What Drives You? (part 2 of 3)

To him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. James 4:17 To know what drives you, ask yourself: What excites me? What do I seek and desire? What do I do exceedingly well? What gives me energy? The answers to these questions reveal a great deal about the way the Creator has shaped you. There are over 200 different types of drivers – things that motivate us, cause us to perform well, and fill us with energy as we do them. But at the simplest level, all these drivers fall into one of three categories. The 3 types of drivers are: Power, Image, & Contribution. Today we will continue our exploration of what drive people by looking at the nature of people who are driven by Image. To some people, what counts the most is the way things are done, especially the appearance associated with the way things are done. People driven by image are good presenters of a message, although they may not have been the originators of the message. They enjoy packaging people ideas, and things. They turn their creative abilities toward the visual and the readily apparent. People driven by image are generally very conscious of protocol, manners, appearance, and social acceptability. They often want everybody to be happy or everybody to be positive about the things, people, or ideas they present. They desire to please. Examples include marketing specialists, actors, entertainers, creative arts people, fashion designers, and public relations people. To determine if you have image as the foremost driver in your life, ask yourself the following questions: Is it important to me that I make good impressions? Do I care how things are accomplished as much as whether they are accomplished? Am I concerned with my appearance, including the image of my company, my neighborhood, my church, or the organizations to which I belong? Do I see making an acceptable impression as an important aspect of evangelizing people? Do I readily accept positions related to publicity, design, decorating, or protocol? Do I admire those who perform well and who stay within traditional cultural boundaries, displaying good manners and social grace? Do I place a high value on public recognition and rewards for those who do good work, seeing both as necessary for inspiring others and building a good reputation? Am I as concerned about how my work is presented as I am about getting the work done? If you have answered yes to more than one of these questions, you are probably driven by image. It’s OK to be driven by image. Those driven by image can be very important in setting the proper stage. They can be highly effective in wooing others and in preserving the beauty and traditions that are significant factors to many people. Avoid the tendency to think ill of those who couldn’t care less about image. Many people who are image driven do not understand how those in power can be in power when they care so little about appearance or protocol. They tend to regard them as crass brutes, which may not be the case. They also have a tendency to be condescending to those who are contribution driven, thinking they could be more effective if they only cared a little more about procedures, manners, social amenities, and appearance. Are you driven by power, image, or contribution? What is the most important decision you can make right now related to the proper use of your foremost driver? Truth@Life can help you, regardless of your location. Call 248-396-6255 or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com for a free consultation. If you receive value from these blogs, please consider donating to keep this blog site up and running. This ministry cannot continue without the generous donations of its readers. Just click on the "Donate" button in the upper right. For more info on help I can provide check out http://truthatlife.com/ or email me directly at curtis.songer@gmail.com