The Three As
Aspiration
Aspiration is what motivates, drives, and inspires us. Our deepest aspirations are pretty consistent: connection, belonging, autonomy, purpose, agency, mattering. We want to be part of the solutions, not the problems. We aspire to making a contribution, making a difference, having an impact.
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How do we integrate all Three As?
When we get to know our stakeholders more deeply, and attune with them, these aspirations take on more nuance and specificity. We learn that aspirations are more personal, raw and specific to our circumstances, contexts, spiritual or religious values, cultures, and traditions.
We understandably tend to focus a lot on aspiration when communicating about our work and these issues, because we all know on some level that we are motivated by our aspirations and our hope. Positivity draws us forward through uncertain and turbulent times. A lot of campaigns use this common driver, they shy away from anxiety and ambivalence and focus only on aspiration, but this is when we fall into cheerleading and educating. Our goal is to integrate all aspects of the process into our work.
We need to acknowledge people’s deepest aspirations—a healthy and safe future, our children and loved ones flourishing, belonging. We do this ideally in the context of a more nuanced and empathy-driven approach. The best way to allow in aspirations is to keep them in the context of the Three As.
One of the books that’s continued to inspire us at Project InsideOut is the classic Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink. In this book, Pink explores the psychology of motivation, unpacking how focusing on extrinsic motivations, such as rewards, incentives and prizes, is not ultimately sustaining for deep and lasting change. He highlights the research on intrinsic motivations— the deeply aspirational motivations that drive us—and distills these core intrinsic motivations into Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose.
For those of us struggling to motivate people on really tough anxiety- and ambivalence-producing issues—transitioning from fossil fuels, plastics, or fast fashion or any number of consumptive practices—we recommend reading Pink’s work. His understanding of intrinsic motivations, and his related research on what fuels engagement, help us tune into what we can tap into, evoke, and nurture in our strategy and communications.
For PIO, this shows up as the Guiding Principle Equip. Equipping people with tools, resources, and competencies helps us develop their mastery over solving certain issues, their skill sets, and their capabilities. All of the Three As are factors in the work we do. When we understand how they interrelate and recombine, we can forge a more fully attuned and empathetic way to connect with ourselves, each other, and those we seek to partner with on this journey.