Motivation
A basic overview
This is part of a personal learning exercise inspired by Feynman’s Technique for Learning, feel free to identify gaps or opportunities for improvement.
Motivation is the will to do something. When you do or say things you believe will help you reach a goal or satisfy a curiosity, you have motivation. Sometimes you aren’t aware of your motivations. What motivates you, and how much it motivates you depends on what you think is important. It also depends on your environment you grew up in and habits you’ve developed.
Many different things motivate people. You may think things like money, nice stuff, or other people’s attention are the best motivators. These are extrinsic motivators because they are things outside or external to you. Extrinsic rewards are motivating for basic tasks done by following clear steps like sweeping the floor. But, when it comes to doing things that take thinking and extra energy, intrinsic motivators are stronger. Intrinsic rewards are things like having fun, feeling like a better person, or helping with something you care about.
Not all motivation is a conscious choice. You may not realize you have motivation for something at first. Much of motivation comes from dopamine, a chemical in your body that causes you to want, search, and act. Have you ever reached for another Oreo when you don’t actually want one? Or picked up your phone and 1 hour later found yourself deep in an Internet rabbit hole? If this is familiar, you know what dopamine feels like.
Scientists have found three motivators that are the most powerful: play, purpose, and potential. Having a sense of control over what you are doing and how you are doing it is important to these motivators. You can choose to be playful, believe in the purpose of something, or feel like the thing has potential to help you with your goals. When you have fun using your skills to test out ideas or learn new things you will have a lot of motivation to help you! When you can see your progress, get better at something, and it is relevant to things you care about, your motivation will be even stronger.
Your values influence what motivates you. Values are things that are important to you like family, health, winning, or kindness. Unfortunately people might steal from or even hurt others to get what they want. Motivation drives those negative things too. This happens when someone’s untrue beliefs guide their values. A person’s motivation can get stronger the more they believe in something, even if acting on that belief doesn’t end up making them happy. Everyone shares basic values for things like having enough to eat and belonging in relationships. But not everyone shares all the same values.
Taking time to think about your values can help you develop and use motivation to improve your life.
References
ARCS Model. (2022). Arcs-model-explained. https://www.arcsmodel.com/arcs-model
Center for Self-Determination Theory. (2014). selfdeterminationtheory.org — Theory. Selfdeterminationtheory.org. https://selfdeterminationtheory.org/theory/
Doshi, N., & Mcgregor, L. (2015). Primed to perform : how to build the highest performing cultures through the science of total motivation. Harper Business, An Imprint Of Harpercollins Publishers.
Gillihan, S. (2018). Cognitive behavioral therapy made simple : 10 strategies for managing anxiety, depression, anger, panic, and worry. Althea Press.
Hopper, E. (2020). Maslow’s hierarchy of needs explained. ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/maslows-hierarchy-of-needs-4582571
Pink, D. H. (2011). Drive : the suprising truth about what motivates us. Canongate.
Weinschenk, S. M. (2011). 100 Things Every Designer Needs To Know About People. New Riders.
