What's your "currency"

Everyone has their motivation - motivation to work out, motivation to save money, motivation to work harder. I've been thinking a lot lately about my motivations. Like a lot of things in my life, I understand it but cannot always put what I think, feel or know into a nice little gift box because I try not to be so limiting. I envy people who can be clear and direct about what will motivate them to reach their goals because I think it would help me reach mine.

So, in talking with friends and other professionals, I have found what motivates them in hopes I will understand what can motivate me and help me become more successful in my career aspirations.
Some people, actually many people, are motivated by money. They see their paycheck as that benchmark of their success and that makes sense. But money doesn't motivate me. Don't get me wrong, I like having money as much as the next person, but beyond taking care of my necessities, money doesn't get me out of bed.

Other people I've found are motivated by the work they do. Now, I would hope most people enjoy their work, but I mean people who are so in love with what they do, that they would get up at 3 am, drive hours in a blizzard to a crap office with zero pay and no benefits just to get to do their job. I do love my job and have way too much fun sometimes to call it "work" but I don't know that just the job itself does it for me.

I think I may be a little closer to the next group; people who are motivated by what their job gives them - freedoms, benefits (hello free air travel), access to great people/parties/things, etc. I don't get a whole lot of this category, but I am definitely motivated by free time. I will work my butt off for an event or a crazy few weeks if I know I get to check out and get time back afterwards. But still, this isn't my currency.

I say currency because most people are motivated by the financial reward. Why shouldn't they be? Their is one glaring reason we aren't all laying out by our giant pools having our hired help bring us champagne every day...we need to work! So, by default, the more money you make the better you must be at your job and therefore, if you are a career-minded person like me, the more value you have - for your family, your employer, your future and for yourself.

I had to fill out a bio form once for a leadership academy so we could all get to know our classmates. There was a question on there relating to this and I answered that I am driven by happiness. It sounds so corny, but I think at the end of the day, I have no other way to say it. I am driven and motivated by happiness. I probably define happiness differently than everyone else, but I think deep down, that sense of contentment with what I am doing is what drives me to do more, do better and to take pride in what I am doing.

I had a job once that from the outside should have been "my big break" and I was SO excited. But from the inside, the job killed me. It sucked every ounce of happiness out of me to a point I couldn't find myself in the great titled job, at the well-known company, with the good pay and amazing benefits. I left, cut my salary by more than anyone should...every! And, what I got back was my happiness. Maybe there is a more definite way to articulate what it really is deep down that equates happiness to me professionally. But I guess I'm just OK going with a feeling I get about the job, the people and the possibilities. The happy employee always works harder anyway so I guess my currency isn't really an odd concept.

But thank goodness I also earn enough to get by, love what I do enough to just now accept an invitation to be at work at 6 a.m. tomorrow, and know that I have the freedom to leave early enough to take Ruby to the vet!