Intrinsic Motivation

Leveraging Intrinsic Motivation in Your Own Life

Step 1: Honestly evaluate your motivations

What goals do you currently have and why did you choose them? Why are certain activities set as priorities in your life?

Let’s take a non-science example and imagine that you have signed up for a life drawing class. You ask yourself why. Your motivations were kind of vague and ill-defined before, but you stop and try to put words to it. You discover a mix of things: You’re a bit bored lately and want the challenge; you feel like you have always had some artistic talent but feel guilty to have never capitalized on it and wonder if now’s the time; you find the thought of it quite exciting; finally, your friend just signed up and a secret part of you didn’t want to miss out.

On closer inspection, you realize that this goal is about eighty percent driven by external motivators. If you took away the guilty feelings at not “living a creative life” and if your friend suddenly dropped out, you’d realize that you actually wouldn’t be as interested. You decide that you’d rather forgo the life drawing class and invest money and time into something that you actually are genuinely interested in. That leads us to the next step.

Step 2: Seek out your true passion

Find those things in your world that hold real meaning and value for you. These are the things that you would be attracted to even if nobody else thought they were important, even if you didn’t get paid to do it (or it cost you to do it) and even if everything you achieved in that area was invisible to others.

Some people lose touch with interests they set aside to meet other people’s expectations. They may have had a lifetime of talking themselves out of projects and ideas that were “unrealistic” or not worth pursuing because they didn’t make money or win approval from others. For some, the heart’s true desire has been set aside because of the belief that they lack the talent necessary. This comes from a belief that we are only allowed to do things if we know we will excel in them. In other words, it’s that external motivation talking again! We might say, “I have always loved ballet, but I’m a size eighteen and thirty-six years old—I’m never going to be even half good at it, so there’s no point in even starting.” We forfeit the sense of passion and wonder we might have had for that avenue of exploration and take up something else we think we should—but it doesn’t satisfy.

One way to explore your interests is to remember what caught your imagination as a child. What form did all your play take? What did you do spontaneously, just because it gave you pleasure? Give yourself permission to explore that again now. You do not need to identify a single defining passion before trying something that interests you. Remember, you are not asking what you are good at, or what can make you money or impress others. You are merely asking about those corners of the universe that seem, and have always seemed, utterly fascinating to you.

You may also value what an activity contributes to other people. A scientist might enjoy the research itself and care about its possible benefits. Someone pursuing financial success may also want to support a family or build something useful. Motives can coexist; examining them helps you see which parts of a goal matter to you.

These questions help distinguish your reasons for pursuing a goal. If an activity loses its appeal without its rewards, that tells you something about your motivation; it does not automatically make the activity unworthy. You may still need the income or value the result. Where you have a choice, try giving more time to activities you enjoy in themselves and notice whether the interest lasts.