There have probably been times in your life when you didn’t feel interested in doing something productive, even though you knew it was important and necessary. At other times, you may have felt very eager about something even though there was not much to gain from it. This could have been due to the different types of motivation that influence you.
Simply defined, motivation is what drives, pushes and makes us want to achieve certain things. It is an urge which makes us think or act in a way that fulfils our goals and wishes. By acting on our motivations, we try to reduce discomfort and maximize pleasure. However, the factors that motivate us aren’t always constant, and they may keep changing based on the situation.
There are two types of motivation which influence us:
Intrinsic motivation: This is the motivation that comes from within us, especially when we are inherently interested in or enjoying a task. It means that what you are doing is important and meaningful to you and you enjoy yourself while doing it. Since it is genuinely pleasant and enjoyable, you may want to engage in this irrespective of your environment, others’ opinions, or what you gain out of it.
Think about your life outside of work, especially your hobbies or interests. These are things you do because you really enjoy it, feel interested in it and can challenge yourself. You may not get anything as a reward (let’s say by painting or playing sports) but you do it because the personal satisfaction is quite enough.
Extrinsic motivation: This form of motivation is usually driven by aspects of our environment, rather than from within ourselves. We may engage in certain behaviours to get something in return, like for example, a compliment, money, avoiding an unpleasant situation, etc.
Let’s say, for example, that you chose to study computer science (to land a well-paying job), even though your true passion was photography. In such a scenario, wanting a good salary was an extrinsic motivation which pushed you to your decision, even though computer science wasn’t your real passion.
Applying these to our daily lives
In your day-to-day experiences, try to reflect on how both intrinsic and extrinsic motivators are influencing you, as this can help in understanding what really keeps you going.
If you need more extrinsic motivators for some activities (like completing a project within a deadline), try to come up with some internal/intrinsic rewards (for example, your manager’s appreciation, a salary hike, a sense of satisfaction that the work is done, etc.) Identifying internal rewards can help you feel more motivated to complete the task.
If you feel stuck with a specific task or activity, take some time to understand which motivators would work best for you and evaluate your experiences with them (if you are trying to lose weight, what would help you keep up your progress: your personal trainer’s encouragements, a loved one complimenting your weight loss, feeling happy when you look in the mirror?).
Continue to look out for and explore opportunities that you enjoy just for the sake of doing them, as this can contribute to your overall satisfaction and happiness.
If you would like to discuss this further or need some help or support in this or any other area, our counsellors would be happy to help.
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