Well, here’s the video that caught my eye this week. It’s a conservative video that’s so over the top in how it’s done that it really confuses me how it was even made and that someone said “this is a good idea, let’s do this.”
There’s two things that you can do to motivate people (basically). You can motivate them by fear or by positive motivation. You can motivate someone by holding their job over their head. They’ll generally work hard to keep it, because they’ve grown accustomed to eating and the job provides money to buy food, so they can continue to do that. The other side is motivating someone in a positive way. They can have a task that they’re passionate about, or the chance for a bonus/raise. Both will motivate.
Politicians spend a lot more money just in research for what sways voters than I’ll every see; and I’m not saying I know more than them. One thing that I do know, when you motivate someone with fear, you don’t sway them toward you, you sway them away from the other guy. This video doesn’t make you want Santorum, it just makes you not want Obama (in theory). In the short run, it may get you a vote. In the long run, it doesn’t help people trust you or move them toward your agenda. You haven’t won anyone over. It’s short sighted, and not helpful.
Look at the last election. Yes, there were many factors, and I’m going to over simplify. Obama, agree with him or not, won people over. People trusted him and wanted what he was selling. They supported him. The other side never got that same type of support. Their candidacy was more based on what it was against than what it was for. You may totally disagree with policies, but this came out pretty clear.
Chances are, you’re not in politics. Chances are, you do influence people though. You may have kids, friends, employees, co-workers, etc. When you try to motivate people, do you use fear, or hope? Do your kids operate strictly out of fear of consequence, or out of desire to honor from a heart of love? Do your employees do what they can to keep their job, or do they work hard for the common good because they want to?
You have a lot of control over how people look at you. Which side do you choose?
