Towards the end of this past year, I read
A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future by Dan Pink. I am not sure what led me to this book, but I was intrigued by the idea that creative skills and abilities will be what is most important in the future. I posted on Facebook:
I LOVE this book! Here is my justice for always being told I wasn’t being realistic or logical – I am just too much of a right-brainer!
I really enjoyed reading this and it motivated me to seek out other books by this author; I then recently found Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us:”
I have not yet finished this book. Prior to the decision to buy myself a copy of it, I had checked it out at the library and then had to return it before I finished, so I made some notes for myself:
In this book, the author talks about the fact that, in the beginning, the world was based on “Motivation 1.0” – SURVIVAL. “Motivation 2.0” came about as we developed into a complex society; basically, this is what still drives us. Except, it seems, this no longer works for us – and now, in the 21st century, we are in need of an Upgrade.
He talks about how our “operating system” is incompatible with how we organize what we do, how we think about what we do, and how we DO what we do; that we are more than our biological urges, and that our current system of seeking reward (“carrots”) and avoiding punishment (“sticks”) is outdated and no longer relevant to who we are.
In the past, “extrinsic” motivation was more likely to work as most jobs tended to be more “algorithmic” and “left-brained” in nature; but as more and more of that kind of work is replaced by technology or outsourced to cheap 3rd-world labor, it is becoming clear that the “carrots vs. sticks” system not only does not work for “heuristic,” “right-brained” activities, but it is actually devastating to creativity. We have become a society which is more driven by “intrinsic” rewards based on challenge, skill enhancement, social values, or pure enjoyment. We still need to earn money, but profit is no longer the objective in how we think about our work.
“Motivation 2.0’s principle is that rewarding an activity gets you more of it and punishing an activity gets you less of it.” This principle no longer works; intrinsic motivation is required – work that is more self-directed, less routine, more interesting and enjoyable – and our “Operating System” needs to CHANGE if we are going to be successful into this next century.
This book follows the concepts discussed in “A Whole New Mind” in that we are changing and our old ideas and patterns no longer work. What I find MOST INTERESTING about both of these books, is that they state the beliefs and opinions that I have always held about our world, from my point of view, and so I feel validated.
I haven’t always understood what has made me feel “different” and unable to “accept” the things I was taught growing up; I seem to have always required “intrinsic” motivation without being aware of what that meant. I always felt misjudged as being somehow simply “self-indulgent” or “lazy” but never felt that way about myself, and I agonized over it all and could never make sense of it. Things became, finally, much clearer when, as an adult, I learned about ADD/HD, and then, clearer yet when I began to embrace my creativity and my creative nature. And I have found myself thinking that perhaps ADD is not a “disorder” at all; perhaps it is simply an evolutionary upgrade, one which makes people more creative, empathetic, and innovative – more “right-brained.” What a thrill to read books that reflect my way of thinking in this regard. As for ADD/HD – well it is, after all, only a LABEL.
GOOD BOOKS – both of them. Thank you, Dan Pink, for a refreshing (and validating) viewpoint!
And here is an interesting-looking site I found regarding this particular sort of thing: i’m not stupid, I’m Right Brained 😀 –might be worth checking out…
[And I ended up taking the “brain dominance test” on this website (which I learn is actually to promote a book with this same title) and my test scores came out to be: 21 out of 40 – Left-Brained and 36 out of 40 – Right-Brained. Hmmm… whatever significance that might have…]