What motivates you to do your best work?

[ahnuld]

I recently did some project type thing that was the hardest thing i've ever done in my life based on amount of work in a short period (like 4 days 16 hours a day of tough mental work). Normally, for exams and things like that, ill make up excuses for myself at say 10 pm and quit working when I probably should continue. However for this thing I just kept going becuase it needed to be better and I was running out of time.

So now that I finished it and I can reflect, I think the main motivation factor was a fear of public failure (making a fool of myslef). This doesnt happen with exams as its a more private failure, and with poker its basically the same thing and there are very few motivators to keep playing besides just general competitiveness. So im asking what is your biggest motivator that will make you work like you didn't think possible. Love? Your children's well-being? Pride? Fear of failure?

[guids]

money

[A_C_Slater]

[ QUOTE ]
money

[/ QUOTE ]

Well yeah, but only because I don't want to end up homeless and starving or in jail and beaten/raped.

And all these things are bad because they would lead to a quicker death. So basically death motivates me.

[Smarty]

Without a doubt, my best work comes after I have been told I've done a poor job on prior work or have been rejected in some way.

[guids]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
money

[/ QUOTE ]

Well yeah, but only because I don't want to end up homeless and starving or in jail and beaten/raped.

And all these things are bad because they would lead to a quicker death. So basically death motivates me.

[/ QUOTE ]


meh, the only thing that is probably going to make me rich is to have no fear of death.

[A_C_Slater]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
money

[/ QUOTE ]

Well yeah, but only because I don't want to end up homeless and starving or in jail and beaten/raped.

And all these things are bad because they would lead to a quicker death. So basically death motivates me.

[/ QUOTE ]


meh, the only thing that is probably going to make me rich is to have no fear of death.

[/ QUOTE ]


That's just an empty platitude you're spouting. If you didn't fear death you wouldn't give a [censored] about money.

[ahnuld]

[ QUOTE ]
Without a doubt, my best work comes after I have been told I've done a poor job on prior work or have been rejected in some way.

[/ QUOTE ]

so you need social acceptance or you feel really bad?

[guids]

that makes no sense.

[ahnuld]

[ QUOTE ]
money

[/ QUOTE ]

I disagree with this for alot of ppl past a certain comfort level, because look how many poker players on this site have a hard time putting in more than 30 hrs a week

[A_C_Slater]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Without a doubt, my best work comes after I have been told I've done a poor job on prior work or have been rejected in some way.

[/ QUOTE ]

so you need social acceptance or you feel really bad?

[/ QUOTE ]


Social acceptance is only important to people because if they are rejected it could mean they end up alone. And once alone they would spend much more time thinking about their impending and unavoidable appointment with death.

"Will I die alone? I don't wanna die alone. Surely someone can save me!"

[guids]

Did you read the OP, it asked what motivates you to do your best work. not what motivates you to do work. if everyone was afraid of death, and nothing else motivated them, the world would be filled with nothing but mediocre people, who accomplish only enough to get by. leave your dime store psychology at home please.

[JTrout]

I'm not as motivated as I should be when either:
A) I don't care enough about the result of my efforts, or
B) I don't think my efforts will make a significant difference

so,
I'm motivated when I care alot, and I think hard work will pay off.

edit:
also, my motivation level is much higher if the activity is fun and challenging.

[A_C_Slater]

[ QUOTE ]
Did you read the OP, it asked what motivates you to do your best work. not what motivates you to do work. if everyone was afraid of death, and nothing else motivated them, the world would be filled with nothing but mediocre people, who accomplish only enough to get by. leave your dime store psychology at home please.

[/ QUOTE ]


That is a false assumption. All the great men of history have feared and respected the idea of their impending death more than the others.

[jackflashdrive]

I do my best work on non-essential task A when I have an obligation to perform essential task B. Thus, the trick for me is to think of the essential things as non-essential, and vice-versa.

[kidcolin]

[ QUOTE ]
Without a doubt, my best work comes after I have been told I've done a poor job on prior work or have been rejected in some way.

[/ QUOTE ]

interesting. A good friend of mine sent me this link today. It deals with praising one's child. Very interesting read.

http://nymag.com/news/features/27840/index.html

[lippy]

I do my best work when others are relying on me.

