Which is the bigger motivator: fears or rewards?

Tristan Lee · 10-26-2009, 03:31 AM

If someone said they were going to punish me, I would be motivated to finish the task they assigned to me. If someone said they were going to give me a thousand dollars, I would also be motivated to finish the same task they assigned to me.

If you had to choose one, which path of motivation would you choose to take action and get things done - the punishment route or the rewards route?

Which one do you think is a bigger motivator for people in general - fear or rewards, and why?

KatyaSenina · 10-26-2009, 03:48 AM

This is a hard one, but worth thinking about.

Ok, lets say someone told me..."You're dead in two days if you don't get your business running like crazy right now" (I'm exaggerating a little bit) :P

Or "I give you 100.000 dollars if you get off your butt and start running your business today"

I'm thinking hard but I’m still not sure which one will do it for me. Obviously I don’t want to die but I also don’t want the 100.000 dollar to go wasted.

Why are you asking such difficult questions?

KatyaSenina · 10-26-2009, 03:51 AM

Ok wait if I change the 100.000 dollars from my story to 1000 dollar, then my first example would be a bigger motivator

Antony103 · 10-26-2009, 05:48 AM

i think its moderation of both, i fear the worst of becoming nothing more than a IM wannabe....

on the other hand

I also am motivated by the whole IM dream...

Jonathan 2.0 · 10-26-2009, 06:54 AM

Generally speaking, I would say that fear is the stronger motivating force. Why? Because while being motivated to eat berries (and other good stuff) is important - it's not as important as running away from a lion. Make sense?

Then there's environmental conditioning from childhood where most people learned that doing something wrong resulted in more emotional intensity than doing something right. So that's what they "remembered." Personally, I'm motivated by both fear and rewards depending on the circumstances.

Great question, by the way. Thanks for posting it.

Ruth P · 10-26-2009, 09:34 AM

It's a really tough one. In the short term definitely fear - like what's mentioned above. BUT in the world of IM, I think fear of not succeeding, not earning etc only leads you comparing yourself to others too much, and eventually you'll burn out. The rewards in the long term would probably be a better motivation.

Neil Barrett · 10-26-2009, 12:06 PM

I think the rewards should be the motivating factor but generally aren't.

For example I think the majority of people think negatively for example "I don't want to fail at this as it may cost me $1000" then in that example your focus will be on losing the $1000 however if you think "I will succed at this as it will make me a $1000" then you will be focusing on success and therefore much more likey to succeed.

Sports Psycholgists have made millions with this thought process and it must work or they wouldn't be so in demand.

Using Golf as an example .. If a player stands on the tee and thinks "don't hit it in the pond" what is likley to happen? However if he thinks "Hit it straight down the fairway" he is more likely to do just that.

So back to the original question rewards should always be the motivator as success will be more likely.

At least that my point of view anyway

Tristan Lee · 10-26-2009, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ruth P

It's a really tough one. In the short term definitely fear - like what's mentioned above. BUT in the world of IM, I think fear of not succeeding, not earning etc only leads you comparing yourself to others too much, and eventually you'll burn out. The rewards in the long term would probably be a better motivation.

Interesting point here. So you think fear is more of a short-term deal, while rewards gives you more long term motivation?

I kind of agree with you since you want to have that burst of emotion that gets you to take action, but you don't always want to feel motivated by a negative source of energy or you'll burn up, like the above person said. I guess that's where the rewards motivation comes in, but I think you could also view it through the other side as well.

Ruth P · 10-26-2009, 01:23 PM

Yeah, sometimes that negativity can actually work in your favour. I guess kind of the way in which some people work so hard when they have to cram the night before an exam, or with a deadline coming up. That's how I was seeing it, which is why I think in the long run my business won't succeed if I'm always working like that, to the point of stress.

That said, everyone is different. Some people literally need stress to function best.

classifiedpvas · 10-26-2009, 09:07 PM

I'd say I'm one of those who needs stress to work.

When everything is peachy, I get complacent.

That's why sometimes I initiate the drama in my life.

achivement84 · 10-26-2009, 10:23 PM

Hey, Nice post

I think both routes should be considered , norally i fear from failure for that i always to finish my tasks on perfect way , but in the same time i finish this tasks to gain some monetary benefits , so it`s mixed fear and rewards both together can motivate me.

Albus25 · 10-26-2009, 10:59 PM

It's really hard to say which is bigger

Fears may destroy your will and make you run away
Rewards may make you greedy and influence your work if the rewards of this work is low.

The key is to find balance between fears and rewards

mark z · 10-27-2009, 12:02 AM

Interesting question, Tristan.

Although it might seem that fear is bigger motivation in short term, I think reward absolutely wins on long term.
Basically, it is all about point of view.
Every decision making situation gives us at least two options to choose from.
Option which expresses our deepest wishes will always have better chance to succeed.

Tristan Lee · 10-27-2009, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mark z

Interesting question, Tristan.

Although it might seem that fear is bigger motivation in short term, I think reward absolutely wins on long term.
Basically, it is all about point of view.
Every decision making situation gives us at least two options to choose from.
Option which expresses our deepest wishes will always have better chance to succeed.

You hit on a good point here Mark. I think whether it's fears or rewards, whichever option "hits" us will be the more likely one to motivate us more. Since I'm about to go to bed right now and my body is almost on shut-down mind, I can't currently think of any examples. What do others think though?

Completely Mental · 11-24-2009, 09:55 AM

If you are considering the original question from a marketing point of view, i.e. Which is going to be the biggest motivator to my potential clients, or which way should I shape my sales material in order to secure more sales, it's a very interesting point and one that has been the centre of years worth of research and development.

