Understanding What Truly Motivates You

Imagine you've always dreamed of becoming a professional artist. The opportunity is finally here, and you're creating a portfolio for art programs. But as the deadline approaches, you suddenly feel unmotivated, avoiding your canvas altogether. Or perhaps you're trying to build a new habit, like exercising regularly, and find your initial enthusiasm quickly fades.

Why does motivation seem so fickle? What exactly is this force that drives you?

Psychologists define motivation as the desire or impetus to initiate and maintain a particular behavior. In simpler terms, it's the energy that pushes you to do something. Understanding the source of this energy is crucial for maintaining your drive, especially when you're working on personal growth, building habits, or managing your emotions.

Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic: The Two Pillars of Motivation

Your motivational forces generally fall into two broad categories: intrinsic and extrinsic.

Intrinsic Motivation: The Joy of Doing

Intrinsic motivation is at play when you experience an activity as an end in itself. Think about a hobby you love, like playing video games or painting just for the sheer joy of it. The experience itself explains your desire to do it. When you perform tasks that feel right in the moment, or that you find meaningful, interesting, or satisfying, you're being driven by intrinsic motivation. This is about the internal reward, the satisfaction you get from the process itself.

Extrinsic Motivation: The Means to an End

Extrinsic motivation, on the other hand, refers to pursuing a task as a means to an end. Consider going to the dentist. Few people find it enjoyable, but you're motivated by the outcome: having clean, healthy teeth. Other examples include completing a task to receive a reward, whether it's praise, power, or money. These rewards often come later, like receiving a bonus at the end of a quarter or winning a competition after months of training.

Why Intrinsic Motivation Often Leads to Lasting Habits

While extrinsic rewards, like getting paid, can seem appealing, their effectiveness can be surprisingly short-lived. A 2017 study, for instance, found that those who were highly focused on the outcomes of their New Year's resolutions—meaning they were primarily driven by extrinsic motivation—were less likely to stick to them. What did predict persistence was how much a person enjoyed pursuing their goals.

This means you're more likely to maintain an exercise routine if you take classes you genuinely enjoy, rather than just those that promise to build your biceps. Years of psychology research have consistently shown that high levels of intrinsic motivation—whether for school, a job, or an exercise class—are more likely to keep you engaged in the long run. When you find joy in the process, your commitment naturally deepens.

The Complex Dance of Motivators: When More Isn't Always Better

Day-to-day actions are rarely exclusively intrinsically or extrinsically motivated. For example, studying for a history exam can be intrinsically motivated if you're genuinely curious about ancient Egypt. But extrinsic motivators may also be at play, as you aim for a good grade or feel pressure from family to do well in school.

However, having multiple motivators isn't always better. One study of military cadets found that those driven by both intrinsic motivators (like self-improvement) and extrinsic motivators (like the outcome of getting a good job) were overall less motivated than cadets driven by just one of these factors. As a result, these cadets performed worse and were less likely to graduate.

Psychologists call this the overjustification effect: the idea that additional extrinsic motivators can actually muddy the waters when you already have the intrinsic drive to do something. If you already love painting, being offered money for every brushstroke might actually diminish your internal joy for the art.

Harnessing Extrinsic Motivation for Tedious Tasks

But the overjustification effect is only a problem if you already find a task intrinsically motivating. When you're faced with an activity you find tedious or uninteresting, adding extrinsic rewards can be incredibly beneficial. In these cases, extrinsic motivators can provide sufficient justification to get you started and keep you going.

While you may never enjoy doing the laundry, it might feel less daunting if you get praise from a loved one, or if you promise yourself that you'll watch your favorite TV show when you're done folding. These small external rewards can make a big difference for tasks that lack inherent appeal.

Boosting Your Drive: Practical Steps for Your Journey

Motivation is complicated, and sometimes, no matter how passionate you are about a goal or hobby, finding the drive to actually do it can be difficult. But there are concrete things you can do to increase your drive, even when it feels impossible:

• Focus on building intrinsic motivation: Make the task more fun in the moment. Can you add an element of play? Can you connect it to something you genuinely enjoy?
• Incorporate social elements: Asking a friend to join you for a workout or a study session can provide both accountability and enjoyment.
• Create an enjoyable environment: Simply putting on your favorite playlist while you work on a project or clean your space can give you the boost to get started and stick with your goals for the long haul.

By understanding the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, you can strategically apply these forces to your habits, your personal growth, and your overall well-being. Focus on finding the joy in the process, and you'll discover a powerful, sustainable drive within you.