness is of-course perceptional.
V3 = 3
Happiness will be considerable increased, this is because I enjoy working on film sets and I consider the people that will be around me to be interesting. This particular film set isn't the dream film set but it is much better than a lot I've seen. Also it isn't the dream destination right now - if that were the case I would probably be on a beach in Hawaii drinking cocktails, saving children in Africa or saving the world: nonetheless - it's still much better than being in the office. Basic happiness factors include personal health, my health is good and is not at an increased level of risk, nor is my social or family life, so I am comfortable with the conditions and should be able to enjoy it.
V4 = 2
Money will be basically increased, all of my expenses are paid and I will receive a basic wage. If I did not do this contract, I would not have an alternative way of increasing my disposable income today. It's going to give me enough money to pay my rent and get me some hot dinners for the time being. The money from this job isn't going to allow me to live a jet-set lifestyle or allow me to go out partying every night but I will be able to have some money available to do things with friends and family occasionally.
Total score of this scenario is 10
4. Work out what score you require in your life in order to accept the job or negotiate to reach a level you are comfortable with.
In my example, I got a score of 10. This was the minimal level of motivation that I required at that time in order to work for other people (not including friends and family). I do not feel that my expectations of 10/16 is unreasonable and so I took this contract - I wasn't greedy and didn't ask for more - they get what they give etc. You will have your own level and the level may fluctuate when you consider your current requirements.
Here are my current requirements when deciding if to take a contract. These may change because of personal circumstances but generally they have given me a good guide.
Score
0 - 3 : I wouldn't work for anyone if the contract gave this score; - not even myself - why bother?
4 - 6 : I would work for myself and close family if the score achieved this level of basic necessity.
7 - 9 : I would be prepared to work for close friends at this level (brothers from another mother etc).
10 - 12 : I expect this score for my basic business contracts within any professional environment.
13 - 16 : I'll pretty much work for anyone at all at this level as all of my variables are in abundance.
I hope my theory helps you decide if you want to work for free and also if it helps you decide if you actually already are working for free/selling yourself short. Just to conclude, you really shouldn't lower your expectations for achieving your basic personal needs. A few months ago I was asked to work on another film set where the equation was this terrible:
0 + 2 + 1 + 0
= 3
You shouldn't work for people like that, the ones that guarantee they 'will make you a star' or 'this will improve your life so much', 'this is going to be amazing' etc... There's always a small chance that they would have done but you need to only consider your needs at hand. Even if you are paid excessively, if it fulfils none of your other variables then why sell your soul? They are thinking only of themselves. Save yourself some dignity.
If you know someone that does embarrass themselves or takes work away from people who like to maintain some dignity, point them in the direction of this. We all have bills to pay.
One final thing to consider with the equation is that time is a factor. So if you need to take a couple of the lesser appropriate contracts in order to get you through the quiet months; accept that and have grace with it, but the better the score the better you will be (as long as you got your variables right!).
- Personal happiness is of-course perceptional.
V3 = 3
Happiness will be considerable increased, this is because I enjoy working on film sets and I consider the people that will be around me to be interesting. This particular film set isn't the dream film set but it is much better than a lot I've seen. Also it isn't the dream destination right now - if that were the case I would probably be on a beach in Hawaii drinking cocktails, saving children in Africa or saving the world: nonetheless - it's still much better than being in the office. Basic happiness factors include personal health, my health is good and is not at an increased level of risk, nor is my social or family life, so I am comfortable with the conditions and should be able to enjoy it.
V4 = 2
Money will be basically increased, all of my expenses are paid and I will receive a basic wage. If I did not do this contract, I would not have an alternative way of increasing my disposable income today. It's going to give me enough money to pay my rent and get me some hot dinners for the time being. The money from this job isn't going to allow me to live a jet-set lifestyle or allow me to go out partying every night but I will be able to have some money available to do things with friends and family occasionally.
Total score of this scenario is 10
4. Work out what score you require in your life in order to accept the job or negotiate to reach a level you are comfortable with.
In my example, I got a score of 10. This was the minimal level of motivation that I required at that time in order to work for other people (not including friends and family). I do not feel that my expectations of 10/16 is unreasonable and so I took this contract - I wasn't greedy and didn't ask for more - they get what they give etc. You will have your own level and the level may fluctuate when you consider your current requirements.
Here are my current requirements when deciding if to take a contract. These may change because of personal circumstances but generally they have given me a good guide.
Score
0 - 3 : I wouldn't work for anyone if the contract gave this score; - not even myself - why bother?
4 - 6 : I would work for myself and close family if the score achieved this level of basic necessity.
7 - 9 : I would be prepared to work for close friends at this level (brothers from another mother etc).
10 - 12 : I expect this score for my basic business contracts within any professional environment.
13 - 16 : I'll pretty much work for anyone at all at this level as all of my variables are in abundance.
-
0 + 2 + 1 + 0
= 3
You shouldn't work for people like that, the ones that guarantee they 'will make you a star' or 'this will improve your life so much', 'this is going to be amazing' etc... There's always a small chance that they would have done but you need to only consider your needs at hand. Even if you are paid excessively, if it fulfils none of your other variables then why sell your soul? They are thinking only of themselves. Save yourself some dignity.
If you know someone that does embarrass themselves or takes work away from people who like to maintain some dignity, point them in the direction of this. We all have bills to pay.
One final thing to consider with the equation is that time is a factor. So if you need to take a couple of the lesser appropriate contracts in order to get you through the quiet months; accept that and have grace with it, but the better the score the better you will be (as long as you got your variables right!).
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