Tags
Attitude, extrinsic, Hobbies, intrinsic, Monday, motivation, Play time, Point of View, Snow, weather
We got snow and it is still coming. What a wonderful time of year. For those of you who have to drive in this, you have my pity. From my standpoint, knowing I do not have to go anywhere, it is a treat to look at the snow from the comfort of my easy chair, laptop up, and a cup of coffee next to me.
There was a posting from one of my friends that talked about God. It mentioned that some believe and some do not believe. That sentiment can be used for anything, based on an individual’s point of view. For me, the snow is terrific. For others, it not be so great, since they have to be in it. One person comes to mind–the local postman. He has to drive through this from mailbox to mailbox. It also raised another person, who may have lost power. So as with our individual beliefs about God, our beliefs about the snow or other happenings will depend on the individual.
Motivation is another hot topic when it comes to individuality. Some people are naturally motivated because it is a core part of their personality. Others need external sources for their motivation. One is internal; one is external. The internal motivation is called intrinsic, while the external one is extrinsic. Which is better? I think we need a combination of both, depending on the task.
One of the things I have discovered is that intrinsic motivation is like a muscle. You have to exercise it for it to become stronger. How do we build it? By doing something each day we love to do. Call it a hobby if you will. A hobby is something we look forward to. So, intrinsic motivation to do these things is easy. The pleasure principle comes to mind.
What about the things that are hard? Well, this is when extrinsic motivation comes in. We pay our taxes because the IRS is the extrinsic force. We pay our bills because the various companies and services we enjoy require we pay for them. These too are extrinsic forces. Another extrinsic force is our own bodies. When we get sick or have a toothache, the body lets us know and we are motivated by that pain to do something about it.
So use these types of motivation to get things done. I believe a hobby or favorite thing to do is important because it gives us a reason to get all the things done we may not like to do, but have to do. Then we can get in some “play” time. Use the play time you have scheduled each day to drive those tasks you do not want to do. It is so much more rewarding to do the things we love when all of our “must do” tasks are completed.
Now, if you are lucky enough to have a job that you consider enjoyable–bravo. You look forward to each day of work, like I do my video games after things are completed for the day.
You may want to do a personal assessment. List out all the things you do each day and determine what type of motivation you use to get that done. Is it intrinsic or extrinsic?
Have a great Monday, folks!
Until next time…
Dave
Daily Ramblings... 