MOTIVATION

In the great questions of life… such as what is love? Or what is the meaning of life? I would add – what is
motivation? I don’t believe that we really understand motivation.

Motivation is at the root of life. Motivation defines a culture – large or small. Motivation becomes a much more
interesting question as we become older. Remember that line from a John Mellencamp song, “Life goes on, long
after the thrill of living is gone.”

So much of motivation in youth is the thrill of new experiences. And then to keep kids in line, the motivation of
punishment is used. Those seem to be the defining characteristics of youth: pushing the boundaries for the thrill of it,
and keeping in line because of the fear of punishment.

Maturity is the changing of that duo of motivation to more altruistic motivations.

Did you ever see the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs pyramid? Well, here it is:

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As you can see, the bottom level is the necessities of survival. Then the next row is security. Then the next row is
about belonging. The next highest level is Esteem: all about respect and achievement. But the highest level is Self-
actualization. Self-actualization doesn’t mean the yoga guru sitting cross-legged on the mountaintop deep in
meditation. It means being motivated by morality, creativity, spirituality and other such concepts that are more
evolved than just survival.

The John Mellencamp song is about someone not ready for Self-actualization… someone who thinks the thrill of
experiencing the base levels of life is what it’s all about, and that after they’ve been experienced, there’s nothing left
to live for.

What about the concept of “leaving the world a better place than you found it.” The mature person leaves the golf
course a better place than they found it.

So to me, it seems that motivation is at the heart of maturity. People can get stuck on the lower levels of Maslow’s
pyramid, and I don’t mean because of poverty. They can be wealthy and just have more and newer basics of life, and
never move on to the more meaningful parts of life. Sort of like buying a new driver every month instead of working
on your golf swing.

This can seem like a pretty crazy article for a golf column (and probably is). But the game of golf is capable of
meeting the needs of all four levels of Maslow’s pyramid. The first level – Physiological – golf provides necessary
exercise. The second level – Safety and Stability – golf can give a necessary grounding to life through a weekly golf
game. The third level – Love/Belonging – golf is a great way to improve relationships with family and friendships.
The fourth level – Esteem – golf can develop self-esteem and the respect of others. And then, the top level – Self-
actualization – golf can be all about morality, creativity, spontaneity, and problem solving.

I know what you’re thinking, “Golf is the answer to all of our needs.” Maybe not, but it comes awfully close.

Unlike the song by Mellencamp… life gets better after the thrill of living is gone. So does golf. I can’t hit the ball the
way I did when I was young, but I appreciate golf in a way I couldn’t when I was young. Same with life.
This all goes back to motivation. Is a person or a culture motivated to achieve Self-actualization? Or just stay on the
lower levels and have more stuff? Golf can help take us to a higher level of being.