---
title: Are You Motivated by Pain or Pleasure?
description: Are you driven by pain or pleasure? I left a job I liked to build my own business. Here's how my motivation changed over 10 years.
image: https://jensnielsen.us/hubfs/unnamed.jpg
---

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 October 06, 2026

# Are You Motivated by Pain or Pleasure?

[By Jens Nielsen](https://jensnielsen.us/blog/author/by-jens-nielsen)

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Are you motivated by pain or pleasure?

That might sound like a strange question, but think back to when we were living in caves. Every day was a struggle to survive, and we only really had two levels of motivation.

The first was to remove ourselves from pain. Pain in this context was hunger, thirst, cold, heat, physical threats, etc.

Pleasure was comfort, community, intimacy, safety, etc.

If we think about it, nothing has really changed. Everything we do is meant to fulfill one of those basic needs.

We have a job so we can pay for a place to live, food, and other comforts. That is, moving away from pain and towards pleasure.

We have friends, romantic partners, and other social interactions because they move us away from the pain of loneliness and towards pleasure.

When I started building my own business, the core motivator for me was getting out of pain. The pain at that time was my job.

I actually liked my job. Great pay, lots of autonomy, and awesome colleagues.  
However, the challenge was the commute and a lack of freedom. The 9-to-5 grind with a few weeks of vacation per year wasn't what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

That motivation is what led me down the path of real estate investing, coaching, and consulting.

I've been on this path for over 10 years, and my motivation has changed dramatically. Now my pleasure comes from service. The clients and partners I have the opportunity to serve are what keep me going every day.

Yeah, pain (fear) shows up sometimes, especially when I think too hard about the fact that the success of my business rests on my shoulders. But then I remind myself that being in control is what I so desperately wanted 10 years ago. It's been 6 years since I left my job, and I have not looked back.

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