The Drive to Succeed: Motivation

Now that I’ve delved into the subject of emotional intelligence, I’ve learned a lot about my own EQ, and what I need to work on. The more I read about emotional intelligence, the more I see that what I am really lacking is motivation. Oh, I do things. A lot of things every day. But I find more often than not, I lack what’s called intrinsic motivation. What’s intrinsic motivation? We’re going to talk about intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and what the difference is. Turns out, it’s kind of a big deal.

Extrinsic Motivation

Extrinsic motivation is what most people think of as incentives. These are rewards for doing a task that come from outside yourself; like money, fame and things like that. While there’s nothing wrong with a little “atta boy” every now and again, it’s important to note that most people need to be able to get through life without rewards for every little task.

Promotions, raises, and the like are great. Just like you, I love to get more money, fame, and recognition. But what if the drive to succeed came from within? What if doing the thing was the reward?

Intrinsic Motivation

Intrinsic motivation is the drive that comes from within. Doing the thing is the reward, not what you may receive for doing it. This could include running because you love jogging, or cleaning up because you adore a clean house. Intrinsic motivation is great, because not only do you not need a big reward to get you to do it, you want to do it. Because you enjoy the process. It’s a reward in and of itself!

Intrinsic motivation can also be a key factor in learning. Wanting to learn a new skill because you enjoy learning or are interested in the skill makes it that much easier to stay on task. The actual learning experience becomes the motivation. Why is this great? Because for a lot of people, getting a great grade just isn’t enough. Wanting the skill is much more compelling than a letter on a piece of paper.

Mix and Match Motivation!

While it’s great to get a reward, a lot of tasks we do each day have to be done because we want to do them. This is why one of key components to emotional intelligence is a mixture of both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Too much of either isn’t sustainable, either. People who receive a reward every time they complete the task start to devalue the reward. All they have to do is complete the task, and they get another kudos. By combining extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, we can get the job done without major feet dragging.

So how do we grow intrinsic motivation in ourselves? What can we do so we want to do the dang thing?

Growing Your Motivation

Studies show that three factors must be met in order to achieve intrinsic motivation:

• Belief: You have to believe that you can do that dang thing with some level of confidence. By believing that you can succeed at a task, you perceive that you will also enjoy the task at hand.
• Freedom of Choice: This is the one that most people have an issue with. You have to believe that you have a choice whether or not you do a thing. If you feel like you have to do it, you just don’t enjoy it. No one wants to feel like they don’t have a choice. Having free will to make your own decisions is imperative to intrinsic motivation.
• Relationships: If you believe that by doing a thing, that you will make better relationships with others, you are more likely to have intrinsic motivation to complete the task. Gaining common ground with others is super important to us, so the promise of garnering relationships will give that extra incentive to get the job done.

By looking at situations in a “get to” instead of “have to” way, visualizing success, and growing relationships with our fellow man, we can grow our intrinsic motivation. Being motivated from within is how we really make it through the day, not by being patted on the head every time we succeed.

What are some things you do to grow your motivation? Do you struggle with intrinsic motivation? Do you feel trapped into completing your daily tasks? Let us know in the comments below. Until next time!