Start with your own motivation! Let's explore intrinsic motivation through 'emotions and sensations'.

I was attending coaching training last weekend. Well, this field is truly a swamp; the more you know, the more you realize there is to learn and things you should learn, which can be overwhelming lol. Of course, I also have the conviction that I can use this to help my clients!

Now, to put what I learned simply, it's that it is important to experience intrinsic motivation within yourself.

What is intrinsic motivation?

First, what is contrasted with intrinsic motivation is extrinsic motivation, which is triggered by external rewards, honor, or punishment.

In fact, I think there is a lot of extrinsic motivation in social life. Like, "I'll work because I get paid," "I'll do as I'm told because I can get promoted," or "I'll do such and such because I'm afraid of being scolded."

However, I think everyone knows from experience that this runs out of gas quickly and is hard to keep up, or that it is painful to continue.

On the other hand, motivation for action based on desire that wells up from within is called intrinsic motivation. Since this is desire that wells up from within yourself, you can naturally enjoy it and continue without your enthusiasm drying up.

Intrinsic motivation is hard to see if you rely only on language

On the other hand, even though it is about yourself, it is not necessarily easy to find intrinsic motivation. For example, if you are asked, "Please put into words what you want to do," will it come out of your mouth immediately? Also, does what you said feel truly right from the bottom of your heart?

I think this is surprisingly difficult. This is because intrinsic motivation is not at the language level, but comes from emotions and sensations that precede it, so it is often easier to reach by accessing emotions and sensations than by trying to squeeze out words.

For example, there are things like using visual images as metaphors, imagining colors, comparing things to objects or animals, and moving your body. Many people are resistant to moving their body in particular lol (I was like that too before).

Since a coach who has received training can provide feedback on your state in these areas, I will take the liberty of saying that it is good to make good use of coaching.

Let's verify it through interaction with the outside world

Now, once you have fully accessed your emotions and sensations and felt what wells up from intrinsic motivation, you then test how to use this power in the "real world". It would be a waste to just savor the internal sensation! That is what I mean.

When you actually try it, it turns out that it is indeed the case, or it isn't, or you find that you just can't move at all.

Including that is part of the learning and discovery, and in coaching, we use that as a hint to take further steps.

Let's find purpose and goals within ourselves

So, although it is a harsh world with a lot of extrinsic motivation, let's also treat what comes from within ourselves with care!

Finding the connection between intrinsic motivation and the outside world, step by step, might just be the journey of life.