Motivation is a major factor in achieving one’s goals. Without it, people cannot and likely would not achieve them. Let’s take a look at it as a whole, and how it is essential to our success.

What is motivation?

The dictionary defines motivation as “ The general desire or willingness of someone to do something”.

 This is rather obvious for most. But what some may not realize, however, is that there are actually two different types of motivation. Those two types of called intrinsic and extrinsic  Let’s go into further detail.

What is intrinsic motivation?

Intrinsic motivation is the type of motivation that “refers to someone’s internal drivers”.  What is Motivation? Principles, Theories & How it Works (evantarver.com)  In other words, a person is motivated regardless of external rewards.

Examples:

Sam teaches himself new languages.

Rachael teaches herself to code.

What is extrinsic motivation?

Extrinsic motivation on the other hand is essentially the exact opposite. If a person is extrinsically motivated they are doing something for external rewards.

An example of extrinsic motivation would be if a person were to work extra hours to earn more income.

If a person has a goal that they would like to accomplish, it is important to have a mixture of both.

Example:  Rachael going to college to become a web developer.

In this scenario, Rachael gets to do what she enjoys as well as get a good salary.

Regardless of whether a person is intrinsically or extrinsically motivated, there are 3 components of motivation that play a role in a person’s success at both short and long-term goals. Let’s go over each of them briefly.

Activation

The first step involves starting the process in the first place. A lot of times it will take time to build motivation.  For some, there will be none at all until they finally take the plunge.

Intensity

Everyone is different. Some people will need to exert more time and energy into something to be successful at it, while others may not. No one is “bad”. It is just how things are.

It is important for people to adjust things to their needs. If a person needs to work a bit harder than another to reach their goals than they should account for that.

Just because it takes that person longer does not mean that they will not succeed. Each day they are one step closer to success.

Persistence

If a person is highly motivated, they will be persistent regardless of difficulties. Yes, they may become a bit anxious. However, in the end, they will not give up. Success would not be as rewarding if it was an easier process to get there.

Conclusion

All in all, motivation is very important in our lives. Without it, many people would not be where they are today.  With it though, a person can achieve whatever they set their mind to. All it takes is knowing what you want and working until you get it.