# Introduction Motivation at work is a complex system influenced by many factors in concert at all times: the specific individuals personality and energy levels, any interpersonal conflict, the individual's relationship with their manager, the ergonomics of the space, how clear or ambiguous the work is, the individuals financial security, and so on and so on. "Dynamic Motivation" is my attempt at an acknowledgement that that there are many factors of day-to-day motivation, and to ensure a thriving workforce we must to address as many as we can or accept that the individual may fail to thrive. Importantly to this understanding is recognizing that not all factors need to be in abundance, but that limits will be created by the least present. My philosophy is two-fold: 1. I help individuals craft their work to so that it's *better* for them 2. Embedding that same thinking into their output, to make their work *better* for others > [!info] What does "*Better*" mean? > We need the work to serve it's purpose, that part is non-negotiable. Accountants need to deal with finances, medical doctors need to deal with health, teachers need to educate. As long as your work does what it's intended to, the question becomes what else can it contribute to? My use of "*Better*" is to mean that it incorporates as many motivating factors as possible to shift the impact of the work on the person doing it to be less negative and/or more positive. All work provides some amount of energy and drains other energy, but my goal is to minimize the drain while emphasizing aspects that provide a boost back. That, to me, would be better. That impact on energy, that's where [[Motivation]] enters the conversation. In regular conversation, "Motivation" may mean why you want to do the thing you're doing. In academic research, Motivation is typically defined by 3 elements: Direction (what you're working towards), Energy (how hard you're working towards it), and Persistence (how long you'll work towards it). I add onto these two definitions, by acknowledging that all of these elements are *dynamic*; that is, they shift, build, and shrink, based on our consistent interaction with the world around us. > [! Info] Example Here's an illustration of all the things in and around you that can effect where you want to put your energy, how hard you'll work towards it, and how long you'll be willing to give that level of effort. ![[Ecological Model of Occupational Stress.excalidraw.light.svg|640]] I have a simple framework to help people think about these interactions and how they can influence our motivation. I call it: [[The 6 Questions of Motivation]] ![[The 6 Questions of Motivation]]