Are you struggling to achieve lasting success in your career or personal goals? What truly drives people who consistently accomplish their ambitions?
Your motivation to succeed can make all the difference between mediocre results and exceptional achievement. In his book The Winner Effect, Ian Robertson explains that those driven by internal rewards tend to outperform people focused solely on external rewards.
Read on to discover how identifying your true motivations can lead to sustainable success.
Motivation to Succeed
The first factor influencing your ability to achieve, maintain, and build upon success is your motivation—why you want to succeed. Robertson explains that people who are motivated to succeed want one of two things:
- Internal rewards such as enjoyment or satisfaction
- External rewards such as social recognition or money
Robertson argues that those motivated by internal rewards are more likely to succeed than those driven by external ones. When you’re motivated by positive emotions such as personal satisfaction or enjoyment, you’re more likely to have a genuine passion for what you do. As a result, you tend to immerse yourself fully in goal-related tasks, go above and beyond minimum requirements, and produce higher quality work—leading to greater expertise and achievement over time. For example, a software developer motivated by the joy of solving complex problems will spend extra time perfecting code, leading to innovative solutions and career advancement.
External Rewards Limit Engagement
On the other hand, when you’re motivated only by external rewards, you miss out on the positive emotions that inspire action. This can lead you to adopt a shallow approach to goal-related tasks, performing only the minimum requirements to obtain the reward. According to Robertson, this lack of engagement makes it difficult to develop the traits and skills necessary to grow and excel at what you do. For example, a software developer primarily motivated by receiving a salary only does the bare minimum required for each project, limiting skill development and innovation potential.
| Identify Your Motivations and Move Toward Internally Rewarding Goals Other psychologists and self-improvement authors—such as Jay Shetty (Think Like a Monk), Neil Pasricha (The Happiness Equation), and Deepak Chopra (The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success)—echo Robertson’s argument that feeling motivated by internal rewards is key to achieving success. They explain that pursuing internal rewards allows you to experience an upward emotional spiral (increased feelings of happiness and satisfaction). This positive mental state enables you to access the best parts of yourself—your unique strengths and talents—and apply them to achieve your goal. The authors of Minimalism expand on the topic with advice to help you identify your motivations and move toward more internally rewarding goals. They claim that four obstructions hold you back from pursuing internally rewarding goals: identity, status, certainty, and money. For example, you may focus on a career path that promises continual promotions rather than one that fosters a genuine sense of fulfillment because your financial security and sense of identity are tied up with your career status. The authors suggest you can identify and start moving past these obstructions by distinguishing between the goals and activities that satisfy you (internally rewarding) and the ones that don’t (externally rewarding). To do this, track all of your activities and ask yourself these questions: • Is this something I want to do, or am I fulfilling external expectations? • Do I enjoy this? If so, what’s the most enjoyable aspect of it? • Does this make me feel energized or drained? Motivated or unmotivated? • How can I create opportunities to engage more in the activities that I enjoy? |
External Rewards Undermine Internal Motivation
Robertson adds that introducing external rewards for activities you’re internally motivated to pursue can diminish your passion and engagement over time. It does this by shifting your focus from the inherent satisfaction you feel while performing the activity to the external reward you’ll receive after you complete it. This change in perspective can transform a once-enjoyable pursuit into a chore, impeding your performance and success in that area. For example, if the internally motivated software developer begins to focus solely on their salary, their enthusiasm for problem-solving will eventually wane.
(Shortform note: To maintain internal motivation, experts recommend aiming for a balance where at least 51% of motivation stems from internal rewards. This approach ensures that positive emotions remain the primary driver while still allowing external rewards to play a supportive role. One way to achieve this balance would be to add additional steps to the tracking exercise we introduced earlier. Log how long you engage in each activity and total the time. Once you’ve identified satisfying activities, aim to engage in them for at least 51% of the total time. For example, if you spend eight hours a day on various activities, dedicate at least 4 hours and 5 minutes of that time to your satisfying activities.)
