真正激励你的是什么？如何保持动力？你最后一次拼命想要某样东西是什么时候？你能想到是什么驱动了你想要的欲望吗？如果你最终实现了这个目标，你的动力是什么？
当你追求你想要的东西时，无论是梦想中的工作、你渴望拥有的汽车或房子，甚至是你生命中的挚爱，都有许多力量将你吸引到那个愿望上。沿着记忆的小路走一走，想想你最后一次追逐你最终得到的东西，想想你为了得到它而经历了什么。是什么促使你得到它？
你的欲望背后的力量是什么？很有可能，如果你回顾自己的成就之路，你会发现你的动力的核心是有一个特定的目标。它也是激励你努力工作，或找到解决方案或方法来实现你最终愿望的最重要的驱动力。
有一个目标很重要，因为一旦你有了那个有意义的目标，它就会产生一种力量，要么推动你前进，要么不断地把你拉向那个目标。这种推拉是每一种动力背后的根本驱动力。然而，动机可以分为两种类型：内在的和外在的。了解这两种动态将使您更好地控制自己的动态。
什么是外在动机？让我们先看看外在动态。当我们有动力去做某事或从事某项活动以获得奖励或避免惩罚时，就会发生这种情况。这类动机的例子包括：加班以完成一个项目，因为你想得到老板的某种形式的批准；或准时上班以避免被老板训斥。外在激励也可能是赢得现金奖励或奖品。
In these examples, the motivation for the behavior is to obtain a reward or avoid an adverse outcome. It is common for individuals to engage in a behavior not because they like it or find it satisfying, but in order to get some reward or avoid something unpleasant. This type of motivation is mainly caused by external factors.
What is intrinsic motivation? Intrinsic motivation, on the other hand, involves spontaneously engaging in a behavior (because it is beneficial to the individual). So in this case you do a thing for its own sake and not for some external reward or factor. So it might be wanting to play your favorite song on the guitar, or watching your favorite movie at the cinema.
These behaviors are driven by inner desires. In other words, the behavior itself is the reward and does not need to be supported by an external source. Intrinsic motivation occurs when we act without any apparent external reward. We are simply enjoying an activity or seeing it as an opportunity to explore, learn and realize our potential.
Ask yourself, when was the last time you did something just to enjoy the activity itself?
What is the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation? The key difference between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation is that extrinsic motivation relies on an extrinsic reward or punishment whereas intrinsic motivation relies on the behavior itself as a reward. If you look back now on your past wishes or achievements, were they driven by external or internal motivation?
The reason many people can't find sustained motivation is that they rely heavily on external motivation. If you want to have long-term, sustainable motivation, you need more inner motivation to drive yourself. Why?
The answer is simple. Extrinsic motivation relies on extrinsic rewards or punishments. This source of motivation disappears once the reward or punishment is gone. Also, external rewards or punishments are always limited and you usually have no control over them.
On the other hand, if you have intrinsic motivation - then the activity/behavior is itself a reward. So if cultivated properly, the "power fuel" it provides is practically limitless.
How to maximize inner motivation? Now that you know the importance of intrinsic motivation, the next step is to maximize it and make it sustainable. As I mentioned earlier, intrinsic motivation is the key to achieving long-term sustainability goals. But just having a meaningful goal is not enough. To get the most out of it, you have to cultivate your inner drive.
It's important to do this because the return on intrinsic motivation diminishes. For example, you're thirsty, it's hot, and you drink a can of Coke. It would be nice if you had Coke on hand. Once you have it, you will be satisfied when you drink it. But what if I gave you a second can, a third, a fourth? Your satisfaction will eventually diminish and you may even tire of it. So this law of diminishing returns is everywhere, even for our intrinsic motivation.
How to improve inner motivation? Before you start cultivating your inner motivation, it is best to understand what constitutes inner motivation. This will allow you to better boost your inner motivation.
- Challenge The first factor is the challenge. It's important to set a challenge in your goals. At this point, the process of achieving this goal is considered possible, but not certain/determined. This way, your self-esteem will directly increase as you finally overcome each obstacle to reach your goal.
- Curiosity The second factor that maximizes intrinsic motivation is curiosity. This is when something in the physical environment grabs your attention (sensory curiosity) or the activity stimulates you to want to learn more (cognitive curiosity).
- Control The third factor is control. It is the ability to have greater control over yourself and/or the environment so that you can decide what you pursue.
- Cooperation and competition Finally, we need to have cooperation and competition. It’s the satisfaction you get from helping others, or pursuing a common goal through mutual support and camaraderie.
It can also be the excitement and satisfaction that comes with comparing your skills and performance with others and using that as a measure of your own progress.
Develop your inner motivation Now that you know the main factors that affect your inner motivation, you can focus on developing each factor to improve your inner motivation. When you're pursuing something, how do you maximize each factor to increase your inner motivation?
一旦你培养了内在动力，你就会开始减少对外在动力的依赖，并发现你实现目标的毅力和动力会大大增加。
您还会发现自己拥有更大的自主权和独立性，因为您知道自己不需要依赖外部资源来获得认可或奖励。这样做实际上是相当令人满意的。