The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

My wife often says that I collect hobbies. I discover something new, begin to learn about it after my interest is sparked, achieve a level of proficiency or learning in my new area of interest, and move on to a new interest. It drives my wife a little nuts, but has resulted in me developing an eclectic skill set. Recently, I was reading a book on the psychology of motivation when I came across a bit of an explanation for my odd tendency to jump from hobby to hobby. The book talked about motivation as a fleeting thing. You get motivated and emotionally excited about accomplishing some task but that motivation seldom lasts over the long term. New Years resolutions are a good example of this. We find an area of life where we want change and begin to make changes. When they become difficult or other things distract us, we become less motivated and slowly taper off, eventually giving up all together. The problem is that emotions tend to be temporary and shifting, which make them an unreliable driver for long term changes in our life or habits. That having been said, motivation is also one of the most powerful aids in the change process. It’s easier to exercise, clean, organize, read, etc. when you are motivated.

The solution to this conundrum is to recognize that there are 2 kinds of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation is more the feelings side of the equation. Intrinsic motivation comes from inside. We want to do something, like exercise or sleep more, so we do it because we enjoy it for the moment. This is the first few weeks of the new years resolution, where we just want to do it. This is the fleeting version.

Extrinsic motivation is the external result driving us to act. This one is powerful but requires more maintenance. I have been working hard lately to lose weight and get my eating under control because I am concerned about my health. I have to remind myself that I want to be healthy for my family and that’s why I’m changing. I keep photos of my wife and kids at work because I don’t always feel like working and need to remind myself that I am working for them. For the last few years, I have been reading more, in an effort to get better in various areas of my life. I routinely remind myself that I am reading so that I can master aspects of my job or my role as a father. These are things I desire.

There is another way that extrinsic motivation can be applied: through rewards. I have discovered that I get more work done during the day if I set short term goals and reward myself for completing them. For smaller goals these are simple rewards, like getting an extra cup of coffee for the morning or spending 5 minutes on Facebook after I finish a major task in my desk work. Little rewards are effective, but the drawback that comes with them is that they can only do so much.

In the end, I could choose to sit and waste a whole day on Facebook, doing no work at all. I have to have some motivation to put off my rewards until after I have accomplished my task. This is where larger goals are important. I have to remember that I am working toward something better, then motivate myself in the short term by setting some sort of reward. It sounds like a lot of work, especially when you are motivated emotionally to accomplish something. But, in the long run, it is a very effective way driving yourself to be more successful in your personal goals.