Negative Emotions, Motivation, Success & Perfectionism
How our personality and emotions influence our behavior, likelihood of success and need for perfection.
Over the Weekend…
Over the weekend, I participated in my second Men’s Single badminton tournament this year. I am grateful to come in first place, and especially thankful for the support offered by my dear brother, who stayed throughout the tournament.
I have written about Chua Lam, and his message on the significance and power of transforming one’s interests into a money-making tool. He suggested that for our interests to be a source of income, we ought to be disciplined and intentional, nurturing our interests and developing skills that would equip us to be good at our interests.
I am not making an income through badminton directly, but it’s been beneficial for my well-being and fitness, both of which contribute to my performance as I run my business, pitch to clients and conduct corporate training sessions.
Ideas to Consider
Individuals who tend to be more sensitive to negative emotions compared to others in the same population, also tend to be less conscientious than others in the same population. However, at the level of the individual this relationship was reversed, suggesting that when individuals experience neurotic tendencies, such as negative affect, they tend to engage in conscientious behaviors (source).
Higher level of conscientiousness is associated with better work performance (source). Unsurprisingly, someone who is dutiful, orderly and industrious (hardworking and persistent) is likely to succeed, compared to someone who lacks these qualities.
Our motivation to strive for perfection could stem from negative emotions—our trait neuroticism (source). While trying to be perfect could be beneficial, we need to be careful not to allow our negative emotions, the motivator, to engulf us.