What are things misleading about motivation and self-awareness?

At the start of a new year, many of us are innately thinking of our goals for the months ahead. And as we do so, it’s worth paying attention not just to the challenges themselves, but also the reasons we are taking them on.

For example, we you plan to write a novel, do you have the sheer pleasure of creating a fictional world inhabited by unique characters? Or are you doing it because your love for literature is something? and want to make a change to your culture? Perhaps you simply want to fulfil your wildest desire or want to feel like writing a best-seller feels like a great path to recognition. Each question represents a different source of motivation with distinct consequences - good and bad. Research shows that picking the right goal, for the right reason, will make you more engaged and determined. The more you concentrate on one task, the less you get distracted.

A reward in itself

Are you writing a novel to fulfil a passion or because you want notoriety?

Have you ever noticed before?

You have been immersed in an activity that you have not noticed time passing. This is known as "intrinsic" motivation. You feel an inherent fascination and curiosity in certain activities, which makes completing a task become its reward.

Simply, when you are not just doing what you love but enjoy the process. Then, intrinsic motivation takes place.

Often, however, we may lack sufficient intrinsic motivation to do a task that is necessary to meet our goals, and so we need to encourage ourselves – or be encouraged – by different forms of “extrinsic” motivation.

Here they are:

Identification: While you may not enjoy the activity itself, it may appeal to your broader values and goals – providing another form of motivation.

For a teacher, it can be recognition of the importance of education and their role in enhancing students’ futures as better as a teacher. Moreover, it can motivate students to spend extra hours marking homework.

This is not about getting engaged or something but doing work that expands knowledge and gains benefits that help to achieve goals.

Introjection: Sometimes we put pressure on ourselves to preserve our ego and self-image. “Your self-esteem may depend on the activity,” explains Van den Broeck. You are worried that if you don’t meet your goal, you will feel shame and a sense of failure.

External regulation: Sometimes, motivation comes purely from external rewards – such as fame and fortune. In some workplaces, external regulation may come as performance-related bonuses and salary increases. You continue to put in the work to get the money, even if you find the tasks themselves to be rather dull and meaningless.

Examples make things easier. Here is a living proof example:

A global poll conducted by Gallop uncovered a sad reality that 85% of people hate their job whereas 15% of people are captivated at work. 9 to 5 job is the toughest part of going through without punching someone in the face. How would you find motivation in an activity you hate? There is more than less possibility to be productive and get engaged.

Research endorses that by creating and picking objective goals, for the right reasons, you will be more engrossed with determination.

The effects of the other types of motivation tend to be more ambiguous.

External regulation – purely financial incentives to perform well – proved to have the worst effects. As someone’s primary form of motivation, its effects on things like engagement and performance were limited, while also leading to worse well-being. There is even some evidence that people who are motivated purely by extrinsic rewards are more likely to act dishonestly, such as lying about their performance to get the recognition they desire.

What do you want??

It is important to take these conclusions with an important caveat: If someone is struggling with the cost-of-living crisis, for example, then ‘external’ motivations such as the promise of an increased pay packet could make a real difference. “You do have to be careful about concluding all sectors of the workforce,” he says. Once your basic needs have been met, however, then intrinsic motivation becomes far more significant, says MacRae. So, if you are in a relatively stable financial position, you might re-think starting a new project or position solely for the extra cash, unless you think that it would also incite your curiosity or give you a sense of meaning and purpose.

The pleasure principle

Self-determination theory isn’t all about work; it can also inform our hobbies, too.

Do you aim to learn a language, for instance, simply because you think it would sound impressive? Or does it derive from a genuine interest in the culture or a specific need to communicate with the language’s speakers? If you are inspired by the latter, you will find the inevitable hard work much less of an ordeal than someone who is looking to learn the language for the social cachet of being multilingual.

With your fitness, meanwhile, you might put pressure on yourself to do the hardest activity you can manage, simply because you want to prove your abilities to yourself or others, and you may feel that you’re somehow failing if you don’t push yourself to the absolute maximum.

None of these reasons reflects much intrinsic motivation.

Why not choose an activity that is slightly less strenuous but far more pleasurable?

If you are more likely to stick with the activity, the long-term commitment will pay greater dividends. Life is short, after all, and there is only so much that we can achieve with the time we are given. Self-determination theory reminds us we need to be selective about the activities that we pursue. If you focus on the goals that are most personally meaningful and pleasurable, and ignore those that have been inspired or imposed by others, self-improvement does not have to be a chore, but a source of joy.