Be aware of your type of motivation

Your alarm clock rings, time to get up and go to work. But do you know why you get up every morning to go to work? Is it because you get satisfaction from your work? Because you can exercise your passion at work? Or is it because you get a good salary? And why do you take the time after a long working day to cook a healthy and extensive meal or take an evening walk? What motivates you to do the things you do?

Are you intrinsically or extrinsically motivated?

What does your ideal life look like and what gives you real satisfaction? For many people these are difficult questions, while others have the answers but don't aspire to them. It is important to find out what motivates you and how strong these motivations are to achieve your goals.

There are different types of motivation:

• Demotivation: You are not motivated. This is the zero point, you're really not going to do anything.
• Extrinsic motivation: You have certain goals and/or behave in a certain way because you believe (consciously or not) that someone else thinks that you should. For example, your partner or your doctor, but it could also be your family or even your community’s expectations.
• Intrinsic motivation: You do something because you want to. You find something important or derive pleasure and satisfaction from the behavior or the challenge that comes with.

Intrinsic motivation is the motivation that comes from within yourself and that often gives you the most energy and real satisfaction. You do something because you want to do it and not because you are nudged, pressured or pushed by others to do it. For an intrinsically motivated person, external stimuli such as a reward or imminent punishment do not play a meaningful role to do something. If you are intrinsically motivated, you get more satisfaction out of your life. You perform better, you feel better and you run less risk of dropping out.

How can you work (more) from your own intrinsic motivation? How do you discover what motivates you and which steps can you take next? It may sound easy: find out what your intrinsic motivation is and what your motives are. But that is absolutely not it. Discovering what drives you from within and what type of motivation you have is not something you do overnight. You have to work on it yourself and take the time for it.

This is how you discover your intrinsic motivation

Take your time and make a document with the questions and answers below:

1. Consider for yourself what activities and things are you can let yourself be completely absorbed in and that give you positive energy?
2. Ask yourself what makes you curious. What would you most like to know. Which topics intrigue you?
3. List your competencies. Whether you call it a talent or not, what are you good at? Above all, don't be too critical and modest.
4. Consider the question: 'What kind of environment do I feel good in?
5. Consider at what moment you are proud of yourself and why
6. Ask yourself at what times you feel good about yourself and what you need for that.

Do you know what drives you and what motivates you? Then don't be afraid to follow your passion and choose something, such as a career or lifestyle, that fits who you are and what you want. If you do what you like, it will contribute to your lasting happiness and a stable lifestyle.

Author: Nina de Rooij, PSV lifestyle coach