The need to contribute is the drive to give a positive impact to others. Removing their suffering, or unlocking their potential, allowing them to reach new heights. Improving others physically, financially or mentally.
How much does giving energize you?
Understanding how deeply this motivation runs within you, can lead you to greater achievements while preventing burnout. If you know that contribution is one of your core drives, you can follow it to naturally work where your impact feels fulfilling, and you no longer need to burn willpower to rise to the top.
This understanding will also open your eyes to additional places in your current job that can tap into your drive to contribute, fueling you in your work right now.
And if you discover that you don’t connect with contribution, that is power too. Knowing this will let you avoid years of pursuing work that would both be harder for you than it would for others, and wouldn’t even feel like success when you make it to the top.
Now to find out how much you are, or aren’t motivated by contribution, lets look at two familiar hero’s, who by following a path of contribution, lived a lives of lasting impact and fulfillment.
Oskar Schindler from Schindler’s List
Schindler is example of contribution, in both a movie, and in real life. His story shows the gradual transition of someone rather similar to you and me, connecting to his desire to contribute, more and more until it became his life focus.
Schindler starts as a typical businessman. He begins hiring Jewish workers simply because they were cheaper labor. Not a hero, not a villain, just a person.
As he continues, he starts investing money beyond just the hiring costs, in order to protect them. Then hiring more than he needs. He bribes Amon Göth to keep his workers in his factory, when they were supposed to be transferred to more dangerous sites.
A step further, he starts risking his own safety, directly risking punishment himself in to protect his workers when officials decided to execute them.
In the end, Schindler both sacrifices every opportunity to make money, and sacrifices all the money he did have, in order to run his factory without being productive, so he could keep more workers at his save haven, for as long as possible.
All of this makes Schindler one of the most legendary figures of contribution.
Contribution is helping others grow.
While you may feel both desires, contribution is opposite of the desire to grow yourself.
In movies, contribution is usually shown by an intense drama. Risking your life. Helping thousands or millions. Saving lives. But most contribution in the world is collected from the vast number of daily acts. Aid given in person, face to face, one to one.
Being a mentor to struggling family or friends / skill and advice.
Listening to someone you run into making them feel significant.
Contribution also has a lesser known, but powerful reverse side: Reducing the burdens you put on others. Building your strength when you feel lost. The time when it’s hard to find motivation to improve yourself for yourself, but keep building yourself to reduce the support your loved ones need to share with you.
Or simply leaving room for to be patient with the needs, problems & flaws others have.
Alright, on to the next hero:
Batman
Bruce Wayne From the Batman Franchises is not a real person like Oscar, but Batman’s story, is still Is a story of a flesh & blood person. A person dedicated to contribution. He doesn’t have it easy, no invincibility, no super powers.
Just a willingness to sacrifice any gifts he does have, and the iron determination to work harder than anyone in the way of that. All to help the people of Gotham so they don't also have to go through what he did.
Gives up the comforts of his wealth. Leaving Mansion and lifestyle, to go train for the strength to improve things
Sacrifices his body, through the kicks, baseball bats, knives and more that he endures while fighting to make his city Safe.
Gives away his money, spending it on research & tools to aid his fight.
Harder, he sacrifices relationships, being alone most of his life. Walking away from Rachel, his one relationship he was able to have. Finally giving up any possible future with her when she dies, for the chance to help the whole city.
Finally, he does his all in secret. Giving up even the gratitude. No Fame, no significance. No virtual signaling
Batman’s story is a story of a hero where contribution is the reward itself. That’s why it keeps sticking with us and getting remade over and over.
Remembering those stories, How much do you feel the desire to help others?
To stop their suffering, grow their strength. Give them the piece they are missing and watch them grow?
Of the 6 needs, contribution
isn’t very famous for being present in the workplace, but is actually quite widespread.
Since it’s so commonly overlooked, it’s extra likely that for this value, there are places you’re missing at your current work that you could tap into your motivation for this need and gain additional strength from it.
Looking at a few examples will help you start seeing more places contribution exists at your work:
Mentoring
At your job, are there any opportunities to teach, or
mentor junior members?
Teaching satisfies multiple needs, but contribution is the strongest. You see their abilities of people you helped improve, their career grow. When mentoring closely, you also create the opportunity to help someone with larger things, accelerate their emotional & personal growth.
This is the one kind of contribution that does resonate with me.
Guess why I'm writing this right now. 😃
Office Charity Initiatives
Does your employer have any charity initiatives or public outreach projects?
Every company sees the pragmatic benefits of being seen doing good. But most employees want to do their shift and get out of there. If you ask around, you may find that your company even has a budget for these projects and is looking for someone willing to take the time to make it happen.
I can’t promise this will get a promotion, but this will make you valuable to you company. And increase your work satisfaction, which will improve your performance at the other parts of your job.
Now after your deep dive with contribution, how much do you feel it drives you?
Do you see any places at your current work that provide you with contribution?
Thinking about it now, do they motivate you more?
If you are driven by this value, the more you pay attention to it, the stronger this feeling will increase that edge that it gives you.
You can also gain more of this edge, from any of other of 6 needs that you resonate with. I connect with 3, so find out how strongly you feel about the rest of them.
Or If you’ve realized you don’t care about contribution. You now can recognize jobs pushing contribution as a benefit, and know that for you, it wouldn’t have value, and would just be a trap. Avoid it, and find work that use the needs you do have.
Now Pick the next value you’re interested in and learn how much it drives you.
Or jump straight to Certainty. Certainty is essential in a lot of fields of work that are driven by Contribution.
Use all of your strengths. 💪🏻
