Don't worry about motivation: grow with “MoTivation”

Seen the news lately? Are you tired yet? Over the last couple of months, I’ve seen waves of layoffs in the tech industry. More and more, the need to support each other grows. 

As people start looking for new ways to connect, I think one element can connect us in ways we might have overlooked. Here in the MoTaverse, we are a community of learners. We see you. We are here for you. And we’re ready to help. The good thing is this particular universe is powered by “MoTivation”. This article explains what it is and how to use it to grow in your career. 

MoTivation: A resource available to any person, built up and curated by the people of the MoTaverse. It thrives and expands through actions like writing articles, creating and continuing discussions, creating moments and memes that share insights, and thanking each other. Its action makes it possible to either give or earn stars.

The myth of motivation

Growing up, I absorbed the message that you should always do your best and be your best self in all circumstances. My parents loved self-help books. Lots of talk about ‘The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People’. Personality tests. Success, they said, came from being positive, cheerful, and grateful. Waking up early was a mark of high morality and, of course, a measure of success. I have always been a late sleeper AND napper. My two favorite things as a child were being outside or in bed. From my parents’ perspective, there wasn’t much hope for my future. 

Turns out, all that talk of positivity and early rising has proved to be a lot of rubbish. As an adult, I love facing things from a realistic perspective. Give me the good and the bad. Even better if you let me sleep on it. The good news is that the amount of sleep a person needs has nothing to do with morality but with biology. Your chronotype, according to Psychology Today, is your body’s natural timing for sleeping, waking, and energy level, and it can affect everything from productivity and exercise to relationships and intimacy. It affects every part of your life, and it’s something you can’t master. It’s just a part of who you are. 

I bring this up because I see a lot of the thinking I grew up with threaded through social media. There are lots of posts about how the most successful people wake up at 4 am. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a list of the successful people who sleep in. Perhaps what they want is a formula that spells out success instead of admitting that success depends mostly on hard work, a bit of luck, and being at the right place at the right time, a formula that is more about presence than anything else.

Another myth I see a lot of is about motivation. Motivation is an element that people think they need for success. When they have it, they brag about it. When they don’t, they moan about the lack. 

What I’ve experienced personally and read in other types of self-help books is that, again, success has nothing to do with motivation. As described by James Clear in Atomic Habits, “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” The world you build for yourself has more power than any internal drive that may or may not elect to show up on any given day. 

The reality of MoTivation

As the industry continues to shift (and wow, I’m thinking it’s going to be a bumpy ride), it’s hard to know what to expect. We can no longer rely on the idea that if we show up and do a good job, everything will be okay. We don’t know what’s going to happen. But out of the chaos, I see one powerful entity emerge. Community. 

More than ever, our ability to find each other, learn about our strengths and weaknesses, and build on each other’s ideas will do more for the industry than anything else. This is ‘We Energy’. This is MoTivation. 

Where does “MoTivation” come from?

I first heard the term MoTivation from Rosie Sherry and Simon Tomes in Episode 2 of Into the MoTaverse: Career growth with a Community as a Service (CaaS). Ministry of Testing is evolving its community into a tightly integrated platform where learning, contribution, recognition and connection all reinforce each other. Rosie and Simon describe how building their own system revealed “the intelligence that there is within the community” and how features like the star algorithm help people realise “I am useful. I am helpful.” 

In this model, Community as a Service (CaaS) means treating community not as a loose collection of conversations but as an intentional, structured service that lifts people up, creates opportunities, and turns participation into meaningful career growth. As Rosie puts it, “we help get things done, but we credit the people along the way,” using data, design, and care to make community a reliable, ongoing service rather than a passive gathering.

Inspired by their talk, I thought about MoTivation. If motivation is something that comes and goes, something that may be there one morning and gone the next, is MoTivation more reliable? “MoTivation” isn’t something that you hope will be there when you resolve to learn, grow, and expand. Your MoTivation is already there across the MoTaverse. The articles are ready to be read. The certificates can be started today. And when you participate, your activity is reflected with stars earned along the journey.

