Visualization & Intrinsic Motivation Dilemma

[kieranperez]

If you're truly authentically & instrinically motivated to do something, why would you need to stay in touch with that? I've found that kind of paradoxical. When I try to think of intrinsic motivations in my head I'm like 'well, isn't the fact that I have to come up with these mean that I'm already not authentically & intrinsically motivated to do this in the first place?' This comes up a lot when I do visualization to stay on track with work and studying for my real estate license which is a new field for me that I don't have a background in. 

Is visualization a tool to help create that internal drive or sustain/nurture that drive? Both? I think visualization would help make it more compelling to pursue to get through this dreadful studying to get the license (it's pretty much like passing your driver's test. You're just working to pass the test. The know-how comes with experience and guidance once you pass the exam and are actually working). 

Apologies if this is a little hard to follow... Dead tired right now lol

[Coraline]

Of course, different people are usually (more) interested in/fascinated by different things. But I suggest that mostly every topic can be studied from an intrinsic motivation point, because one can become highly interested in almost everything. Probably visualization can help you find that passion for a specific topic inside of you.

There was also a study done with school children, where the children had to draw pictures. Those who expected a reward draw much shorter and with less passion than those who did not expect an outside reward. This would mean, that an extrinsic reward can shift your intrinsic motivation.

http://fitaba.com/page16/assets/Overjustification Study - Lepper.pdf

In your case the outside reward might be a grade or passing and getting the license. Maybe visualization is a tool to help you to find back to that intrinsic motivation. I think our society usually is about extrinsic rewards. And if you went to a public school, you learn to focus on these rewards, instead of being driven by your inner passion or creativity from a very young age.
I don´t really know what your test is like, but maybe you can find a reason, how the theoretical knowledge might help you later during your work or even what you can learn from it for your life. 

Hope you had a good sleep! :-) 

[Dan Arnautu]

Intrinsic motivation is like an innate drive to do something. It's not manufactured.

For example, why do I feel the pull towards progressive, metal music and sweet acoustic passages? I don't know. I can't formulate. I just feel it. I just feel the need to learn a specific song because I like it, because I enjoy it, because I feel a tingling in my hand to pick up the guitar. Do I do it for money? Well, this hasn't even occurred in my head. I just picked up the guitar, learned a song and said: "How cool is that?"

You need to get back in touch with that kind of drive on a regular basis because it can be obstructed by the chase for status, success and money, which are not intrinsic motivations. I could get swept away by praise and validation and play music to get more of those instead of playing because I love music. 

And you don't "come up" with an intrinsic motivation. If you do, it's NOT an intrinsic motivation. You just need to dig under all the crap in your mind and find that motivation that was totally obstructed by the externalities of your day to day life