I suspect you can find an equal amount of statistics to prove the argument for both sides of the equation, so maybe it is worth considering what motivates you to buy or how you like to be sold to.

Some products, like insurance are typically sold by trying to move the prospect away from pain while other products such as vacations, are sold by moving the customer towards pleasure. Perhaps consider which approach suits your product best.

Personally, I always like to try and move my prospects towards a point of pleasure, but that just sits better with my personality and I like to spread feelings of happiness and well being rather than fear and despair.

Loren Woirhaye · 11-24-2009, 10:53 AM

Fear of loss is by a looong-shot a bigger motivator than desire
for gain. Of course, many sales appeals combine both.

You'll make a lot more money incorporating some element of
fear or fear of loss in your marketing. Satisfied people don't buy
stuff - unsatisfied, ones do. Simple as that.

If you are selling cruises it may strike you as a pleasure-only
thing, but study how such things are sold and you'll see that
fear-of-loss is used often - fear that you'll miss out on a
special bargain, or not get the best cabin if you don't act
right away.

Men and women value what they have more than what they
don't have - and they'll go to much farther lengths to protect
what they have than they will to acquire more.

Hence, investments are really sold as a means of protecting
wealth, not gaining it. The protection of the wealth is the
dominant factor in most mainstream investment stuff.

When you get into the desire for gain stuff, you get into
high-risk, speculative investments, which most investors
shun because.... they are afraid of losing what they
have.

This is fundamental copywriting stuff. You have to get these
things into your bones to construct effective offers. Of course
many good offers layer multiple emotions and reasons-to-buy,
but the fundamentals come down to:

-Fear
-greed
-Exclusivity
-Guilt

clicktechs · 11-24-2009, 10:59 AM

I think they are two very different things, and it also deeply depends on the person. I feel sure someone would work much harder if the punishment was very extreme.

Tristan Lee · 11-25-2009, 04:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Loren Woirhaye

Fear of loss is by a looong-shot a bigger motivator than desire
for gain. Of course, many sales appeals combine both.

You'll make a lot more money incorporating some element of
fear or fear of loss in your marketing. Satisfied people don't buy
stuff - unsatisfied, ones do. Simple as that.

If you are selling cruises it may strike you as a pleasure-only
thing, but study how such things are sold and you'll see that
fear-of-loss is used often - fear that you'll miss out on a
special bargain, or not get the best cabin if you don't act
right away.

Men and women value what they have more than what they
don't have - and they'll go to much farther lengths to protect
what they have than they will to acquire more.

Hence, investments are really sold as a means of protecting
wealth, not gaining it. The protection of the wealth is the
dominant factor in most mainstream investment stuff.

When you get into the desire for gain stuff, you get into
high-risk, speculative investments, which most investors
shun because.... they are afraid of losing what they
have.

This is fundamental copywriting stuff. You have to get these
things into your bones to construct effective offers. Of course
many good offers layer multiple emotions and reasons-to-buy,
but the fundamentals come down to:

-Fear
-greed
-Exclusivity
-Guilt

Hey Loren, thanks for this descriptive post. I agree that fear of loss is a bigger motivator than fear of gain, but most people fear the fear of loss itself...

Han Fan · 11-25-2009, 12:04 PM

Both are big factors....

I am more toward rewards...

but Pain or Pleasure...you mix them in....you gonna have a strong copy...

Han

doctfeelgood · 11-25-2009, 12:28 PM

Really good question, thanks for posting it?

My opinion in regards to your question is that they are both fear, the fear of doing a job because of punishment and the fear of finishing something for money is also fear rather than a reward, as you get rewards in both examples.

The senario's you have given are but the same just different sides of the pole? Because if you did not finish the job......You would be frightened of getting punished. Then on the other hand if you were offered a reward for doing a job well done.....you would strive to do it for the fear of failure?

So as far as i see it both fears just different perceptions.

Vendetta · 11-25-2009, 04:44 PM

Fear is for sure the bigger motivator hands down.

The fact is I know if i sit down for a year straight and work on my im plan, I will be punching out a minimum of 200k a year far more likely a mil or better.
and yet I dont get on it day in and day out.

Now if someone after i got out my car and started walking to my condo, came up to me with a gun and stole my id(like in fight club) asked me my name and what I wanted to do with my life and then said if I am not working on it by tomorrow and I don't continue working on it until I achieve my goal they are going to come back and SHOOT ME DEAD. I think I would get the &*^& up Tomorrow and work harder then I have ever worked in my life. Thoughts of watching movies hanging with friends and smokin the reefer would all be outa my mind.... GOd I wish someone would do that and mean it :\

raphaellive1986 · 11-25-2009, 09:39 PM

I would rather not choose the punished side because of fear there is no free will and it really hurts. It is better to be on the rewarded side because when you think of positive conditions, the results would be positive plus you do a positive reinforcement to a person. I am sure the best will truly come out naturally.
No feelings of fear and guilt...

thefallsman · 11-25-2009, 10:58 PM

Normally reward is a better motivator for me in some cases i think extreme fear is more motivating than reward. Like the fear of losing family or something is a great motivator but in general, I think operating on fear is depressing

robinpike · 11-26-2009, 02:15 AM

This is a very interesting concept to admit to. It is great to see that you are aware of it and after reading this I believe I am the exact same way...just never thought about it this way. Very interesting...thanks for sharing!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by classifiedpvas

I'd say I'm one of those who needs stress to work.

