Ask HN: Do you know what motivates you? Can you put it into words?

I don't know what motivates me and I find that strange. It's something I think about a lot. How do people know what they want? I can come up with (and I do that) a dense net of interests I somewhat have and how they would interconnect and what could come out of it. But at the end of the day, nothing really ever comes to life. It's obvious that one can not rationally construct such thing, but it feels real. I’m serious about what I think, but it seems to not work. I can’t remember the last time I persued an interest that in itself kept me going (other than video games). Something seems to not work and I'm currently in search for a therapist, because all of this has led me to a place that makes life not worth living. But that said, I'm as well curious (as the other commenter) what makes other people drive.

I like challenges that are small enough that I know I can finish them, eventually. This is why the Advent of Code is so fun.

I especially like doing things that people say are impossible. Probably because I'm a mapper, and inconsistencies between those statements and my mental model of the world are irritating.

Getting started is always an issue for me, but once I've decided something can be done, and I'm on the chase... it's persistence hunting until the universe bends to my will.

I’ve thought about this a lot in the past few months and every time it just boils down to "I like it". For example, when I stand up on Saturday morning, I don’t start programming to save the world or whatever but just because I like it. Maybe, I do need to ask "why" again though. Why do I like what I like? I have no idea yet.

I’m curious what other people think.

(The first view is called behaviourism and was largely debunked by Noam Chomsky.)

As you age it becomes easier to recognize those things that motivate you. For me it was to have accumulated enough wealth that I would not be dependent on the whims of an employer or boss. It sometimes meant that I had to do things that—at the time—I disliked. Sometimes it meant changing careers, or outlasting a boss I detested. But once I gained economic independence I found that I could push back hard against my employers/bosses when they tried to give me an “or else” demand, and they always folded. Until I retire I’ll be motivated by my ability to call my own shots.

People. I am so motivated when I know about what people did and how they did it.

If you were asked this in an interview how would you react?

Cold hard cash.

That plus working with technology I love.

Learning things and helping people.

curiosity