The Trouble With Intrinsic Motivation

I was raised inside a #school. My parents used to #work at the school, so that is how. Naturally, we were surrounded by #reading material and so I took an early interest in reading for pleasure. It was all well until I joined high school and had to study under pressure.

The two scenarios though deceptively similar are polar opposites. Whenever I sat down to read for an exam, I became anxious and very unsettled. Soon, I would be distracted by more pleasurable activities. Obviously, my #grades suffered and everyone around was greatly disappointed.

Many accusations were thrown my way including drug abuse. Nevertheless, a strange thing used to happen over the holidays. I would pick up the the same books that had me distressed and I would suddenly find joy while reading them all over again without the pressure of #performance .

• That is the problem of intrinsic #motivation. It is inside of you and drives you in the direction your heart desires. In a world filled with external pressure; parents, teachers, #employers and spouses it gets lost. The inner you begins to acquire self doubt and dies. You earn labels such as; lazy, rebellious and joker.

If you are lucky, you will learn how to suppress this inner urge to act #independently. Until one day something will rekindle the fire. Then suddenly, you will quit a well paying?accounting job to join acting school, start a political movement or write book. Then and only then shall you be free again.

Adopted from the book Slaves, Priests & Kings.