When everything is peachy, I get complacent.

That's why sometimes I initiate the drama in my life.

Tristan Bull · 11-26-2009, 05:34 AM

This is an excellent question and it's something a lot of internet marketers will actually have to ask themselves.

You hear a lot of rag to riches stories where people had like literrally 8 bucks to their name and they turned it around and made millions.

The motivation for those people was that they had to do something or else they were going to starve. They didn't really have a choice because the alternative was so bad. Their backs were againts the wall.

The other form of motivation is when you have other reasons you want to succeed. Family is usually a big one and so is competition.

Most marketers start off with their backs againts the wall, they simply have to make it work but when they do and they start seeing some success to the point where they don't NEED to make money they can lose their motivation and actually get into a downward spiral.

That's why its soo important to define your WHY. Because that will keep you going when you lose your motivation and also to keep setting new goals and challenging yourself because one of the most common things people do when they become successful is say "Ok so now what?"

If you don't have an answer you can easily slip back to where you started or worse.

Excellent thread, everyone should sit down and define their WHY and constantly set new goals to achieve.

Awesome post dude.

Tristan

Liane Fitzpatrick · 11-27-2009, 12:11 AM

As much as I would like to say rewards are a more effective motivator, fear wins hands down. Fear not only motivates in the moment but it infects the mind with doubt, kind of like a brain bruise that doesn't go away. I think that is derived from evolution and the concept of survival of the fittest. Eat or be eaten. Personally, I would love the universe to evolve where we were all motivated by the personal reward of self pride, I'm still hoping!

Hesaidblissfully · 11-27-2009, 12:40 AM

Fear. If you look at some of the extreme things people have done to save their own lives or the lives of loved ones, vs. things that people have done for a reward, fear wins out.

Case in point: Have people sawed off their own limbs or eaten another human being in order to save their own life? Yes.

Would you saw off a limb or eat another person for a million dollars? I sure hope not

Hesaidblissfully · 11-27-2009, 12:42 AM

Oh, having said the above, I certainly think it's BETTER, especially in terms of business and general success, to be motivated by the desire for reward rather than by fear.

LauriNiskasaari · 11-27-2009, 03:26 PM

Well, both of them work as a motivators...

...But if you act upon your fear, your actions sort of reflect the fear and at some level you feel bad.

That`s why the bigger motivator,in my opinion, is reward.
When you have that inner vision of the reward and start acting upon that though in means of getting it, you will begin to feel great!

-Lauri

jonrpatrick · 11-28-2009, 12:19 AM

Tony Robbins points out it's fear that is the stronger motivator. Fear of failure will push us to procrastination, while as the deadline approaches, fear of ridicule will push us to finish.
I believe, although I seldom succeed, that the trick is to set our own goals and deadlines so we are controlling our fear and using it to drive us.

frankgotgame818 · 11-28-2009, 01:54 PM

Number one motivator for me is fear. Fear motivates the heck out of me, I've accomplished some amazing things because my fear was right on my butt ready to take a huge chunk out of it if what needed to be done was not done.

When I'm told I'm not good enough, smart enough, tough enough etc. Look out because I love proving someone wrong about me.

I'm thinking plenty of people get their motivations to act the same way.

Frank C

Tristan Lee · 11-28-2009, 04:29 PM

So the consensus that I got from this thread was that fear is the bigger motivator, but it doesn't feel good to work while you feel fear inside of you the entire time.

On the other hand, rewards is the lesser of the motivator, but it feels much more better to work in this state rather than feeling the state of fear inside of you?

Interesting responses so far, thanks everyone.

Arun Kumar · 12-01-2009, 02:52 AM

I can frankly say that fear is the biggest motivator for me and second motivator would be rewards.

Tristan Lee · 12-02-2009, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marx Melencio

Fear as motivation can possibly (1) produce other avenues to fear then (2) instigate acceptance then (3) defiance, or (2) surrender.

Running away from a lion (driven by the fear of being eaten by the lion) produces the fear of (1) being too weak after running thereby being unable to fight then win, then (2) acceptance since generally: running away from a lion won't do anyone any good because most if not all lions can run faster than most if not all people, plus: lions can climb or jump over obstacles faster and easier than people, so (3) defiance sets in: you fight the lion with anything you have access to at that moment (which would most likely get you killed), or (2) just surrender and be eaten by the lion.

I believe reward as motivation can (1) produce initiative from most if not all people facing dangerous situations to plan then (2) act accordingly within logic and reason.

If you were picking berries for your family to eat, it would be logical to presume there would be lions or other threats around if you're in an unsafe place (far from home) where berries abound, so (1) you carry weapons, a custom map, clothes, extra food and water, etc. to protect yourself against lions or any threat then also (2) be driven to actually slay beasts threatening your survival than just warding them off since (a) you'll be going home with skins and furs to keep your family warm plus more meat to eat, and (b) it would be a long walk to your home, the safest place to be, and it would be possible to encounter them again while you're on your way home (you'll be dead tired by then to fight them again, and those beasts recover faster than humans), so it would be better to (a) reduce the chances of encountering them again by slaying them the first time around (at the time you feel best), and (b) take your chances by going home with more rewards despite the risks involved than taking the same risks with just berries to bring home for your family.

I reckon (1) having a mental picture of all rewards you can get can greatly help when planning something, then (2) constantly getting those rewards while implementing your plans motivates you to continue what you're doing, and (3) the fear of losing some or most if not all of those rewards would push you to improve and expand your plans to other ventures that can provide steadily growing sources of rewards then make you act accordingly to actually get those additional constant sources of rewards.

