Passion vs Money – Your motivator for work

When I first thought about this blog topic, I was curious to see how people would react to the following statement on Twitter and Facebook.

‘Motivated at work by money and not passion. Passion is overrated.’

I was rewarded with 2 responses and breaking them down: passion fuels motivation that is far more important than being rewarded by money.

I think most of us are passionate when we begin to work but such passion diminishes as we are bamboozled with extraneous factors such as political play, bureaucracy and demands. All these, sometimes, can make us compromise our work. However, I do not dispute that a few of us will put our foot down and will not let the passion dwindle, perhaps sometimes with a cost – such as leaving the work or being in conflict with our managers or clients.

On the other hand, to some, money is the motivator at work as it pays the bill, provides the extras and allows us to go on that dream holiday. In this case, passion can be developed or put on the back burner. Again, I do not dispute that some of us can balance being passionate and driven by money. But it must be distinguished that the passion, in this instance, is secondary to the main motivator – MONEY.

So, are both passion and money dichotomies of motivation at work? My humble opinion is that when one applies passion to work, while not compromised, one may not necessarily be rewarded handsomely monetary. Conversely, when money motivates one to perform, there may be an impetus to be passionate.

Whether you are motivated by passion or money, I believe work should be done with: no regrets, clear conscience and integrity. In short, be true to yourself.