[AE6]

i really wish i knew :-/

[suzzer99]

People relying on me works well. People thinking I'm going to probably fail works even better.

[fluffpop62]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Without a doubt, my best work comes after I have been told I've done a poor job on prior work or have been rejected in some way.

[/ QUOTE ]

so you need social acceptance or you feel really bad?

[/ QUOTE ]

I need social acceptance. I'm embarassed when I turn out a poor product. and my first thought on reading this thread was impressing people.

[Proofrock]

By training I'm a physicist. Earlier in my life, interesting problems motivated me to do my best work. If there was a tough problem that I felt was solveable, I'd focus a great deal of effort on the problem until it had either been solved or I reached the point where solving it was no longer interesting or worthwhile.

I have gradually come to realize that physics problems are no longer inherently interesting to me, though. The best work I've done in recent memory was writing my masters thesis. My research bored me to tears and I had no desire to finish it at all, but I wanted to get out, I wanted to get out with some kind of degree, and I wanted to get out proving to myself and others that I was capable of doing solid work that I could be proud of, even if I had slacked off the last year. I took a project that had stagnated while I haphazardly worked on it for about 12 months, and in one month started over from scratch, reanalyzed all of my data, wrote and defended my thesis. Of course, this meant I worked 14-hour days, 6+ days a week for a solid month, and even though even I won't look at my thesis again and for all practical purposes what I did will be of no benefit to anybody and was an exercise in academic masturbation, it felt good to produce *something* creative, and I'm glad I did it.

I started writing this with some point, but now it eludes me. It's a little depressing to see how my motivations have changed from a desire to solve unsolveable problems to proving to myself and others that I am capable of solving difficult problems if I apply myself. Perhaps I've implicitly begun to believe that I won't accomplish anything "great" along the lines of what I formerly believed to be great, and so have shaped my motivations to accept failure (I *won't* do anything, but if I *wanted* to I could ... really).

[adsman]

I never go through the motions. Either it's 100% or it's nothing. I can't see the point of not doing my best. Why bother then? I'd rather stay at home and relax. If you give 100%, often the work gets done quicker and you have more time to yourself. I hate a job where I have to "look busy" when there is nothing to do. What a colossal waste of time and energy.

[Vivalution]

Failure.

[r0eKY]

after i eat a good meal then smoke a bowl of bud and i'm ready to go everytime shipit

[Jay.]

Proving myself to myself is what motivates me

[punkass]

The desire for people to connect good work and me consistently.

[Anacardo]

1) The feeling that one is being relied upon by others / is badly needed. The Hero Impetus.

2) Obvious disdain or arrogance on the part of a rival, opponent, instructor, etc.

I have worked miracles on occasion when these elements are combined.

[orensi]

Ever since I remember myself I have been intrigued by motivation. What drives people to work so hard, compete so intensely etc.
My impression from talking to people is that a large percentage are trying to prove to someone (usually their parents), that they can be good at something. I asked a friend who worked liked crazy, hardly saw his wife & kid, and held a VP position at a medium sized company: “what makes you work so hard?” he initially gave me the “whats not to understand? Im a VP” look. He called me later that week and said that when he really sat down and thought about it he understood that it all came back to him growing up in an upscale neighborhood, but his family was relatively poor. He always felt inferior to the other kids at school with their cool cars & clothes. He said that he realizes that he is actually still trying to prove to them that he is as good or better than them. He quit his job 2 weeks afterwards and started working as a part time consultant, making less money, but much happier.
The bottom line is that people usually don’t stop and think why they are motivated to do things, they just plunge into them, a lot of times for the wrong reasons.

Just listen to Buddha:
“Nothing is important”
'What is nothing?' - asked a student. 'Were it to be anything, I would tell you,' the teacher answered.

[george w]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Without a doubt, my best work comes after I have been told I've done a poor job on prior work or have been rejected in some way.

[/ QUOTE ]

so you need social acceptance or you feel really bad?

[/ QUOTE ]


Social acceptance is only important to people because if they are rejected it could mean they end up alone. And once alone they would spend much more time thinking about their impending and unavoidable appointment with death.

"Will I die alone? I don't wanna die alone. Surely someone can save me!"