Hi Marx. Thank you for this example on fears and rewards using the analogy of lions and berries.

MissTerraK · 12-02-2009, 02:29 PM

Hey Tristan!
Great thought provoking thread!

After much thought and reading through the responses, I would have to say...Reward!

We are speaking of IM marketing and I've never really had a lion cause me fear on the net, and since I am my own boss, I like myself to much to give myself threats, LOL!

I find my work rewarding just because I love what I do, and that deeplly motivates me!

If I make a little money that's great, if I make a lot of money, that's awesome!!

But either way, doing what I love to do is rewarding in any aspect!

I vote for rewards!

MissTerraK

Mya · 12-02-2009, 05:32 PM

Fear is a motivator both good and bad, people do things in fear of not being able to live a good life and people don't do things because they fear success or failure.

The world pretty much ticks to the beat of a fear clock and soooo much time gets wasted and so many dreams fail because of fear in some way or another.

theemperor · 12-02-2009, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tristan Lee

If someone said they were going to punish me, I would be motivated to finish the task they assigned to me. If someone said they were going to give me a thousand dollars, I would also be motivated to finish the same task they assigned to me.

Can I mess things up by introducing a third motivator?

This motivator is what makes people do things like play golf, visit friends, go on holidays and eat tasty deserts.

Enjoyment!

That is probably the big long term motivator - if you can find a way of enjoying it then it does help I think, but many of the IM tasks are tedious. Thats why I'm here and not on EZA right now

- i mean who enjoys the EZA experience of writing a masterpiece and then being critised and rejected by some javascript, but I digress.

Tristan Lee · 12-03-2009, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MissTerraK

Hey Tristan!
Great thought provoking thread!

After much thought and reading through the responses, I would have to say...Reward!

We are speaking of IM marketing and I've never really had a lion cause me fear on the net, and since I am my own boss, I like myself to much to give myself threats, LOL!

I find my work rewarding just because I love what I do, and that deeplly motivates me!

If I make a little money that's great, if I make a lot of money, that's awesome!!

But either way, doing what I love to do is rewarding in any aspect!

I vote for rewards!

MissTerraK

Haha, I am not surprised that you chose reward. You have such an enthusiastic attitude! I think that's great because choosing the side of rewards as a motivator brings out more positivity while doing work than working because of fear. Thanks for this!

thomashoi · 12-03-2009, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tristan Lee

If someone said they were going to punish me, I would be motivated to finish the task they assigned to me. If someone said they were going to give me a thousand dollars, I would also be motivated to finish the same task they assigned to me.

If you had to choose one, which path of motivation would you choose to take action and get things done - the punishment route or the rewards route?

Which one do you think is a bigger motivator for people in general - fear or rewards, and why?

This is an interesting question so i will be giving some of my views on it.

I confess my main motivation in life is rewards, in fact, it will be strictly money. When i was young, my parents always motivate me to do well in my studies by "bribing me", giving me monetary rewards.... So this has been built into me for many years....

In fact, the reason i joined IM is also because of the money I can make at the
comfort of my home.... But for the past few years, i have read lots of articles, forum posts, books and interviews on successful people and i came to a conclusion.......

Successful people are motivated by rewards - but here's the twist, It's always about
Adding value to people's life AND NOT about making millions.... When these successful people help a person to solve a problem, they get satisfaction from improving a person's life.

This revelation has such an impact on me that I have changed my rewards from money to adding values to people's life... I felt great after adopting this mind set and have since stopped worry about how much money i can make from IM.

What about motivated by fears? I have some in this especially when i quit my job and do IM full time.... initially, it was like "how to pay bills at end of month with no job?" "IM is not giving me enough money" should i have been motivated by fears, I would have stopped IM, go and get a full time job and probably go for my degree, master and PHd to get a better job....

i think it's scary when you are motivated by fears when in business.... you give up way before getting the reward...

TSc · 12-04-2009, 01:53 AM

Fear or greed - its all a question of the level.

Both coud be a strong or a weak motivator, related to the intensity the come with.

Fear of death is a greater motivator then the greed for 10 Dollar.
But the earning of enough money to feed my family for years in only a month is a greater motivator then the fear of loosing 10 dollar because of have fun with my daughter instead of answering a customer mail.

But the most powerfull motivator is the combination of fear and greed.

I feel it on my own. The fear that there is not enough money to pay all bills from me and my family combined with the greed for a HP Touchsmart TX2 is awesome, only increased by a boaring main job.

There is only the danger that one of them become so big that it will be palsy you.
Greed could make you blind and fear could disable you if they pass your personal border.

So, i hope that my english is good enough that you can understand my crazy mind. (8

TSc · 12-04-2009, 03:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thewinning

Rewards is definitely the bigger motivator. Fears can literally stall or stagnate a person not to move forward...

Surely?

What is the bigger motivation for an employee:

1) Getting 10 Bucks for making 20 additional workhours

2) Don't be fired when making 20 additional workhours

Hm?

Its all a question of the level.

priyatham · 12-04-2009, 09:06 AM

Definitely fear. Also, it depends on person to person and their thinking. For some people it can be a mix of both.

TSc · 12-04-2009, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by priyatham

Definitely fear. Also, it depends on person to person and their thinking. For some people it can be a mix of both.

Surely?

What is the bigger motivation for an employee:

1) Getting 10000 Bucks for making 20 additional workhours

2) Don't be invited to the boring xmas party when not making 20 additional workhours

Hm?

