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Write the following six headings on a sheet of paper, whiteboard or on different pages of your notebook: ‘What’, ‘Who’, ‘Where’, ‘When’, ‘Why’, and ‘How’  

List under each heading:

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• What motivates me? List the things that motivate you. Examples include achievement, self expression, exploration, helping others, freedom, flexibility, challenge, security, competition, and family.

• Who influences your motivation? List the people and groups that motivate you directly or influence your motivation. These are the social forces behind your motivation. They could be friends, family members, public figures, professionals, or teachers, for example. They could also be things related to people, such as cultural norms and family expectations.

• Where does your motivation come from? These are the environments and contexts that either boost or reduce your motivation. Examples include cultural background, childhood environment, the workplace, and other significant places.

• When are you most motivated? At which times and life stages are you most motivated? What patterns emerge in your motivation? You may find that you are most motivated when working creatively or collaboratively, or when working independently.

• Why do these things motivate you? Deeper motivations can include cultural values, personal beliefs about success or purpose, past experiences of struggle or achievement, fear of failure, need for control, and desire for belonging or identity.

• How does your motivation show up in your behaviour and how does it shape your daily life? Consider how you maintain or lose motivation, set goals, choose career paths, respond to challenges, and work either alone or in collaboration with others.
   

Identify the patterns, core elements and insights in your responses to create your motivation profile. For example, are you more motivated by human-related factors or outdoor activities? Create a simple work file covering the main themes, such as human-related factors, and include a summary of your findings for each of the above areas. Alternatively, you can create a more visual version of your findings.