[/ QUOTE ]

this theory seems a bit short sighted. there are all kinds of people in teh world with all kinds of motivation. someone like mother theresa or the dalai lama keep an eye on social acceptance because it helps them stay connected with people which is necessary to fulfill their goal in life which is to help other people, not avoid dying alone.

[george w]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Did you read the OP, it asked what motivates you to do your best work. not what motivates you to do work. if everyone was afraid of death, and nothing else motivated them, the world would be filled with nothing but mediocre people, who accomplish only enough to get by. leave your dime store psychology at home please.

[/ QUOTE ]


That is a false assumption. All the great men of history have feared and respected the idea of their impending death more than the others.

[/ QUOTE ]

this is just crazy talk. you're saying without a doubt all great men are afraid to die and people that don't fear death are somehow less great.

[raptor517]

in all honesty, nothing really. money obv isnt it or id play poker 10x as much as i do. i really dunno what motivates me right now for my best work.. lately there isnt a whole lot, which bothers me.

[JJSCOTT2]

Easily...running out of time. That is the only thing that can make me do great work. I always tell myself not to procrastinate but really it's the only way I can produce anything of quality. If I start a project 3 weeks in advance or something I will get some stuff done and then go back through it and realize that it is total crap. Counting down the hours busting my ass 1 day before something needs to be done...I can produce masterpieces.

[djames]

When there is a clear pay-off presented that I deem to be valuable at my given point in life, then that's the motivation that makes me work hard. If no clear pay-off is presented, I do well enough to be better than average, but don't work hard. The mere possibility of a valuable pay-off is not motivation enough for me. It has to be guaranteed.

[george w]

[ QUOTE ]


Just listen to Buddha:
“Nothing is important”
'What is nothing?' - asked a student. 'Were it to be anything, I would tell you,' the teacher answered.

[/ QUOTE ]

what does this mean to you?

[CarlSpackler]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Did you read the OP, it asked what motivates you to do your best work. not what motivates you to do work. if everyone was afraid of death, and nothing else motivated them, the world would be filled with nothing but mediocre people, who accomplish only enough to get by. leave your dime store psychology at home please.

[/ QUOTE ]


That is a false assumption. All the great men of history have feared and respected the idea of their impending death more than the others.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is 100% wrong and backwards. A great man once said, "There is nothing to fear except fear itself."

If our founding fathers feared death, the U.S. would not exist as it does today. If the U.S. military feared death back in WW2, we'd be talking German or Japanese right now. The greatest warriors throughout history have had no fear of death (i.e. samurai, seals, etc.).

You think Buddha, Socrates, Jesus, Harriet Tubman, Ghandi, and MLK jr. feared death?

To fear the inevitable is illogical and nonsensical. I would say that probably the most common trait of all the great men and women throughout history, is that the vast majority of them had no fear of death.

[orensi]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]


Just listen to Buddha:
“Nothing is important”
'What is nothing?' - asked a student. 'Were it to be anything, I would tell you,' the teacher answered.

[/ QUOTE ]

what does this mean to you?

[/ QUOTE ]

"Nothing is important"
This helped me understand that almost nothing is really important. Once I understood that, I tried to think what IS really important to me. Then I could focus on those things and clear out all of the background noise.
I think that thinking like this has a big affect on what motivates you. You should ask yourself: Will doing this really well (or doing it at all) help you achieve something that is important to you?

[suzzer99]

[ QUOTE ]
in all honesty, nothing really. money obv isnt it or id play poker 10x as much as i do. i really dunno what motivates me right now for my best work.. lately there isnt a whole lot, which bothers me.

[/ QUOTE ]

I do wonder where some of you kids who have been really successful are going to go from here. Not to sound like the stereo-typical old man, but when I was your age I was lucky if I had $20 for beer on a Friday night. It's been a slow uphill grind for me salary wise. I didn't make $50k til I was 30, and I was pretty excited about that.

Considering the obscene amounts of money flowing through your life right now, how do you find inspiration for some career where you can work your way up to $100k in 5-7 years?

[guids]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
in all honesty, nothing really. money obv isnt it or id play poker 10x as much as i do. i really dunno what motivates me right now for my best work.. lately there isnt a whole lot, which bothers me.

[/ QUOTE ]

I do wonder where some of you kids who have been really successful are going to go from here. Not to sound like the stereo-typical old man, but when I was your age I was lucky if I had $20 for beer on a Friday night. It's been a slow uphill grind for me salary wise. I didn't make $50k til I was 30, and I was pretty excited about that.