Its all a question of the level.

letsmakeyourbusinessgrow · 12-04-2009, 09:26 AM

Very powerful forces: fear and reward. But what moves you most? Fear is an innate feeling. You don't create it, it surprises you. Most of us fear 'fear'? Why? Because most of us, including me, feel that we can't control it. It throws us into a place where emotion overcomes a person's ability to think. But does it motivate us? I believe it forces us to come into a resolution. It prompts you to think. Of how can you overcome fear in itself.

Reward, on the other hand, is an ideal. A concept that we create to recompense our effort for moving forward. For taking action to overcome, say, fear.

Reward, therefore, is a prize that we covet - an ideal. Fear, on the other hand, signals the beginning. We fear of being left behind. We, therefore, go to work everyday, do the things that we find not interesting enough. But we move so in the end, our superiors will get to notice our efforts. Creating the concept of a reward of being retained in the force (in spite of the massive retrenchment) or a promotion. I, therefore, see fear as the beginning and fear as the end.

Kenster · 12-04-2009, 09:31 AM

Neither...

Passion is what motivates the best, not fear or reward

thats why so many successfull entrepreneurs live simple lives, in my opinion

Joshua Aikens · 12-04-2009, 04:57 PM

I'll respond by telling you what works best with my children.

Fear is the short term solution, do this or I'll...

But reward works best over the long haul. Fear needs to be constantly reiterated whereas reward motivation can last longer and builds a better relationship between both parties.

My two cents.

TSc · 12-04-2009, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kenster

Passion is what motivates the best, not fear or reward

OK, you bring it to the point.

If the thing you do is nothing else then pleasure you dont need another motivation to do it.

MissTerraK · 12-05-2009, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tristan Lee

Haha, I am not surprised that you chose reward. You have such an enthusiastic attitude! I think that's great because choosing the side of rewards as a motivator brings out more positivity while doing work than working because of fear. Thanks for this!

Thank you, kind sir!

I love finding the threads you start because they are very thought provoking and some actually cause an inner soul searching!

These are very good things, because otherwise, sometimes we tend to forget!

MissTerraK

keerthana · 12-06-2009, 03:00 AM

Yea,. I am 100% sure that fear is the path to success.

Because we should fear when launching things,.. I am one of the succesful entrepreneur

10-26-2009, 03:31 AM	#1
Tristan Lee HyperActive Warrior Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 178 Thanks: 0 Thanked 17 Times in 8 Posts	Which is the bigger motivator: fears or rewards? If someone said they were going to punish me, I would be motivated to finish the task they assigned to me. If someone said they were going to give me a thousand dollars, I would also be motivated to finish the same task they assigned to me. If you had to choose one, which path of motivation would you choose to take action and get things done - the punishment route or the rewards route? Which one do you think is a bigger motivator for people in general - fear or rewards, and why?
	From Bottom Up l Start from the Bottom of Life, Go for the Top of Life

10-26-2009, 03:48 AM	#2
KatyaSenina Advanced Warrior Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 754 Thanks: 448 Thanked 126 Times in 97 Posts Social Networking	Re: Which is the bigger motivator: fears or rewards? This is a hard one, but worth thinking about. Ok, lets say someone told me..."You're dead in two days if you don't get your business running like crazy right now" (I'm exaggerating a little bit) :P Or "I give you 100.000 dollars if you get off your butt and start running your business today" I'm thinking hard but I’m still not sure which one will do it for me. Obviously I don’t want to die but I also don’t want the 100.000 dollar to go wasted. Why are you asking such difficult questions?

10-26-2009, 03:51 AM	#3
KatyaSenina Advanced Warrior Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 754 Thanks: 448 Thanked 126 Times in 97 Posts Social Networking	Re: Which is the bigger motivator: fears or rewards? Ok wait if I change the 100.000 dollars from my story to 1000 dollar, then my first example would be a bigger motivator

10-26-2009, 05:48 AM	#4
Antony103 Active Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: All around the world! Posts: 78 Thanks: 30 Thanked 5 Times in 4 Posts	Re: Which is the bigger motivator: fears or rewards? i think its moderation of both, i fear the worst of becoming nothing more than a IM wannabe.... on the other hand I also am motivated by the whole IM dream...

10-26-2009, 06:54 AM	#5
Jonathan 2.0 Spiritual Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 1,166 Blog Entries: 12 Thanks: 558 Thanked 312 Times in 230 Posts	Re: Which is the bigger motivator: fears or rewards? Generally speaking, I would say that fear is the stronger motivating force. Why? Because while being motivated to eat berries (and other good stuff) is important - it's not as important as running away from a lion. Make sense? Then there's environmental conditioning from childhood where most people learned that doing something wrong resulted in more emotional intensity than doing something right. So that's what they "remembered." Personally, I'm motivated by both fear and rewards depending on the circumstances. Great question, by the way. Thanks for posting it.
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10-26-2009, 09:34 AM	#6
Ruth P Advanced Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: UK Posts: 955 Thanks: 500 Thanked 332 Times in 214 Posts Social Networking	Re: Which is the bigger motivator: fears or rewards? It's a really tough one. In the short term definitely fear - like what's mentioned above. BUT in the world of IM, I think fear of not succeeding, not earning etc only leads you comparing yourself to others too much, and eventually you'll burn out. The rewards in the long term would probably be a better motivation.

