Daniel Pink, author of “A Whole New Mind” (2008) gave the Commencement Speech at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 2008. During his speech Pink outlined the concept of “Fundamental Reasons” versus “Instrumental Reasons”. He proposed that most of us typically make decisions based on “Instrumental Reasons”, using reason to weigh the pros and cons for choices about our careers and lives.
Example – Creating a timeline for our career: First I will finish this degree, then I will work for that firm, that will open the path for taking this next career move and I will eventually end up at that particular career point. However, Pink finds that the most successful people make their decisions based on “Fundamental Reasons”, following what they are attracted to, what energizes them, and what turns on their creative juices.
Here are 3 points that outline why making choices based on Fundamental Reasons can increase productivity, effectiveness, and satisfaction:
Passion and creativity
Acting on interests and talents helps us to bring passion to our work. As one the successful entrepreneurs I interviewed outlined: “If you can do what interests you and what attracts you every day [it can trigger] an energy to bring a lot of passion to it”. When we are energized and passionate about what we are doing it seems so much easier to get into a creative mindset where unique and innovative ideas emerge.
Perseverance
Acting on our interests can give us the energy that is necessary to conquer challenges. One entrepreneur explained, that by following his true interests and passion he was able to gain the necessary energy to prevail set-backs and obstacles: “You have to have a real passion for it, because otherwise you are going to get swatted down a few times”.
Personal meaning
Having an emotional connection with our actions and goals is the easiest way to create personal meaning. When we believe in the value of our contributions it will increase our internal drive to continue and give us a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment. One entrepreneur in my study explained: “You really need to believe in your heart that what you are going to do is fundamentally going to make the world a better place to live in.” Another one said: “doing something that could change the world gives me personal satisfaction and passion that comes from within” adding “absolutely, that is what drives me”.
Basing our choices on Fundamental reasons and acting on our talents and interests will help us create personal meaning, perseverance, and passion. This will ultimately affect our level of productivity, effectiveness, creativity, and satisfaction. Something to think about next time we have a choice and want to make a good decision.
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