Considering the obscene amounts of money flowing through your life right now, how do you find inspiration for some career where you can work your way up to $100k in 5-7 years?

[/ QUOTE ]


Personally, it inspired me to do my best to never have a career that I have to grind out for half a decade to reach 6 figures.

[BigSoonerFan]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Without a doubt, my best work comes after I have been told I've done a poor job on prior work or have been rejected in some way.

[/ QUOTE ]

interesting. A good friend of mine sent me this link today. It deals with praising one's child. Very interesting read.

http://nymag.com/news/features/27840/index.html

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for the link. Excellent read.

I'm at my best when someone underestimates me or just flat out doesn't think I can do it. I also do well when there is a well-defined reward that I want or when my results are public. I hate being embarassed, except on here of course. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[skunkworks]

[ QUOTE ]
interesting. A good friend of mine sent me this link today. It deals with praising one's child. Very interesting read.

http://nymag.com/news/features/27840/index.html

[/ QUOTE ]
This is pretty incredible. Thanks for sharing.

[kidcolin]

Yeah.. that article got me thinking a lot. I wasn't an overly or underly praised child.. at least I don't think. Just a regular blue collar family upbringing. But I know I was never really challenged, either.. and for the past two years I've been dealing with motivation issues, and I often shy away from difficult things (most notably, as wuss as it sounds, is going to the gym).

[Aloysius]

[ QUOTE ]
(most notably, as wuss as it sounds, is going to the gym).

[/ QUOTE ]

Completely standard, KC. When I first started going back to the gym (after a long hiatus of not going very regularly in undergrad) - noticed it took a ton to motivate me. I assume there are alot of self-esteem issues tied up with working out (male competition, physical self-worth, body issues, ability to get chicks whatever) that play into de-motivating someone.

This also happens (at least for me) after you've got a routine going, but stop seeing more dramatic / initial month results - must maintain pretty high level of motivation to keep going.

-Al

[kidcolin]

Perhaps I worded it poorly. It's not the standard slacking from working out. I've NEVER been to the gym. In my younger days, I never had to do.. I was in great shape. Now, I'm 15-20 lbs overweight. Last summer I got it down to 8 pounds overweight just by running, but I sort of hate running so I never sustain it. I should definitely go the gym. I have a free, 24 hour, state of the art gym at work. I could take 30 minutes at lunch, or go after work.. whatever. But I know so little about the gym, so I'd have to learn that stuff, plus the actual difficult physical exertion.. I just always find excuses not to go. Why? Because it's challenging, and I'm a wuss.

[ImsaKidd]

I really liked that article and i'm still thinking about the effect this kind of praise has on me now (or had on me in the past). TY for the link.

[Aloysius]

[ QUOTE ]
I really liked that article and i'm still thinking about the effect this kind of praise has on me now (or had on me in the past). TY for the link.

[/ QUOTE ]

I've sent this to a bunch of people I know - really interesting. Be cool to hear some parents chime in on this.

KC - hot female trainer, ftw.

-Al

[limon]

control, total control.

[Go_Blue88]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
money

[/ QUOTE ]

Well yeah, but only because I don't want to end up homeless and starving or in jail and beaten/raped.

And all these things are bad because they would lead to a quicker death. So basically death motivates me.

[/ QUOTE ]

haha come on--you jumped to that conclusion. "it's a jump to conclusions mat...you pick a conclusion, and you jump to it."

[ QUOTE ]
meh, the only thing that is probably going to make me rich is to have no fear of death.

[/ QUOTE ]


[ QUOTE ]
That's just an empty platitude you're spouting. If you didn't fear death you wouldn't give a [censored] about money.

[/ QUOTE ]

i mean what guids said is empty, but what you said is just as empty. so wtf?

[ QUOTE ]

That is a false assumption. All the great men of history have feared and respected the idea of their impending death more than the others.

[/ QUOTE ]

how can you make a statement like that? wowowow at least explain WTF you mean (eg what a "great" man is) and give some examples--otherwise how is a useless blanket statement like that proving your point?

[NajdorfDefense]

Money
Money
Money
Sex
Sex
in that order.

