Sources Of Motivation
Author: Curtis George Norton Jr.
July 03, 2019
Sources Of Motivation
Motivation doesn't come out of nowhere, and it's not a thing
that some people are born with and others aren't. It's not a thing that is
created, it is something that is found. While you might think that you don't
have any motivation, the truth is that you just haven't found it yet.
This article will discuss different sources of motivation.
Some of them may not speak to you but at least one of the sources on this list
may just be the font of your motivation, waiting to be discovered.
Intrinsic And Extrinsic Motivation
A popular theory of motivation today is that of Intrinsic
and extrinsic motivation.
Intrinsic
Motivation is when you want to do something because it has personal value
to you. Extrinsic
motivation is when you want to do something because it is important to
someone else who is somehow incentivizing you to do it.
Intrinsic motivation is generally thought to be a stronger
force than extrinsic motivation, but extrinsic motivation is strangely capable
of overcoming
intrinsic motivation, though the opposite can also be true. If you are
offered a great extrinsic motivation, like a great deal of money, it may
distract you from the fact that you are not achieving a personally important
goal.
Alternatively, if an opportunity that is dear to your heart
comes up, you might jump at it despite the fact that it doesn't make very much
money.
Sources Of External Motivation
Money
As mentioned above, money is a common source of external
motivation. There are a lot of things that we will do for money, and whenever
we are doing something for money we are not doing it entirely because it is
important to us.
That isn't necessarily a bad thing, however. Finding a way
to make money from something you love is a great way to survive while acting on
your intrinsic motivators as well.
External Pressure
Sometimes we do things not because it is important to us,
but because it is important to those around us.
If you are doing something for someone around you because of
powers like love, friendship, or goodwill, these can be intrinsic motivators.
If you are doing something for someone around you because they are promising a
reward or threatening you, these are extrinsic motivators.
Like money, external pressure is not necessarily a bad
thing. Sometimes people pressure us to do things because they care about us and
it may not be a bad idea to listen.
Sources Of Internal Motivation
Passion
Passion is perhaps the most powerful and most common
intrinsic motivator. It involves doing things that we are interested in, or
that are important to us.
Our passions don't always offer the most lucrative
opportunities, at least not right away, but finding a way to relate your
passion to your current occupation can help you to understand why it is important.
Duty
Duty is like a combination of passion and the external
pressure mentioned above. A sense of duty comes when you feel a responsibility
to do what you do well, even if you don't care very much about what you are
doing.
Suppose you dream of being an archeologist but your current
job involves working at a fast food restaurant. It's not your passion, but if
you feel like you have to do a good job because you are being trusted – and
paid – to do good job, then you feel a sense of duty.
A sense of duty can help you find motivation in instances
that may otherwise be difficult to bring yourself to complete. Likely for this
reason, a sense of duty is included in many religions.
"There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure." -- Colin Powell
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