This is something I have heard many, many times before. So many of us claims that it's easier to stay motivated and to put in that extra effort as long as we are rewarded for it. On Hive, (and Steem), I've met literally hundreds of people. People from all over the world. I have met authors who produce high quality content on a daily basis and I've met users who are doing the opposite...
I have experienced the ups & downs in terms of the price. I have struggled with motivation. I have had posts being well-rewarded and I've experienced the feeling of being overlooked, or that others have been rewarded more than me. I can relate to many of those feelings.
However, on a place like Hive, where you can be rewarded for your contributions, people tend to stay motivated as long as they are being rewarded. As long as the rewards goes up, they continue to produce content. Often regularly.
- The more rewards they make, the more content they produce.
Most of us are probably aware of the never-ending whale-hunt. That wealthy accounts gets a lot of attention, regardless of their contributions. Small accounts are usually trying to get some recognition, and score some upvotes from wealthier accounts by writing comments on content from such accounts.
This is a common approach because money is usually what drives people. There's nothing wrong in that... But it's probably not the best approach.
If you spend 1 hour to write something you would obviously love to be rewarded for it. The tricky thing is that you can spend 10 hours writing something and earn less than you made on a post you spent 30 minutes on. Reputation, audience and luck are three ingredients for that outcome.
Sure, you could have been lucky to be put on auto, so you receive upvotes whenever you make a post, but that doesn't apply to everyone. Even if you can name 10 or 20 authors who are lucky enough to receive autovotes from large accounts, those 10 or 20 authors are still just a fraction of the people we have here. And more people will join.
There's a risk with auto-votes and being well-rewarded for your content on a regular basis too... Even though it might be hard to see that at first sight. Especially when you can easily see that some authors make more from 1 post than you make by sharing 10.
If or when those autovotes are removed, those authors will struggle to produce content, if they are driven solely by money. The important part is to stay motivated regardless of the rewards. If you produce content when you earn $50 and can produce content in the same fashion while your rewards sits at $1, you have a good recipe for personal growth.
That being said, money will probably always play a part when it comes to motivation, but it's up to you to figure out how to stay motivated regardless of your earnings.
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Don't mistake any of this for what you will hear some people say about being on Hive (or Steem). All of them joined for the money in one way or another, no matter what they say. To tell you the truth, it is also more often than not, that users who are well-rewarded tells you that they are not here for the money.
Money drives us because literally everyone needs money, but it shouldn't be the main motivator. Not at work or on Hive. You can apply for a job due to the salary, but you won't be truly satisfied with your job because of the money.
When people are actually at work, they want to be satisfied with what they do. They want to enjoy the people they work with, feel respected, and feel like they have job security and opportunities for advancement. People motivated by money alone are rarely happy in their jobs.
Take me for instance, I went from being a freelancer who was working from the "comfort of my own home" for years to become a student. Nowadays I work full time in psychiatry. I treat people with mental illness. I work at a psychiatry department.
It was by far the most difficult transition I have done in my life. I could barely afford to live during 1.5 years as a student, and I earn less than I did previously now when I work... But I do what I love. I am satisfied with what I do, and it's truly fulfilling to see how things I do affect people. It's not that I can change everyones lives or anything. Some people are too far gone so to speak, but there are some people I can help. There are some people who I actually treat and support to help them live their lives to the fullest, despite their problems, diagnosis or illness.
- That is satisfaction. That is fulfillment.
I want to help people who suffers from mental illness, and that is exactly what I do. That was my goal when I quit my freelancing career and that was my goal when I became a student. That was the motivation throughout the entire journey.
I knew that I could make it and I never stopped fighting for it. Even during times when I stood knee-deep in shit, when I couldn't afford to pay my bills properly and despite my own mental illness, I pushed myself all the way to the finish line. That's endurance and fighting spirit. That is drive.
- That is real motivation to me.
Money was a problem during the entire time and I could have avoided it, but if I did, I wouldn't be where I am and I wouldn't be who I am. I am who I am despite my earnings on my contributions, despite the price of crypto or despite what some people thinks.
I am who I am because I never gave up on my goal. I never gave up on my dream. I don't have fancy cars or a mansion to live in, I am not surrounded by playboy models and I am far from rich... But I do what I love, and I am satisfied.
As long as I continue to share things I want to share, I will continue to be satisfied. I will continue to stay motivated. If I could chose, I would obviously prefer to be rewarded rather than not...
- But I am okay with whatever.
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One of the best posts I've read in a long time @hitmeasap, thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Motivation is such a complex issue, and I could easily write a post-length comment in reply to your post.
My wife and I have both been involved in the self-improvement and self-development fields for several decades; she's also a Jungian analyst... and we often talk about what drives people. BUT... also about the important complication that it is often "cover stories" we create the drive us, while hiding the deeper motivation.
From my perspective, rewards are not motivation, they are a consequence. For example, in the miniature "universe" that is Steem/Hive, my motivation is that I really enjoy writing and creating content, and I love the interactive nature of this type of venture. The writing and interaction are the motivation.
The rewards? Well, I have chosen to blog here (where there are rewards) rather than on Facebook (where there are NO rewards)... but that's more a practical/functional matter than a philosophical/values one. I'd still be writing and interacting, if there were no Hive.
But I DO have a "cover story," (just to illustrate how "tricky" this analysis can get!) which is that I can better justify spending a couple of hours a day blogging (rather than doing paying work) because there are rewards.
So I ended up "blogging on your blog" anyway... but it's an interesting topic!
Thank you @denmarkguy, I appreciate your comment.
I like what you say about your perspective and to see rewards as a consequence. Very true.
This. That is pure gold. I had already stopped using Facebook when I joined Steem, but I was still extremely active on dozens of internet marketing forums, within FAQ sections on various marketplaces etc. With time, as I eventually quit freelancing, I stopped being active on those sites but I continued with Steem. Not because I had a chance to earn money, but because I still wanted to be active and share content somewhere.
The money (or rewards) was just a lovely bonus, but that wasn't what lead me to quit other places.
If I had been focusing on the rewards more than anything, I would've done things very differently. I would have tried to please my audience in different ways, I would have chased dolphins and whales. I would basically have done anything and everything I could to score some juicy upvotes... But that's not who I am.
I would never let money or fame steer my actions or change me as a person.