[Anacardo]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Did you read the OP, it asked what motivates you to do your best work. not what motivates you to do work. if everyone was afraid of death, and nothing else motivated them, the world would be filled with nothing but mediocre people, who accomplish only enough to get by. leave your dime store psychology at home please.

[/ QUOTE ]


That is a false assumption. All the great men of history have feared and respected the idea of their impending death more than the others.

[/ QUOTE ]

I disprove your argument thus.

1) I don't fear death in the least.

2) I [censored] rule.

[JaBlue]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]



That is a false assumption. All the great men of history have feared and respected the idea of their impending death more than the others.

[/ QUOTE ]

I disprove your argument thus.

1) I don't fear death in the least.

2) I [censored] rule.

[/ QUOTE ]

I disprove your argument thus.

1) http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showfl...e=2#Post9032497 (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=9032497&an=0&page=2#Post 9032497)

[Anacardo]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]



That is a false assumption. All the great men of history have feared and respected the idea of their impending death more than the others.

[/ QUOTE ]

I disprove your argument thus.

1) I don't fear death in the least.

2) I [censored] rule.

[/ QUOTE ]

I disprove your argument thus.

1) http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showfl...e=2#Post9032497 (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=9032497&an=0&page=2#Post 9032497)

[/ QUOTE ]

Hey, what's contradictory here?

[Go_Blue88]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]



That is a false assumption. All the great men of history have feared and respected the idea of their impending death more than the others.

[/ QUOTE ]

I disprove your argument thus.

1) I don't fear death in the least.

2) I [censored] rule.

[/ QUOTE ]

I disprove your argument thus.

1) http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showfl...e=2#Post9032497 (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=9032497&an=0&page=2#Post 9032497)

[/ QUOTE ]

Hey, what's contradictory here?

[/ QUOTE ]

you claim to be cowardly, which is not the sign of a great man IMO.

i don't wanna spark a debate on that er anything--but maybe that's something worth considering.

[Anacardo]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]



That is a false assumption. All the great men of history have feared and respected the idea of their impending death more than the others.

[/ QUOTE ]

I disprove your argument thus.

1) I don't fear death in the least.

2) I [censored] rule.

[/ QUOTE ]

I disprove your argument thus.

1) http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showfl...e=2#Post9032497 (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=9032497&an=0&page=2#Post 9032497)

[/ QUOTE ]

Hey, what's contradictory here?

[/ QUOTE ]

you claim to be cowardly, which is not the sign of a great man IMO.

i don't wanna spark a debate on that er anything--but maybe that's something worth considering.

[/ QUOTE ]

I seem to recall everyone else claiming that. I'm just gonna sit back now and watch what should be a passing facetious remark get way, way out of hand.

[fm191124]

was planning on writing up a whole couploe of pages but decided to go with a simple answer:

have a girlfriend
having a passion
having a role model

[Go_Blue88]

right now i'm working really hard on a paper b/c i can't stand my GSI...that's never been my motivation for working hard before...but [censored] him, i don't want to give him any reason whatsoever to reduce my grade.

[Big Poppa Smurf]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Without a doubt, my best work comes after I have been told I've done a poor job on prior work or have been rejected in some way.

[/ QUOTE ]

interesting. A good friend of mine sent me this link today. It deals with praising one's child. Very interesting read.

http://nymag.com/news/features/27840/index.html

[/ QUOTE ]

that was a fascinating read

edit: i see many people have already said that, so to further the discussion i have these.

money motivates me to do my best work, not for the personal gain, but because i would feel terrible not doing my best for someone paying me. this applies to crappy jobs (like working at wendys or macy's - and both are pretty bad) until i get dissillusioned by stupid managers. the rest of the time the pay doesn't even matter, i just would feel bad disappointing my employer since i'd feel like i was ripping them off somehow. i also work much harder for individuals or mom and pop type places since i think my work actually makes a difference to someone that i can see; who cares if i sell an extra hamurger or a pair of pants?

also, i bet that article hits home for a lot of 2+2'ers. i thought it did for me, but i realized praise wasn't the problem, i'm just afraid of failure so i don't try since don't want to disappoint myself. interestingly enough though i've never really thought of myself as really smart or special, i always told myself hard work was how i did well. but then i got to college and realized that i could never catch up to the raw talent of the smartest kids here, and i just kind of gave up.

