What drives people to do what they do, to be happy or unhappy?
Tony Robbins at TED 2006 lays the basics out for us

He breaks it down into the six needs all humans have.

The first 4:
Certainty - or the desire to avoid pain
Variety - pleasant ones we call surprises, unpleasant ones we label problems
Significance - to feel unique. This is the need that often propels humans to use violence and
Connection - to people, animals and God.
These he labels personality needs and claims that everyone finds a way to fulfill them.

The remaining 2:
Growth - and
Contribution beyond the self - he calls spiritual needs and claims that achieving in these areas allows us to feel fulfillment.

Our unique drivers are a result of the "map" each of us uses to navigate the world, comprised of the:

• Needs we focus on or feel compelled to satisfy, the
• Beliefs we hold about our world & selves and the
• Emotions we experience (about 12 for the average person/day) and which we focus on (positive vs. negative).

He ends with a very moving story about reactions to the 9/11 attack and you're left with a better understanding of why you do what you do.
-----------------------------------
From http://www.ted.com Tony Robbins discusses the "invisible forces" that motivate everyone's actions -- and high-fives Al Gore in the front row.

TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers are invited to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes.

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, politics and the arts.

Watch the Top 10 TEDTalks on TED.com, at http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/top10