Drive

Nightmares make people move, Dreams give that movement direction.

Fears push people to act, Desires will them forward. You can pull with greater force than you can push once you train your mind to believe.

Two Forces

The brain treats social needs like survival needs. Threats trigger stress and reduce performance. Rewards increase engagement and creativity.

Layer	What It Is	Where
Foundations	Physical needs — shelter, energy, health	What we require to survive
Drives (SCARF)	Social needs — status, certainty, autonomy, belonging, fairness	How the brain enforces survival through reward/threat
Biases	Decision shortcuts — loss aversion, social proof, reciprocity	How we actually choose

Drives sit between survival needs and decision machinery. Persuasion is knowing which drive to activate and which bias to work with.

Control over your own choices. The brain treats loss of autonomy as a threat.

Everyone has a deep need to feel they matter and belong.

The brain is a prediction machine. Uncertainty is expensive.

People will burn value to punish unfairness. The brain treats inequity as a threat.

The feedback that confirms alignment. The signal that the loop is working.

We constantly assess where we stand relative to others. The brain monitors status like a vital sign.

Use fear to break inertia. Then shift to desire to sustain momentum.

The question isn't whether you have drive. It's whether your drive source is sustainable.

What desire is strong enough to outlast your fears?