[RiDiK]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
interesting. A good friend of mine sent me this link today. It deals with praising one's child. Very interesting read.

http://nymag.com/news/features/27840/index.html

[/ QUOTE ]
This is pretty incredible. Thanks for sharing.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah that was a really good link and really hit home. I remember a few friends and I that were 2 years ahead in math since elementary school would constantly make fun of kids in class in high school and reffered to "studying" or "doing homework" as cheating. Was just as bad in college and I am only now starting to realize how silly I was (and to a point still am).

As far as what motivates me. I am not really sure but through the years random things seem to catch my attention and my motivation reaches obsessive compulsive at times. Among these have been strategy games, poker, sports, weightlifing, and art.

[Anacardo]

Quite a link. I'm just like these kids in many ways. I've never felt the need to cheat, academically or otherwise, and I don't think I'm particularly 'afraid' or anything, but I tend to give up in a hurry and say 'this is not for me,' unless it very much is for me, and I simply do not have this connection that other people have in their minds between hard, prolonged effort and success. Past a certain point practice in anything just feels like a pointless dumbshow. I believe strongly in innate talent and 'you can or you can't,' and I believe in live-fire experience. Practice and training are, I suppose, useful when they're very good training, but most avenues of off-task improvement seem like a very low return on the invested time.

[Anacardo]

[ QUOTE ]
control, total control.

[/ QUOTE ]

Is this a quote, or a joke, or do you just never say anything that isn't completely distasteful?

[TyFuji]

[ QUOTE ]
Did you read the OP, it asked what motivates you to do your best work. not what motivates you to do work. if everyone was afraid of death, and nothing else motivated them, the world would be filled with nothing but mediocre people, who accomplish only enough to get by. leave your dime store psychology at home please.

[/ QUOTE ]

We are at home sir.

[A_C_Slater]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Did you read the OP, it asked what motivates you to do your best work. not what motivates you to do work. if everyone was afraid of death, and nothing else motivated them, the world would be filled with nothing but mediocre people, who accomplish only enough to get by. leave your dime store psychology at home please.

[/ QUOTE ]


That is a false assumption. All the great men of history have feared and respected the idea of their impending death more than the others.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is 100% wrong and backwards. A great man once said, "There is nothing to fear except fear itself."

If our founding fathers feared death, the U.S. would not exist as it does today. If the U.S. military feared death back in WW2, we'd be talking German or Japanese right now. The greatest warriors throughout history have had no fear of death (i.e. samurai, seals, etc.).

You think Buddha, Socrates, Jesus, Harriet Tubman, Ghandi, and MLK jr. feared death?

To fear the inevitable is illogical and nonsensical. I would say that probably the most common trait of all the great men and women throughout history, is that the vast majority of them had no fear of death.

[/ QUOTE ]


Let me ask you this CarlSpackler,

Do people that commit suicide fear death? Are suicides great men? And don't mention Socrates or Hitler those were forced suicides. Socrates feared and respected death so much that an entire book was written about his conversation with his students before he took the poison.

"The meaning of life is to prepare for death" -- Plato


Fear and being a coward are not the same thing. Of course no great men are cowards. Buddha? Come on man, Buddha spent his whole life meditating and preparing himself for death. That's why he seeked to become so unattached he followed Plato's message better than just about anyone.



And didn't Jesus say something like "help me Lord, I am afraid" to God when he was on the cross?



And lol at WW2 soldiers not being afraid to die.


And the "nothing to fear, but fear itself" from Roosevelt was in reference to the countries economic situation. But even if it was in reference to death, well those are just words. Anyone can say they aren't afraid to die, but they would be lying.

Unless maybe they kill themselves after saying it.

[Anacardo]

Why is it so important to you that you advance this theory? You talk about it like it was some kind of central tenet of your life. Why is it universally applicable?

[Smarty]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Without a doubt, my best work comes after I have been told I've done a poor job on prior work or have been rejected in some way.

[/ QUOTE ]

so you need social acceptance or you feel really bad?

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not sure I'd put it that way. I guess I just feel slighted if I feel I've created work at a certain level and it is not recognized as such by others who are considered to be "experts" in evaluation. FWIW, I consider myself to be very successful in my life thus far in most respects.