...and, let's not forget Willpower!

Maybe motivation is just a byproduct of hormones? 

Our bodies create hormones and those hormones influence us. There’s cause and effect in action which is consistent with motivation and, perhaps, there's an argument this hormone-induced motivation is the only motivation. I mean, without our hormones we wouldn't be doing anything and with our hormones we do the things we do. And as hormones ebb and flow people do different things and act in different ways...which is consistent with experiencing a range of motivations. So, without hormones we would have no motivation.

And, there's scientific evidence 'proving' that hormones serve certain roles and different hormones trigger/motivate different thoughts and behaviour. 

No question – hormones play a role in motivation.

And, that raises some questions –

Are hormones the sole cause of motivation?

Are hormones the root-source of motivation?

How does DNA fit in?

Are motivations simply genetic [destined/predestined] legacies?

Are self-help books a complete waste of time and money?

or...

Does willpower provide each of us the opportunity to decide and influence our motivations? 

I have heard opposing viewpoints. 

Some people think creativity happens when a group of brilliant young people bounce ideas off one another in zany bright-coloured open workspaces. My mind is conjuring up images of Google people accomplishing amazing Google things. 

Some people think creativity sparks, sooner or later, if persistent focused effort is performed under well-defined scientific testing. Now, I’m picturing Edison and his people exhaustively going through those 5,000 [or was it 10,000] failures before they found the solution to incandescent lighting.

Some people believe solitary efforts in seclusion, silence, and stillness are the routes to creative intelligence. Elmer R. Gates comes to mind…this self-proclaimed psychologist and prolific inventor was sought out and  paid to sit for ideas and he achieved such success sitting for ideas he impressed Napoleon Hill [author of the classic, ‘Think And Grow Rich’].

Some people think creativity is closely linked to if not the result of personal suffering: whether physical in form or emotional or mental. Examples of creative people who have suffered include Gandhi, Van Gogh, Mandela, Beethoven, Lincoln, and pretty much all the great poets…and, of course, I better include Jimmy Morrison or I will later feel remiss. 

All that considered – 

How does structure fit in?

While there is no question – the environments for creativity vary considerably and the personalities of creative people vary considerably…and there are many different routes that lead to creativity – the question remains, does creativity crave structure?

What does your personal experience tell you?

Think about performing at your creative best…how did you get there?

Do you have flashes of intuition/genius…how do they arise…what was happening before they ‘hit you’?

Do you set aside time to be creative...if you do, do you ‘plan and structure things’ prior to beginning to spend that time?

PS: A year or so ago, after a great deal of deliberation, I changed one of my personal values from 'Creativity' to 'Curiosity'. I wonder if that gives away my answer to the title question.

Do you want to be useful?

If so -

How do you go about making yourself useful?

***

First -

What does ‘being useful’ mean to you?

• Is ‘being useful’ about thoughts?
• Is ‘being useful’ about action?
• Is ‘being useful’ about both?

Next -

When you envision yourself being useful what, specifically, do you see yourself thinking or doing?

Why did you choose these things as being useful rather than choosing other things?

What's the relationship between these useful things and your personal values?

When you do these useful things, how do you do them?

Then –

How do you go about making yourself useful?

Do you set goals around your useful things?

Do you monitor the things you do and regulate yourself in an effort to maximize the time you spend doing useful things?

Do you refuse to do things you deem to be not-useful?

When you find yourself doing not-useful things do you stop and shift toward doing useful things?

When you feel bored do you intentionally choose to remove that boredom by doing useful things?

When you feel stressed do you check to see if you are doing useful things?

When you face problems do you intentionally focus on how to make yourself useful?

When you see people struggling do you automatically make yourself useful, helping them?

Throughout the day, do you ask yourself, "Am I making myself useful?"? 

At the end of the day do you ask yourself, "What useful things did I do today?"?

Do you commit to being useful tomorrow?

Do you commit to being useful every day from here to eternity?

***

Has making yourself useful become one of your good habits?