What's Your Motivation Style?
Apr 07, 2021MOTIVATION ESSENTIALS
Knowing what motivates you is powerful, and essential if you want to stop starting and stopping when it comes to your goals- be it career, fitness, or health and wellness related.
Some people are intrinsically motivated meaning they are self starters and no one can push them harder than the little voice inside their head. Other people are more extrinsically motivated meaning outside factors like rewards and consequences push them to get shit done the most. You may be a little bit of both at times, but most of us tend to lean more heavily in one direction than the other.
So, what's the benefit of identifying your type? If you know that you're extrinsically motivated, instead of trying to workout on your own all the time maybe you need to switch it up and start going to group classes (that you pay for yourself so there's something to lose, a.k.a. a consequence) Or try working out with a buddy so you're locked in to set a time and place that you need to show up for and have someone by your side cheering you on and pushing your limits.
Another option would be to take the 'rewards' route and find a way to reward yourself for completing your workout goals for the week. Take yourself to Target. Have a Netflix and chill night. Get your nails done. Buy yourself a Venti latte. Do whatever works for you!
If you're intrinsically motivated it’s important that you pick and choose very carefully which tasks you make ‘social’ and which ones you fly solo for. For example, you may choose to do things like study with friends or work closely with team members simply because it's more enjoyable, but that doesn’t mean it’s yielding your best work. Instead, try smashing out your tasks alone where you can get into a flow state of self-motivation and productivity and then opt for the social conversation and connection later.
These are just a few random examples, but self-awareness really is a huge part of staying on course with your goals and creating the optimal environment for you to succeed.
It's so important to start identifying what habits you have in your life that are cohesive with the way your brain naturally operates in terms of productivity and motivation and which habits you have that are going against the grain and making things harder for you.
Try assessing whether or not your motivation tends to be more influenced by the voice in your head or by the rewards and consequences around you. With that knowledge start to look at where you can shift your habits and patterns to better serve you and the way you are naturally wired. #lifehack
GO DEEPER
Expand your self-awareness and take this topic even deeper by discovering which of the Four Tendencies you fit into. The Four Tendencies is a "personality test" developed by Gretchen Rubin, researcher and author of the New York Times Bestseller, The Happiness Project. The test examines how you respond to expectations, both your own and those of others. Find out more about your type by taking the short quiz! It's free!
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