10-26-2009, 12:06 PM	#7
Neil Barrett Warrior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 10 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Re: Which is the bigger motivator: fears or rewards? I think the rewards *should* be the motivating factor but generally aren't. For example I think the majority of people think negatively for example "I don't want to fail at this as it may cost me $1000" then in that example your focus will be on losing the $1000 however if you think "I will succed at this as it will make me a $1000" then you will be focusing on success and therefore much more likey to succeed. Sports Psycholgists have made millions with this thought process and it must work or they wouldn't be so in demand. Using Golf as an example .. If a player stands on the tee and thinks "don't hit it in the pond" what is likley to happen? However if he thinks "Hit it straight down the fairway" he is more likely to do just that. So back to the original question rewards should always be the motivator as success will be more likely. At least that my point of view anyway

10-26-2009, 01:23 PM	#9
Ruth P Advanced Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: UK Posts: 955 Thanks: 500 Thanked 332 Times in 214 Posts Social Networking	Re: Which is the bigger motivator: fears or rewards? Yeah, sometimes that negativity can actually work in your favour. I guess kind of the way in which some people work so hard when they have to cram the night before an exam, or with a deadline coming up. That's how I was seeing it, which is why I think in the long run my business won't succeed if I'm always working like that, to the point of stress. That said, everyone is different. Some people literally need stress to function best.

10-26-2009, 09:07 PM	#10
classifiedpvas Warrior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 10 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: Which is the bigger motivator: fears or rewards? I'd say I'm one of those who needs stress to work. When everything is peachy, I get complacent. That's why sometimes I initiate the drama in my life.

10-26-2009, 10:23 PM	#11
achivement84 Banned War Room Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 224 Thanks: 16 Thanked 19 Times in 17 Posts	Re: Which is the bigger motivator: fears or rewards? Hey, Nice post I think both routes should be considered , norally i fear from failure for that i always to finish my tasks on perfect way , but in the same time i finish this tasks to gain some monetary benefits , so it`s mixed fear and rewards both together can motivate me.
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10-26-2009, 10:59 PM	#12
Albus25 Warrior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 19 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: Which is the bigger motivator: fears or rewards? It's really hard to say which is bigger Fears may destroy your will and make you run away Rewards may make you greedy and influence your work if the rewards of this work is low. The key is to find balance between fears and rewards
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10-27-2009, 12:02 AM	#13
mark z Banned War Room Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 226 Thanks: 19 Thanked 26 Times in 19 Posts	Re: Which is the bigger motivator: fears or rewards? Interesting question, Tristan. Although it might seem that fear is bigger motivation in short term, I think reward absolutely wins on long term. Basically, it is all about point of view. Every decision making situation gives us at least two options to choose from. Option which expresses our deepest wishes will always have better chance to succeed.

11-24-2009, 09:55 AM	#15
Completely Mental Mental Warrior Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: , , Ireland. Posts: 30 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Which is the bigger motivator: fears or rewards? If you are considering the original question from a marketing point of view, i.e. Which is going to be the biggest motivator to my potential clients, or which way should I shape my sales material in order to secure more sales, it's a very interesting point and one that has been the centre of years worth of research and development. I suspect you can find an equal amount of statistics to prove the argument for both sides of the equation, so maybe it is worth considering what motivates you to buy or how you like to be sold to. Some products, like insurance are typically sold by trying to move the prospect away from pain while other products such as vacations, are sold by moving the customer towards pleasure. Perhaps consider which approach suits your product best. Personally, I always like to try and move my prospects towards a point of pleasure, but that just sits better with my personality and I like to spread feelings of happiness and well being rather than fear and despair.
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11-24-2009, 10:53 AM	#16
Loren Woirhaye Who'm I kidding? War Room Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Easthampton, Massachusetts Posts: 4,542 Blog Entries: 15 Thanks: 117 Thanked 904 Times in 651 Posts Social Networking Contact Info	Re: Which is the bigger motivator: fears or rewards? Fear of loss is by a looong-shot a bigger motivator than desire for gain. Of course, many sales appeals combine both. You'll make a lot more money incorporating some element of fear or fear of loss in your marketing. Satisfied people don't buy stuff - unsatisfied, ones do. Simple as that. If you are selling cruises it may strike you as a pleasure-only thing, but study how such things are sold and you'll see that fear-of-loss is used often - fear that you'll miss out on a special bargain, or not get the best cabin if you don't act right away. Men and women value what they have more than what they don't have - and they'll go to much farther lengths to protect what they have than they will to acquire more. Hence, investments are really sold as a means of protecting wealth, not gaining it. The protection of the wealth is the dominant factor in most mainstream investment stuff. When you get into the desire for gain stuff, you get into high-risk, speculative investments, which most investors shun because.... they are afraid of losing what they have. This is fundamental copywriting stuff. You have to get these things into your bones to construct effective offers. Of course many good offers layer multiple emotions and reasons-to-buy, but the fundamentals come down to: -Fear -greed -Exclusivity -Guilt
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11-24-2009, 10:59 AM	#17
clicktechs HyperActive Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 105 Thanks: 0 Thanked 9 Times in 9 Posts	Re: Which is the bigger motivator: fears or rewards? I think they are two very different things, and it also deeply depends on the person. I feel sure someone would work much harder if the punishment was very extreme.
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11-25-2009, 12:04 PM	#19
Han Fan Million Dollar Rain Maker War Room Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Kentucky (US), China Posts: 1,430 Thanks: 61 Thanked 143 Times in 114 Posts Contact Info	Re: Which is the bigger motivator: fears or rewards? Both are big factors.... I am more toward rewards... but Pain or Pleasure...you mix them in....you gonna have a strong copy... Han
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11-25-2009, 12:28 PM	#20
doctfeelgood Active Warrior Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 40 Thanks: 3 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	Re: Which is the bigger motivator: fears or rewards? Really good question, thanks for posting it? My opinion in regards to your question is that they are both fear, the fear of doing a job because of punishment and the fear of finishing something for money is also fear rather than a reward, as you get rewards in both examples. The senario's you have given are but the same just different sides of the pole? Because if you did not finish the job......You would be frightened of getting punished. Then on the other hand if you were offered a reward for doing a job well done.....you would strive to do it for the fear of failure? So as far as i see it both fears just different perceptions.

