Have you ever had a goal you worked on for months?
It is a goal that you are doing mostly because you ‘have to,’ not necessarily because it is your soul’s calling?
Lets face it, in this world (although there are some people who can turn the extrinsic goals to intrinsic goals), there are many things we do because the motivation is coming from the outside.
An example of this is to do something with the purpose of making more money, getting more material possessions, being publicly recognized for your work, receiving awards, getting bonuses, and earning benefits.
I think it is important to be acknowledged, make financial gains and be rewarded for our hard work. However, if you are only extrinsically motivated, without there being an internal reward, the satisfaction is almost dry.
Initially, there is perhaps a sense of pride, accomplishment, even satisfaction, but how long would that last when there is no internal gains?
When you finally accomplish a goal, after the initial high wears off, it leaves you feeling somewhat empty.
Of course, there is a massive relief you experience for accomplishing what you set out to accomplish, but somewhere along your life, with this cycle of external motivation, you feel…. nothing.
When you look at the richest people in the world, they are constantly moving on to the next achievement. There is a drive to get more and more satisfaction, to move on from one accomplishment to the next.
If we look at the PERMA model (acronym for Positive emotions, engagement, relationship, meaning and accomplishment), which was created by Martin Seligman, we would be looking at the accomplishment part without the positive emotions or relationship. Although there is probably a level of engagement evolved as an act of achieving can put us in a state of flow, and give a bit of meaning that often comes from the drive.
The most important priority becomes success and accomplishment.
To get to the top of the ladder.
And when you are so focused on getting to the top, when you get there, it often also feels lonely.
And where does connection, happiness, joy, contentment, life satisfaction come into this?
Without internal motivation, the accomplishment is lacking. On the other hand, with only internal motivation and no external rewards, survival is difficult.
Although the ideal world would have the balance between the external and internal, the reality does not always look like that. Life sometimes gives you the initial option to choose between the two. This choice can then shape what is to come.
Reflective Questions to Consider:
What motivates you to get out of bed?
Are you extrinsically or intrinsically motivated? And why?
When you are struggling, what motivates you to keep on going?
Think of your biggest source of motivation. And if that source was out of equation, what would you do?
What are factors in life that make it hard to stay motivated? If you had to think of a solution to these factors, what would they be?
To someone struggling with remaining self-motivated, what would the message you would like to give be?
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