Intrinsic and Extrinsic MotivationAny action you take is influenced by some combination of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Knowing the differences between these two types of motivation will give you insight into why you do what you do. This understanding can help you take control of your self motivation. Intrinsic MotivationBeing motivated intrinsically means you take action because of the internal satisfaction you get from acting, and not from any external rewards you might receive. Most hobbies and leisure activities are usually based on intrinsic motivation. They are the things that you do primarily for the enjoyment of doing them.I personally enjoy playing the piano- I don’t do it to impress people and I don’t get paid to do it (of course at my skill level, someone might pay me not to play). I play the piano because I enjoy the process of learning the music and the satisfaction of being able to play a song. Other examples of intrinsic motivation may include reading books for pleasure, collecting items like stamps and coins, building things, creating art, meditating, or listening to music, just to name a few. Actually, any of your daily activities could potentially be driven by intrinsic motivation. Being intrinsically motivated means that you are acting because of the internal satisfaction you receive from doing an activity. Another way to think of intrinsic motivation is to consider what you would do if you had all the money and time in the world you needed. (And as much as doing nothing might sound appealing, it would eventually get old and you would probably want to start doing something). The answers you come up with will give you additional insight into what types of things might motivate you intrinsically. Extrinsic MotivationExtrinsic motivation is probably much more familiar to you. It involves receiving something from external sources in return for your actions. The most common example of this is working a typical job. The majority of people work in their job primarily for the money; if they didn’t get paid for what they were doing, they probably would do something different with their time.In these cases, the motivation to stay in a job is primarily external- those people will keep working in return for external rewards like money, recognition, power, and so on. Often, there can be a mix of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation your reasons to act. You may get internal satisfaction from doing your job, but you may want to get paid for your work. It's not a problem to have a mix of intrinsic and extrinsic motivators, as long as your primary motivation is intrinsic. If your only reason for doing something is because of the external rewards you receive for doing it, then as soon as the rewards are gone your motivation will evaporate. Pitfalls of Using Extrinsic Motivation for Self MotivationBe careful not to get too tied to external rewards for your motivation, and don't let the rewards become more important than the internal satisfaction you get from the action. Sometimes when a hobby turns into a profession, the external rewards can become more important than the internal satisfaction that hobby initially brought. If this happens, then the hobby may stop being enjoyable, it just becomes work. While it is fine to get money for what you do, don't let the money become your sole motivation.Try to balance the external rewards with the internal satisfaction you receive from acting. If you start feeling like the rewards are the only reason to act, consider changing your focus by placing less importance on the rewards, or try finding something else that gives you more internal satisfaction. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation factor into the why of motivation. Gaining a specific benefit or reward provides a reason to act. When considering the relative influence of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in your life, think about how many of your actions are dependent on the external, extrinsic factors. Ask yourself, do you really want to become dependent on outside influences for your motivation to act? Focus instead on finding your own intrinsic motivation to act, rather than letting things outside of yourself control your motivation.
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