Understanding Motivation: A Key to Lasting Change

4 min. read

Setting goals and plans is undeniably important; even the simple act of defining goals makes us more likely to achieve them. This is well-supported in research. However, the most powerful driver of long-term success is autonomous or intrinsic motivation. When we align our actions with deeply personal reasons—when it’s about what we truly want and what’s within our control—we are much more likely to follow through.

One of the most impactful theories I explored this year is Self-Determination Theory by Ryan and Deci. This framework identifies three core psychological needs—autonomy, relatedness, and competence—as essential for well-being and motivation. Autonomy empowers us to choose our own path, relatedness fosters meaningful connections with others, and competence helps us feel capable and skilled, it is even a protective factor in resilience. Together, these needs create the foundation for personal growth and fulfillment.

Central to this theory is autonomy, which is pivotal for motivation and goal pursuit. Autonomy can be categorized into two distinct types: controlled versus autonomous motivation. In other words, this distinction aligns with two key types of motivation—intrinsic and extrinsic—each with nuanced facets that play a vital role in enriching our lives.

Intrinsic Motivation: The Gold Standard

Intrinsic motivation—when we engage in activities because they’re inherently enjoyable or fulfilling—is the most effective for creating lasting habit change. Whether the drive comes from accomplishing something meaningful, gaining knowledge, or seeking stimulation, the key is finding joy in the process itself. When we feel intrinsically motivated, the journey becomes rewarding, not just the outcome. In my case, it’s activities like running, dancing, learning, researching, and traveling. Fortunately, my list of of activities fueled by intrinsic motivation is quite long. But, like everyone else, I also have a list of things I don’t particularly enjoy and even avoid doing—don’t we all?

The Challenge of Extrinsic Motivation

Extrinsic motivation, on the other hand, is trickier. It’s driven by external rewards or pressures and often lacks the staying power of intrinsic motivation. While it can work in the short term, it’s less effective over time and can feel draining. For example, doing something because we feel we have to or to meet someone else’s expectations isn’t the same as doing it because we genuinely want to.

Interestingly, extrinsic motivations can evolve. Ryan and Deci identify four types of external motivations, ranging from not internalized to more internalized:

1. External Motivation: Actions driven by external rewards or punishments, rooted in compliance or fear of consequences. Think of the Skinner Box, developed by psychologist B.F. Skinner at Harvard: it’s a system where following the rules leads to rewards, while breaking them results in punishment.

2. Introjected Motivation: Motivation based on avoiding guilt or seeking approval from others.

3. Identified Motivation: Acknowledging and choosing goals because they align with personal values and self-improvement.

4. Integrated Motivation: Fully adopting goals as part of one’s identity, creating alignment between external values and internal needs.

For many of us, values instilled during childhood fall into these external categories. Early on, we follow them for acceptance and belonging. However, as we grow, some of these inherited values may no longer serve us. Recognizing and releasing outdated beliefs can be an incredibly difficult but freeing experience—one I’ve encountered firsthand. While I’ve been fortunate to develop a strong sense of intrinsic motivation, I’ve also realized how often I operated under introjected motivation, feeling compelled by guilt or the need for approval. Through self-reflection, I’ve come to recognize how I’ve also embraced identified and integrated motivations, aligning my actions with my personal values. This introspective process of evaluation has been deeply revealing and tremendously empowering, offering clarity and a fresh perspective on what truly drives me.

A Personal Experiment in Motivation

This year, I took on a willpower challenge: strength and resistance training. While I’ve always enjoyed aerobic activities like running, tennis, and badminton, weight training has been a consistent struggle. Despite knowing its importance for overall health and well-being, it was often the first thing I skipped when pressed for time. I began incorporating it during the pandemic when access to gyms was limited, but I only managed the bare minimum. Through deeper research, I came to realize that my efforts were insufficient to fully reap its benefits or to effectively guard against age-related health challenges in the future.

For the past four months, I’ve stuck with it, consistently training. Starting from three times a week (that was hard!) to moving up to five times a week. It wasn’t easy—I went through phases of resistance, negotiation, and self-doubt. Around the six-week mark, things began to improve, and I even discovered forms of training I enjoy. Self-compassion became a key tool during tough days (a topic I’ll explore in a future post), and having an accountability buddy added invaluable support.

Was my motivation purely intrinsic? No. At times, guilt pushed me (introjection), while other times, I recognized the value of strength training for my health and embraced it as a personal goal (identification). This journey taught me how motivation evolves and how to move from extrinsic to more internalized forms of motivation—and even find intrinsic joy in the process. I found exercises I actually truly enjoyed and I did not think that was possible.

Ending the Year with Clarity

As we close the year, take time to reflect: What truly serves you in your life? Are your actions aligned with your authentic values, or are they driven by guilt or obligation? Examining this can be incredibly revealing and transformative.

Autonomy is essential to well-being, so consider which activities drain you and which energize you. Aligning these with your purpose can create powerful change. This revelation has been life-changing for me—I only wish I’d done it sooner!

As I wrap up my final post of the year, I want to take a moment to thank you for reading. While I may not always know the impact these posts have, my hope is to inspire, provoke thought, and make a difference. Writing comes from a deep place of intrinsic motivation for me—it’s my way of connecting, sharing, and exploring ideas that matter.

To those of you who take the time to reach out directly, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your messages are more than a highlight—they’re a reminder of why I do this. Knowing that a topic resonated with you or moved you means the world to me and fuels my passion to keep going.

Here’s to another incredible year of learning, exploration, self-discovery, and creative expression. See you in January 2025!