11-25-2009, 04:44 PM	#21
Vendetta Active Warrior Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: San Diego, CA. Relocating to Oahu asap Posts: 36 Thanks: 5 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: Which is the bigger motivator: fears or rewards? Fear is for sure the bigger motivator hands down. The fact is I know if i sit down for a year straight and work on my im plan, I will be punching out a minimum of 200k a year far more likely a mil or better. and yet I dont get on it day in and day out. Now if someone after i got out my car and started walking to my condo, came up to me with a gun and stole my id(like in fight club) asked me my name and what I wanted to do with my life and then said if I am not working on it by tomorrow and I don't continue working on it until I achieve my goal they are going to come back and SHOOT ME DEAD. I think I would get the &*^& up Tomorrow and work harder then I have ever worked in my life. Thoughts of watching movies hanging with friends and smokin the reefer would all be outa my mind.... GOd I wish someone would do that and mean it :\

11-25-2009, 09:39 PM	#22
raphaellive1986 Warrior Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 10 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: Which is the bigger motivator: fears or rewards? I would rather not choose the punished side because of fear there is no free will and it really hurts. It is better to be on the rewarded side because when you think of positive conditions, the results would be positive plus you do a positive reinforcement to a person. I am sure the best will truly come out naturally. No feelings of fear and guilt...

11-25-2009, 10:58 PM	#23
thefallsman Warrior Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Bay Area, California Posts: 15 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Which is the bigger motivator: fears or rewards? Normally reward is a better motivator for me in some cases i think extreme fear is more motivating than reward. Like the fear of losing family or something is a great motivator but in general, I think operating on fear is depressing
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11-26-2009, 05:34 AM	#25
Tristan Bull Senior Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: , , Australia. Posts: 1,946 Thanks: 166 Thanked 348 Times in 108 Posts Social Networking	Re: Which is the bigger motivator: fears or rewards? This is an excellent question and it's something a lot of internet marketers will actually have to ask themselves. You hear a lot of rag to riches stories where people had like literrally 8 bucks to their name and they turned it around and made millions. The motivation for those people was that they had to do something or else they were going to starve. They didn't really have a choice because the alternative was so bad. Their backs were againts the wall. The other form of motivation is when you have other reasons you want to succeed. Family is usually a big one and so is competition. Most marketers start off with their backs againts the wall, they simply have to make it work but when they do and they start seeing some success to the point where they don't NEED to make money they can lose their motivation and actually get into a downward spiral. That's why its soo important to define your WHY. Because that will keep you going when you lose your motivation and also to keep setting new goals and challenging yourself because one of the most common things people do when they become successful is say "Ok so now what?" If you don't have an answer you can easily slip back to where you started or worse. Excellent thread, everyone should sit down and define their WHY and constantly set new goals to achieve. Awesome post dude. Tristan
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11-27-2009, 12:11 AM	#26
Liane Fitzpatrick Active Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: British Columbia, Canada Posts: 50 Thanks: 5 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Which is the bigger motivator: fears or rewards? As much as I would like to say rewards are a more effective motivator, fear wins hands down. Fear not only motivates in the moment but it infects the mind with doubt, kind of like a brain bruise that doesn't go away. I think that is derived from evolution and the concept of survival of the fittest. Eat or be eaten. Personally, I would love the universe to evolve where we were all motivated by the personal reward of self pride, I'm still hoping!

11-27-2009, 12:40 AM	#27
Hesaidblissfully Advanced Warrior Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: , , USA. Posts: 717 Thanks: 33 Thanked 109 Times in 85 Posts	Re: Which is the bigger motivator: fears or rewards? Fear. If you look at some of the extreme things people have done to save their own lives or the lives of loved ones, vs. things that people have done for a reward, fear wins out. Case in point: Have people sawed off their own limbs or eaten another human being in order to save their own life? Yes. Would you saw off a limb or eat another person for a million dollars? I sure hope not

11-27-2009, 12:42 AM	#28
Hesaidblissfully Advanced Warrior Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: , , USA. Posts: 717 Thanks: 33 Thanked 109 Times in 85 Posts	Re: Which is the bigger motivator: fears or rewards? Oh, having said the above, I certainly think it's BETTER, especially in terms of business and general success, to be motivated by the desire for reward rather than by fear.