In Rosie Sherry’s words, “you can potentially have a trickle of stars just come your way”. All it takes is participation. 

Where should I start?

As always, it’s best to start with The Basics. Here’s where you can get MoTivated. With a free account, you can build out your profile, earn badges, initiate conversations, and share your knowledge. As a community member, you start experiencing support from the MoT community, a group of people who love tech and hard work and have a strange affinity for ducks. The more you share, potentially, the more stars you earn. You can also mark yourself as “Open To” a variety of opportunities, like working, writing, podcasting, or meeting at MoTacon. 

This is where the community magic starts. But it’s only the beginning. 

The trail of community stars continues…

Once you’re enrolled as a PRO member, the opportunities expand exponentially. Join the Slack channel, and you will have access to all the community discussions. Some of my favorites are the #bug-congrats and the #events channel. Speaking of events, you now have access to all events happening in the community. There are Chapters (similar to meetups) events happening all over the world. You can join a chapter, connect with others, and start building your skill set through shared knowledge. And, if you’re ready to start diving into all the resources, you now have access to learning resources like:

• All On-Demand courses
• Over 1,000 talks
• Certification Discounts

And, as a registered member, you can stretch your contributor muscles by adding links to the observatory, adding Moments, posting jobs that cross your newsfeed, and submitting your proposals for contributions. 

Finally, dive into the MoTaverse

While there is a free account option, it only gives you limited access to learn and contribute. Professional membership is where it is at to make the most of the Ministry of Testing. Professional members can build their profiles through a multitude of activities. Every ondemand course is waiting for you to learn and earn badges for completion. There are over 1,000 talks from hundreds of quality professionals to listen to. Want to come to the best quality and testing focused conference in the world? MoT has got you, as registration of MoTaCon (previously TestBash) is included in your Pro membership. One click to register and you’re in! 

But that’s not all you get. Every virtual and in person event is available to attend with your active membership. Catch up on the latest Insights, add your own moments or celebrate others and join in the debates. Add links to the observatory, share your thoughts by adding to the glossary. You can even create your own collections, post jobs, and submit your own proposals for contribution. The only thing not included are Certificates such as STEC (Software Testing Essentials Certificate) and SQEC (Software Quality Engineering Certificate), but you do get a discount. 

Legend has it that those who purchase an unlimited membership turn into fiery unicorns, fueled with the power of the ages, and live eternally in a golden land lit with flaming sunsets. Okay, I might have dreamt that up. What is true is that with an Unlimited membership, you have access to everything Pro and all the certificates you can eat! Well, take and learn and show off your qualification after.  

But it’s not just the content you have access to. It’s the people. And that is the most powerful magic of all. 

Here’s what I know. There will be good days, and there will be bad days. Technology will continue to shift. The dawn of the printing press triggered fears that, because books could be churned out so easily, the only text we’d read would be rubbish. AI slop, anyone? 

Being surrounded by thoughtful people will help us decide where the value lies with any new tool. We think we are living in brand-new times, but no. We are experiencing an innovative world. This is not to be feared. The community is with you. We may feel stressed or uncertain, but there is one thing we never have to feel. Aone. 

To sum up

Got comments or thoughts? Share them in the comments box below. If you like, use the ideas below as starting points for reflection and discussion.

Questions to discuss

• How has the power of MoTivation moved you in ways you didn’t expect?
• How would you like to grow in your career?
• Are you able to identify any blockers to participating in the community? 

Actions to take

• Explore the membership page
• Attend your first This Week in Quality. Bonus points if you join the stage and share what your week was like. 
• If you’re a PRO member, post your first moment. It can be a meme, a reflection, or anything you feel would be useful to share.
• Watch an on-demand course or sign up for one of the certification courses

Resources: 

• Career growth with a Community as a Service (CaaS) mindset - Into The MoTaverse - Episode 2 
• Crowdsourcing your learning by Melissa Eaden 
• Motivation from Wikipedia 
• The psychology of motivation: what drives us to succeed? University of Pennsylvania