What is Intrinsic Motivation and How to Get Intrinsically Motivated

I bet you have heard the term “intrinsic motivation”, and you wonder how you can be intrinsically motivated to achieve better success in life.

So, what exactly is intrinsic motivation?

In short, intrinsic motivation is the drive that arises from within the individual because it is naturally satisfying to him or her.

On the other hand, extrinsic motivation is the drive that arises as a result of external things or events.

According to the book, Introduction to Psychology: Gateways to Mind and Behavior With Concept Maps, the author defines intrinsic motivation as:

“Intrinsic motivation occurs when we act without any obvious external rewards. We simply enjoy an activity or see it as an opportunity to explore, learn, and actualize our potentials.”

For instance, when you do something because you have a passion for it, it is said that you’re intrinsically driven.

But when you do something because of an external factor, like, you do it because you want to get paid, then you are extrinsically motivated by the pay, not motivated internally.

Why Intrinsic Motivation is Important

Most of us have come across all kinds of extrinsic motivations. In the workplace, our companies pay us when we work harder and deliver better results.

In sales, people are rewarded for hitting their targets. Many times, companies will reward their employees with bonuses, commissions, and even overseas trips when the team or individual achieved a certain result.

This is the prime example of extrinsic motivation, but we seldom talk about intrinsic motivation.

If you look at most of the successful people out there, most of them are intrinsically motivated to achieve what they want in life, not through external factors.

Imagine billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg, Warren Buffett, and Elon Musk, if they are extrinsically motivated by money, they will never choose to continue to work today.

However, these extraordinary people are not extrinsically motivated. They are not motivated because of the money. They don’t do it for the reward.

Instead, they do it because they find deep meaning in what they do. They want to make an impact on people’s lives, and they continue to pursue excellence because of the meaning they give to their work. By the way, if you aspire to be a successful entrepreneur, check out this website.

When you are extrinsically motivated, like if you are motivated because of money, when you make enough of it or when you’re comfortable with it, you will never strive for more.

This is why intrinsic motivation is important.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that extrinsic motivation isn’t important, but what I’m trying to say is that both types of motivations have their own pros and cons.

And you need to understand how to channel the energy you get from them to help you achieve what you want in life.

In other words, learn to understand yourself and manage your motivations so that you can drive yourself to achieve great success in life.

If you want to understand more about intrinsic motivation, read this article below:

7 Most Common Examples of Intrinsic Motivation that Drive You

Intrinsic Motivation VS Extrinsic Motivation, Which is Better?

Do you think intrinsic motivation is better or extrinsic motivation is better?

Well, the answer is it depends. Imagine a couple of scenarios below…

Intrinsically Motivated:

• Participate in a sport because you have a passion for it.
• Cleaning your room because you like things to be organized.
• Solving a puzzle because you like the challenge and find it fun.

Extrinsically Motivated:

• Participating in a sport because you want to win the award.
• Cleaning your room because your parents ask you to.
• Solving a puzzle because it is a part of your school’s project and assignment.

If you look at the above scenarios, there is no such thing as good or bad motivation.

It is good that you are intrinsically motivated to play tennis because you enjoy it. At the same time, it is also good if you are extrinsically motivated to win the tennis competition because you want the rewards.

Just like how your beliefs system works, there is no good or bad beliefs, just beliefs that empower you or dis-empower you.

For instance, do you think you’re too old or you’re too young to start your own business? There is no such thing as being too young or too old, it depends on how your belief can empower you to achieve your goals.

Therefore, the same goes for motivation.

You need to have both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to achieve outstanding success in life.

It is great to have a strong passion for the business you’re building. And it is even better if you are also driven to achieve the external rewards your business brings.

Do you get it?

There are no good or bad motivations, only for motivation that drives you toward your aims.

How to Improve Your Intrinsic Motivation

Now that you understand how intrinsic motivation works, but how can you improve it so that you can become more motivated internally to pursue your goals and dreams?

Here are 3 methods of how you can do so…

1. Find meaning in what you do

I learned an important lesson from Laszlo Bock and his book, Work Rules: Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead.

In the book, Laszlo shared a story of fish slicer named Sherpa who worked in Mount Everest’s base camps, who has to carry bags of provisions and accompany fellow trekkers to submit the highest point on earth.

When people asked Sherpa what he thinks about his work, he said that regardless of whether his job is to help people to climb to the top of the world or to work in the restaurant, both jobs are important because they both involved helping people.

This is the kind of meaning you need to find in your work/career/business, or whatever projects you are pursuing.

As Kevin Kruse said, “Life is about making an impact, not making an income.”

You need to find out the meaning of work by helping people and making an impact.

When you found your meaning, you will be intrinsically motivated and connected with your deepest purpose.

Remember what happened when the late John F. Kennedy visited NASA? He saw a janitor carrying a broom, and out of curiosity, he asked the janitor what he was doing.

And the janitor said, “I’m helping to land a man on the moon.”

That’s the kind of meaning you need to find in your work. When you discover your meaning, you will be intrinsically motivated to do more, to perform better, and to strive for excellence.

2. Develop your passion

Besides finding a meaning for what you do, you can also increase your intrinsic motivation through passion.

Yes, I bet you have heard it a gazillion times, “follow your passion”.

Now, I don’t think we need to find our passion, it is already in us. We just need to bring it out.

Some people found out what they love to do at an early stage, but most people fail to discover their passions.

So how do you find your passion? Well, read this book, The Magic of Thinking Big. David Schwartz, the author explained that we can develop passion in what we do rather than ‘finding’ it.

Meaning, you can create and build your passion for what you do.

You just need to dig deeper into the subject, learn more about it, spend time understanding it, and master it.

For example, how much do you know about badminton? Chances are, if you’re not passionate about badminton, you will never know much about it.

You don’t know how to play it, you don’t know who’s the top players, and you don’t even know if there is a badminton hall near your house.

But if you’re a passionate badminton player, like me, I know a lot about the sport. I know how to play, I know who’s the best players, I know where to play, and I play badminton every week.

The point is that when you dig deeper into the subject, you will dig up the passion. The more you understand about something, the more you will love it.

And when you’re passionate about what you do, you will be intrinsically motivated for it.

That’s how you can create and build a passion for what you do. Master the subject.

3. Have an exciting grand vision

In my previous article, I shared by having a vision is important to your success. In the article, I gave an example of how IBM grew into a multi-billion dollar empire.

Thomas Watson, the founder of IBM said that when he first started, he already had a very clear idea of how he wanted his company to look like. And then he asked what he needed to do to get there. And from the very beginning, he acted like how he wanted IBM to be.

That’s the power of having a grand vision.

If you want to increase your intrinsic motivation, you need to start with the end in mind.

See the things that you want to achieve in your mind. Let the excitement of your dream and your vision to drive you internally.

Think about it, why do you wake up each morning? Why do you want to go to work?

If you go to work because of the salary, you will never find it fun to work. Instead, you need to create a vision for your work.

What do you want to achieve in your career in the future? What will you be doing in the next 5 or 10 years?

When you have a strong, exciting, and empowering vision, you will feel excited to work on it.

But when you work because of the pay, you will never do your best because you will get paid as long as you get the job done. You will never go all out or do it with your full heart.

This is why it is important to have a grand vision that excites you in life.

Just like what Steve Jobs once said, “If you are working on something exciting that you really care about, you don’t have to be pushed. The vision pulls you.”

Hence, create a vision that motivates you. Build a dream that excites you and makes you look forward to achieving it.

If you want to learn how to do this, start with your goals. Learn from Goal Setting Formula and discover what you truly want to achieve in life.