Internal or intrinsic motivation is a persistent force that pushes us to perform actions that satisfy our interests, desires, needs, or hopes. When this motivation is the one driving us, you do not pursue a reward for doing something, but on the contrary, performing the action is the reward itself. The goal is to feel satisfaction, full happiness, or harmony that leads to self-realization and personal growth.
When doing pleasurable activities, a state of “Flow” is experienced. The state of flow is when we connect our being and body to the task, enhancing concentration, self-confidence, and commitment because we find ourselves so focused on it, that distractions are few, we show a greater disposition to face challenges and with this, our skills and abilities increase.
The difference between internal and external motivation is that in external motivation the activity is carried out while looking for a reward, and we may not always enjoy doing the activity or even find satisfaction during the process.
Internal motivation helps consistency and perseverance be the ingredient that helps improve the way we do things in order to progress in our lives, achieve goals, continue to grow, and even excel at something because, although the goal is important, it is not the main purpose of the task.
So, if internal motivation is so important, how can we develop it?
The first thing that we must do is identify and recognize what triggers an internal need; establish the objectives to be achieved; balance the challenge of learning or developing the necessary skills to improve; take action; channel your energy and commit to the process.
It may be a challenge to get started, so we suggest you start by establishing routines so that they can become habits. If you feel that you cannot do this, no matter how hard you have tried, you could be having some internal conflicts that prevent you from aligning yourself with what you want, or you may feel that you are moving forward two steps, but going back three or four, it may even be that you are self-sabotaging yourself. Being clear about what you want and how you want it is essential so that you can identify the tools and resources that you need to move towards your goal.
Being able to work on our doubts, insecurities, fears, and wounds allows us to be honest with ourselves, to be more comfortable with uncertainty, and take action even when we are afraid. As fear can stop us in our tracks sometimes: fear of failure, rejection, the unknown, making mistakes, not belonging, uncertainty, not having control, etc. And how can we develop more self-confidence? Embarking on a journey of self-knowledge to recognize and accept all parts of us, integrate them, and work on what we deny about ourselves or about what we feel, and that we need to modify in order to strengthen ourselves as people.
As Tao Te Ching says “… true strength comes from conquering oneself”. We at Philia, invite you to begin your personal process so that you can focus on what you can control in life: yourself! See you in the next article!
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