The Myth of Motivational Stories
Why Fairytales Fall Flat and What Really Motivates People
I recently came across the story of President Kennedy and the NASA janitor, relayed by Luca Dellana on the Infinite Loops podcast. And something just didn’t sit right. It’s meant to be inspiring, but is it really? The segment began with the story of the bricklayers — the original motivational tale.
And we’ve all heard some version of the motivational tale. These stories are supposed to light a fire under our asses, pushing us to be better, work harder, aim higher. But here’s the problem: a lot of them are total crap.
Let’s start with the story of Christopher Wren and the bricklayers. You know the one — the master architect visits the site of St. Paul’s Cathedral and asks three bricklayers what they’re doing. The first says he’s building a wall. The second he’s laying bricks to feed his family. The third? He’s building a cathedral for the ages, with a sparkle in his eye.
Sounds inspiring, right? Except there’s no record of this ever happening. It’s a fabrication that first appeared in a 1927 book with zero citations. In reality, there’s no evidence that Wren ever had this chat, let alone that the third bricklayer was destined for greatness because of his visionary response.
But we cling to these stories. Why? Because it’s easier to believe in a fairytale than to confront the messy, complicated truth about what motivates people.
Fast forward to the 1960s, and we get the same story with a modern twist. President Kennedy supposedly asks a janitor at NASA what he’s doing, and the janitor replies, “I’m helping put a man on the moon.” Again, no evidence this exchange ever happened. Yet we love it because it makes us feel warm and fuzzy about teamwork and purpose.
NASA didn’t need a fake story to prove their people were motivated. There are countless real accounts of engineers and scientists who were so committed to the moon landing that they destroyed their personal lives in the process. The truth is compelling enough — so why are we so addicted to lies?
Because stories are easy. They wrap up life’s complexities into a neat little package that’s easy to digest. If you want to inspire real, lasting change, you’ve got to ditch the fairytales. People aren’t stupid — they can smell it a mile away. When they find out the story you used to motivate them was a lie, your credibility takes a nosedive.
Take the NASA story. When you acknowledge the janitor’s effort in keeping the bathrooms clean, you’re validating the tangible, immediate impact of their work. It’s real, it’s present, and it’s something they can immediately absorb. As an acquisition entrepreneur, you’ll find people are motivated when they see the direct results of their labor being valued, especially in tasks that might otherwise feel thankless. It’s the difference between being a cog in a machine and being a valued part of the team.
