Madhu Chamarty

[This is a repost from my blog M-cubed , and written originally on June 28, 2015. I wanted to share it here with my professional contacts and appreciate any thoughts!]

Hello again, at 11:11pm, from Toronto. The city felt the effects of yet another continuous performance of midsummer rain and wind today; loud, uninterrupted, and violently beautiful. This was Nature’s theatre, and I had a front-row seat, being on the 36th floor. I mean, you cannot get a better feel for the weather than opening the door to the balcony and feeling as if you stepped into a wind tunnel, a vast expansive panoramic wind tunnel. All my ambitious plans to explore the city’s nightlife, a Brazilian block party, and a Blue Jays game slowly but surely began to, well, wash away. What did shine through however was more food for thought for this blog post! I mean, what better backdrop for philosophical ideation than a sweeping view over vast expanses of a bustling metropolis getting progressively drenched by rain..

I’ve always been extremely fascinated by the emotional and biological mechanics of a humans’ drive. What motivates us to pursue a goal? What drives relentlessness? What compels us to do not what we are required/have to do, but want/like to do?

I must admit that this question seems so succinct to me when I read it back, but was not so when I started wondering about this years and years ago; more on that below, but first a historical exploration of what I mean (you might start noticing pretty soon that I love backstories, semicolons, and explaining asides in parentheses).

Every story about storied men and women unfailingly focuses on or at least attempts to explain their underlying drive that led them to achieve success (and in some cases greatness). Vincent Van Gogh was obsessed with paintings (1100 paintings and 900 sketches, apparently ), and Leonardo Da Vinci with writing all sorts of wonderful ideas in his famous journals . Pablo Picasso famously said “Give me a museum and I’ll fill it.” I mean, come on, pardon me for the weird juxtaposition but, pretty badass (heck, I even found evidence to back this up; see #1 here ).

On a relatively more recent note, take Teddy Roosevelt as another example. Famously boisterous, exuberant, and extremely driven, he believed in industriousness and extreme dedication to overcome adversity (aside: highly recommend reading The Strenuous Life: Essays and Addresses ). Marie Curie had a frighteningly rigorous work ethic , neglecting food and rest in the process (and even personal safety) in the process. Traveling forward, look at the captivating Elon Musk, through his own words: “When I was in college, I was trying to think what would most affect the future in a positive way.”; more on what drives him here .

Read a bit more about these people, and you will realize that they were very different people; introverted, extroverted, outgoing, sedentary, male, female, European, African, American, well you get the idea. These are just six examples. In taking their examples, I am not trying to showcase what they achieved, but more just stating people that come to my mind as ones whose drive I’d love to understand.

Now, a number of studies and articles exist on common characteristics of successful people, and are in fact very fascinating. Some say that they tend to possess a superiority complex and are in insecure , while others say they tend to be desperate , whereas some others identify a more methodical approach for identifying these characteristics. These are certainly illuminating (and frankly a bit disturbing!), and definitely call out what seem to be common traits of successful people.

I realized over the years, in spite of this learning, that my quest had been for something slightly different. I’ve been interested in a person’s own opinion on what drives them, not an external observation.

I’d often think about what drove me to aspire, persevere, desire for something ‘above the norm’, if you will, even when I was a teenager. However, I struggled to articulate a response. I liked certain problems, career paths, documentaries, and ideas, all about personal progression, achievement, or success in general, but just couldn’t figure out why. Then came personality quizzes, admissions essays, and philosophical debates (over lots of beer), adding incrementally to my introspection.

Then began my twenties, my time in the United States, my first experiences of professional responsibility, uncertainty, and emotional distress, my frequent global travel, and last but not least, my propensity for startups, taking risks, and the metaphorical two roads in the woods . Through the resulting voluntary and involuntary (and at times painful) actions, and conscious and subconscious phases, I gradually developed the ability to think more simply, and develop clarity, in a general sense.

All of this culminates in the period over the past 5 years, which also has been my most, let me say, enlightening thus far, at least in this regard.

I’d pose those same questions again. What motivates us to pursue a goal? What compels us to do not what we are required/have to do, but want/like to do? After all these years, I’ve managed to simplify this ask a bit, and look at it from a practical standpoint. The latest incarnation of this question is this: what simplest action or activity would you like to perform, theoretically ad infinitum, if left in isolation, to keep yourself happy? Happiness is positive reinforcement, which should perpetuate the chosen action or activity, resulting in a virtuous cycle. (Aside: It also seems no coincidence that sustained dedicated actions produce greatness. As far as this blog post is concerned however, I am less interested in the end result of such activity and more in its drivers.)

I must clarify ‘simplest action or activity’. I don’t mean “I’d like to trade stocks, or watch TV, or eat various types of food or travel the world.” These are perfectly acceptable activities that drive people and keep people happy, but are not simplest versions of themselves. I am interested in the “why” that underlies them. If asking “why” about a certain action or activity could lead to yet another underlying reason, then we are not quite at the core of what drives that person! One might watch TV because one might enjoy acquiring knowledge. One might travel the world because the inherent rush of meeting new people brings them great joy. Acquiring knowledge, enjoying connecting with people, and culinary satisfaction are examples of ‘simplest reasons’. These are part of a person’s core genetic/experiential desires and motivations. These are the atomic drivers of all actions that essentially are built above them. Many such indivisible drivers are what I believe make up a person, and inherently drive that person toward certain actions or activities in life. The stronger the atomic driver in a person, the greater their proclivity toward building their life’s actions atop it.

I even tested this ‘atomic driver’ theory on a dear friend, lest I conclude on some great insight prematurely. We were talking about career paths and I asked him what he enjoyed doing in order to offer my 2c about options he could explore. “Enterprise Software / Ad Tech” was his response. I asked why he liked those roles. “Sales/BD roles in those areas are interesting to me” was his response. I asked why again. “..because I like talking to people..” was his response. I asked why again. Going further was getting a bit tough for him (and exciting for me!). After thinking for many minutes, “..because I get a rush from learning about new people and connecting with them.” was his response. BINGO. He loved how he phrased that. I loved how he phrased that. We were happy. Emotional high-fives all around for about 15 seconds.

Finally, the moment of personal truth. I asked myself the newest form of the (now old) question. What is/are my atomic driver(s)? What is my perpetual fuel? Accumulating all prior experiences, predilections, and insights, I realized that I loved the process of creating something new and watching it impact a number of people positively (the bigger the number, the greater the joy). Whether it be a new idea, a new business process, a new poem (I am published occasionally via friends and others you see), a new photograph, a new snippet of code, or even a new blog (insert circular reference joke here). The rush of producing something from my own brain, based on my own experiences, beliefs, hunches, and ideas is just so fulfilling each time it occurs.

I therefore find myself in what I believe to be an everlasting thirst for the rush that accompanies creation. I wish for my ideas and actions to resonate beneficially across as wide of a portion of people and planet (and beyond possibly) as possible.

So, my ideal process built on my atomic drivers:

1) Create what I believe to be a new and positive [idea/invention/company/poem/screenplay/process/project]

2) Enhance lives of + ensures longevity of people and planet (vastly)

3) Feel the emotional rush of potentially being useful to the universe, celebrate mentally

4) Get back to the drawing board quietly and start again at Step 1).

If I were in isolation, and were to perform an action or activity ad infinitum and be happy, steps 1, 3 and 4 would be it. Of course, I could only hope that 2) would be the end-result. I wouldn’t really know, because, well, I would be in isolation and on repeat, right? :)

Madhu Chamarty

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