When actors ask, “What is my motivation?” they’re asking about what’s most important to the character they are playing so that they can make and commit to an authentic artistic choice in their role. But they’re also talking about values.
The concept of values is not a difficult one to grasp: values are qualities held to be inherently worthwhile and important by the holder.
Values are the principles and beliefs that give meaning to our lives – they are a source of strength, giving us power to take action. (The Latin root of value is “valor” – which means strength.) Values guide us in our actions – they are not a complete road map, but operate more as an internal compass pointing to “True North.”
Our most deeply held values are hardwired into who we are – and define what we prize the most. They represent our basic instinct and we would rather fight or leave before abandoning or compromising them. Values provide significance to the choices we make and awareness of our values helps us understand why particular things are naturally more important and enjoyable for us. When we make important decisions, we rely on our most deeply held values for intuitive judgment. Some are inborn (“I have this great need for stability in my life”), some are acquired through experience or are influenced by others (“My dad always encouraged us to do our best”), and others still are chosen (“I believe valuing the diversity of others is the most important thing to do”).
Some of our values are dynamic and can change over time. However, our most deeply held values tend to be rather stable, and tend to remain clustered around the four human mindsets:
The “playmakers” of the world naturally value such qualities as advancement, competition, adventure, autonomy, action, variety, play, spontaneity, flexibility and impact.
The “taskmasters” of the world naturally value such qualities as duty, regulation, authority, diligence, stability, refuge, security, economy, order and precision.
The “peacekeepers” of the world naturally value such qualities as cooperation, understanding, harmony, intuition, advocacy, growth, compassion, integrity, unity and inspiration.
The “thoughtstarters” of the world naturally value such qualities as mastery, direction, challenge, logic, foresight, progress, concepts, intelligence, ingenuity and alignment.
When our talents and values are aligned in our work, we feel that we are making a worthwhile contribution – like we “belong.” Many are those whose creative voice is silenced because they feel that in some way they don’t belong in their organizations, like outsiders looking in. They invest only a part of themselves in their work, withholding their best. Working against our values only weakens us, professionally and artistically. The “perfect job” in the wrong place isn’t perfect at all, and no matter what we keep telling ourselves, before we know it, creative excellence is a distant dream.
Conversely, the combination of talents and values can guide us closer to the roles that best fit us. When we are absolutely clear on our personal values, we are able to make choices based on principles. Decision-making is simple (or at least simpler). Values are a guide to determining “what is” and “what should be” so that making instinctive, principle-centered decisions is not much more complicate than that.
In the end, strong judgment brings deeper meaning to our labor and elevates the artistry of work, giving us access to our best abilities.
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