The Four Faces of Motivation

The Parable of the Stadium and the Runner

In Ancient Greece, a young athlete trained every day at the stadium. One evening, his coach arrived and saw him stop after just a few laps.

“Why aren’t you continuing?” the coach asked.

“There’s no point. There’s no one here to see me,” the athlete replied.

The coach smiled:

“The true champion is the one who keeps running even when the stadium is empty. The one who finds strength not for the wreaths and applause, but because he believes in the act of running itself.”

The Eagle Raised Among Chickens

Once, a small eagle grew up among chickens. All day long it pecked at grains, believing it was a chicken.Until one day it saw an eagle soaring in the sky—and felt that it, too, was meant to fly.

These are metaphors for motivation.Sometimes we live under the illusion that we’re driven by something truly important to us—applause, money, recognition.But real power emerges when we recognize that we can fly not because of the chicken coop, but because we were born to.

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The Four Faces of Motivation

Motivation is not simply “I want” or “I don’t want.”It has dimensions:

Source: External ↔ InternalDirection: Away From (🚧 avoiding a problem) ↔ Toward (🎯 pursuing a vision)Effect: Draining ↔ Nourishing

When we combine these dimensions, we get four types of motivation:

1️⃣ External + Away From (Draining): Avoiding Punishment

Example: fear of being fired, losing status, public criticism.

Effect: Works short-term but creates fear and tension.You work to avoid losing something—not because you believe in the work.

In life: A child does homework out of fear of punishment, not curiosity.An employee stays late at the office out of fear, not commitment.

2️⃣ Internal + Away From (Draining): Avoiding Personal Discomfort

Example: plastic surgery driven by insecurity, losing weight out of fear of judgment, avoiding conflict.

Effect: Useful at first but becomes mentally exhausting.Your focus is on what you don’t want—not on where you’re going.

In life: Someone who trains only because they hate how they look.The motivation fades because “away from the problem” is never far enough.

3️⃣ External + Toward (Nourishing): Pursuing Reward or Recognition

Example: money, fame, titles, medals, approval.

Effect: Effective for specific goals, but motivation drops once the goal is achieved.

In life:Nico Rosberg—Formula 1 World Champion in 2016—retired immediately after winning the title.He had been pursuing the championship, but after achieving it, his internal vision disappeared.A classic case of external “toward” motivation: once the finish line is crossed, the drive fades because it wasn’t fueled by meaning.

External motivation isn’t bad.The problem is when it’s your only fuel.

4️⃣ Internal + Toward (Nourishing): Vision, Purpose, Joy in the Process

Example: a personal mission, belief in something greater, love for the craft.

Effect: Most sustainable; fuels long-term performance.

In life:Sergey Bubka—one of the greatest athletes in history—broke the pole vault world record 35 times (17 outdoors, 18 indoors), often by just one centimeter.Yes, Nike paid him a $10,000 bonus for each record.But his true power came from a long-term vision: becoming the greatest and leaving a legacy.

(Note: This is an interpretation of his strategy, not a statement of his actual motivation.)

Bubka wasn’t running away from something.He was pursuing something.

The Motivation Matrix

The four quadrants show how the source (external/internal) and direction (away/toward) determine whether motivation is draining or nourishing.

External ↔ InternalAway From ↔ Toward

Quadrant 1: External + Away From = Fear of loss

Quadrant 2: Internal + Away From = Avoiding discomfort

Quadrant 3: External + Toward = Chasing reward

Quadrant 4: Internal + Toward = Pursuing vision

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Where Is Ego in Motivation?

The ego is a powerful accelerator—but not sustainable fuel.In small doses it helps—boosts ambition, gives an initial push.

But there’s a difference:

• When ego stands in front of you—it sets the direction; you lose your path because you’re chasing approval, not purpose.

• When ego stands behind you—it supports you; the direction comes from clarity, vision, and inner meaning.

Why Does This Matter?

In sports, big corporations, and personal life, money, fame, and reputation mix the internal and external sides of motivation.Both are important.The most inspiring stories come from people who pursue a vision—not those who run from a problem.

In highly competitive environments, status and recognition are powerful short-term accelerators.But the most sustainable progress happens when this accelerator is connected to an internal purpose and a shared team vision.

How Much Is 1 cm?

For Sergey Bubka, 1 centimeter was the difference between good and great.Because each centimeter brought him closer to his vision.

When you’re driven by internal motivation, 1 centimeter is progress.When you’re driven only by external motives, 1 centimeter is just 1 centimeter.

The question isn’t whether money and recognition matter.The real question is:

What do you pursue when the stadium is empty?

© 2025 Coach Danny. All rights reserved.