11-27-2009, 03:26 PM	#29
LauriNiskasaari Lauri Niskasaari Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 54 Thanks: 0 Thanked 5 Times in 5 Posts	Re: Which is the bigger motivator: fears or rewards? Well, both of them work as a motivators... ...But if you act upon your fear, your actions sort of reflect the fear and at some level you feel bad. That`s why the bigger motivator,in my opinion, is reward. When you have that inner vision of the reward and start acting upon that though in means of getting it, you will begin to feel great! -Lauri
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11-28-2009, 12:19 AM	#30
jonrpatrick Active Warrior Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 63 Thanks: 2 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts Social Networking Contact Info	Re: Which is the bigger motivator: fears or rewards? Tony Robbins points out it's fear that is the stronger motivator. Fear of failure will push us to procrastination, while as the deadline approaches, fear of ridicule will push us to finish. I believe, although I seldom succeed, that the trick is to set our own goals and deadlines so we are controlling our fear and using it to drive us.
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11-28-2009, 01:54 PM	#31
frankgotgame818 Active Warrior Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Fort Worth, TX Posts: 37 Thanks: 12 Thanked 3 Times in 1 Post	Re: Which is the bigger motivator: fears or rewards? Number one motivator for me is fear. Fear motivates the heck out of me, I've accomplished some amazing things because my fear was right on my butt ready to take a huge chunk out of it if what needed to be done was not done. When I'm told I'm not good enough, smart enough, tough enough etc. Look out because I love proving someone wrong about me. I'm thinking plenty of people get their motivations to act the same way. Frank C

11-28-2009, 04:29 PM	#32
Tristan Lee HyperActive Warrior Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 178 Thanks: 0 Thanked 17 Times in 8 Posts	Re: Which is the bigger motivator: fears or rewards? So the consensus that I got from this thread was that fear is the bigger motivator, but it doesn't feel good to work while you feel fear inside of you the entire time. On the other hand, rewards is the lesser of the motivator, but it feels much more better to work in this state rather than feeling the state of fear inside of you? Interesting responses so far, thanks everyone.
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12-01-2009, 02:52 AM	#33
Arun Kumar Webmasterz*****.com War Room Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: WF Posts: 226 Thanks: 31 Thanked 13 Times in 12 Posts	Re: Which is the bigger motivator: fears or rewards? I can frankly say that fear is the biggest motivator for me and second motivator would be rewards.
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12-02-2009, 02:29 PM	#35
MissTerraK The Terra-izer War Room Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Michigan, USA Posts: 445 Thanks: 483 Thanked 250 Times in 180 Posts Social Networking Contact Info	Re: Which is the bigger motivator: fears or rewards? Hey Tristan! Great thought provoking thread! After much thought and reading through the responses, I would have to say...Reward! We are speaking of IM marketing and I've never really had a lion cause me fear on the net, and since I am my own boss, I like myself to much to give myself threats, LOL! I find my work rewarding just because I love what I do, and that deeplly motivates me! If I make a little money that's great, if I make a lot of money, that's awesome!! But either way, doing what I love to do is rewarding in any aspect! I vote for rewards! MissTerraK
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12-02-2009, 05:32 PM	#36
Mya HyperActive Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 105 Thanks: 50 Thanked 18 Times in 14 Posts Social Networking	Re: Which is the bigger motivator: fears or rewards? Fear is a motivator both good and bad, people do things in fear of not being able to live a good life and people don't do things because they fear success or failure. The world pretty much ticks to the beat of a fear clock and soooo much time gets wasted and so many dreams fail because of fear in some way or another.

12-04-2009, 01:53 AM	#40
TSc the Paladin Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Europe Posts: 50 Thanks: 7 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Re: Which is the bigger motivator: fears or rewards? Fear or greed - its all a question of the level. Both coud be a strong or a weak motivator, related to the intensity the come with. Fear of death is a greater motivator then the greed for 10 Dollar. But the earning of enough money to feed my family for years in only a month is a greater motivator then the fear of loosing 10 dollar because of have fun with my daughter instead of answering a customer mail. But the most powerfull motivator is the combination of fear and greed. I feel it on my own. The fear that there is not enough money to pay all bills from me and my family combined with the greed for a HP Touchsmart TX2 is awesome, only increased by a boaring main job. There is only the danger that one of them become so big that it will be palsy you. Greed could make you blind and fear could disable you if they pass your personal border. So, i hope that my english is good enough that you can understand my crazy mind. (8

12-04-2009, 09:06 AM	#42
priyatham Active Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: India Posts: 72 Thanks: 35 Thanked 6 Times in 6 Posts	Re: Which is the bigger motivator: fears or rewards? Definitely fear. Also, it depends on person to person and their thinking. For some people it can be a mix of both.

12-04-2009, 09:26 AM	#44
letsmakeyourbusinessgrow Always better Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: SBFZ, Philippines Posts: 65 Thanks: 2 Thanked 15 Times in 10 Posts Social Networking	Re: Which is the bigger motivator: fears or rewards? Very powerful forces: fear and reward. But what moves you most? Fear is an innate feeling. You don't create it, it surprises you. Most of us fear 'fear'? Why? Because most of us, including me, feel that we can't control it. It throws us into a place where emotion overcomes a person's ability to think. But does it motivate us? I believe it forces us to come into a resolution. It prompts you to think. Of how can you overcome fear in itself. Reward, on the other hand, is an ideal. A concept that we create to recompense our effort for moving forward. For taking action to overcome, say, fear. Reward, therefore, is a prize that we covet - an ideal. Fear, on the other hand, signals the beginning. We fear of being left behind. We, therefore, go to work everyday, do the things that we find not interesting enough. But we move so in the end, our superiors will get to notice our efforts. Creating the concept of a reward of being retained in the force (in spite of the massive retrenchment) or a promotion. I, therefore, see fear as the beginning and fear as the end.

12-04-2009, 09:31 AM	#45
Kenster Krazy Kenster War Room Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 5,089 Blog Entries: 11 Thanks: 581 Thanked 1,888 Times in 842 Posts	Re: Which is the bigger motivator: fears or rewards? Neither... Passion is what motivates the best, not fear or reward thats why so many successfull entrepreneurs live simple lives, in my opinion
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