Sage Solutions
Advice and insight about personal growth, personal development, and becoming your best self.
Sage Solutions
Intrinsic Motivation: Turning Effort into Energy
Imagine if your brain actually craved effort instead of avoiding it. What if the very struggle you're trying to escape is precisely what can fuel your motivation and drive? In this eye-opening exploration of intrinsic motivation, David Sage reveals the powerful neurological mechanisms that can transform how we approach challenges.
Drawing on cutting-edge research from Stanford neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Huberman and self-determination theory pioneers, David unpacks how dopamine - our motivation molecule - operates in surprising ways. Contrary to popular belief, dopamine isn't just released when we achieve goals; significant releases occur during the effort itself when we believe we're making progress. This revelation changes everything about how we approach difficult tasks.
The key insight? Our subjective interpretation of effort determines whether we suppress or enhance this beneficial dopamine release. When we consciously reframe struggle as evidence of growth and progress, we create a powerful feedback loop that makes effort itself rewarding. As David explains, "Effort is enough. Progress is the point. Growth is the goal." This perspective shift aligns perfectly with the Stoic philosophy that "the obstacle is the way."
Through practical, actionable strategies, you'll learn to subjectively reward effort, carefully manage external rewards, focus on actions rather than outcomes, and embrace the growth mindset necessary for lasting motivation. Rather than waiting for inspiration to strike, you'll discover how to build the ultimate self-development muscle - one that creates its own energy and fuels everything else in your life.
Ready to transform how you approach challenges? Join us on this journey to harness your natural reward system and cultivate genuine, lasting motivation. Subscribe now and share with someone who could benefit from developing this superpower of intrinsic drive.
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The Sage Solutions Podcast and content posted by David Sage is presented solely for general informational, educational, and entertainment purposes. No coaching client relationship is formed by listening to this podcast. No Legal, Medical or Financial advice is being given. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast or website is at the user's own risk. It is not intended as a substitute for the advice, diagnosis, or treatment of a psychotherapist, physician, professional coach, Lawyer or other qualified professional. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical or mental health condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their healthcare professionals for any such conditions. The opinions of guests are their own and may not necessarily reflect the opinions of the podcast.
Welcome to the Sage Solutions Podcast, where we talk about all things personal growth, personal development and becoming your best self. My name is David Sage and I am a self-worth and confidence coach with Sage Coaching Solutions. Have you ever found yourself doing something that's so easy that it's just plain boring? Have you ever gotten a thrill out of accomplishing something that was a challenge? Of course you have. It's baked into our DNA. We were wired to find challenges motivating. It was an essential strategy for life. When we take a look at the evolutionary psychology, it just makes sense that everyday life was a struggle. For our ancestors, just surviving meant overcoming challenges on a daily basis, so of course it made sense for our brains to reward us for overcoming those challenges, because doing so kept us alive.
Speaker 1:In this podcast, we've talked about many different topics, one of them being that life is like a muscle. So build it. It's actually one of my five core fundamentals. But what if I told you there was one specific muscle and when I say muscle, I'm referring to traits or skills that we can build like a muscle that there's one muscle that is more powerful and can have a bigger impact on your life than any other single muscle, that you could build that muscle is intrinsic motivation, because if you can build this muscle, it will actually produce its own fuel and fuel all the other muscles that you want to build. This is a topic I've actually held off on covering because I wanted to have a good enough understanding to really do it justice. So here it is cultivating intrinsication. But before we get into it, our goal with this podcast is to share free, helpful tools with you and anyone you know who is looking to improve their life. So take action, subscribe and share this podcast with them.
Speaker 1:How often do you find yourself pushing through tasks feeling like you're just going through the motions? Or maybe you start new goals with a burst of enthusiasm, only for that to fizzle out. Today we're going deep into this fuel that can keep that fire burning. Bright Intrinsic motivation. It's that powerful Right Intrinsic motivation. It's that powerful Internal drive to do something simply because you find it interesting, enjoyable or personally satisfying. And even better yet, getting effort to become energy can completely change your life, and doing it solely for this intrinsic motivation, not for an external reward or to avoid punishment. We'll explore what it is the fascinating science of how it works, specifically through the lens of dopamine and effort, but, most importantly, we'll uncover practical, actionable steps that you can start using today to cultivate more intrinsic motivation in your own life. This isn't about quick fixes. It's about understanding our inner workings to build a sustainable drive. So grab a drink, settle in and let's unlock the secrets to genuine, lasting motivation.
Speaker 1:On a previous podcast, we talked about feeling motivated. The type of motivation that we're talking about today is a bit different Waiting to feel motivated or get inspiration, as I like to say, just to differentiate. It is what causes Mel Robbins to say motivation is garbage If we're waiting to feel inspired or this sense of motivation in order to do the things that we need to do in our life. Most of the time, we're not going to do them, which is why that feeling of motivation is better used as a lubrication something that makes it easier to do it than a fuel. However, when it comes to the dopamine reward system and intrinsic motivation something that makes it easier to do it than a fuel. However, when it comes to the dopamine reward system and intrinsic motivation, we're talking about a whole different ballgame. So what exactly is intrinsic motivation? At its core, it's the desire to engage in activities for their own sake, think about a hobby you love. Perhaps it's painting, playing an instrument, gardening or even solving complex puzzles. You do these things because the process itself is rewarding and you enjoy doing them.
Speaker 1:The pioneers of self-determination theory, psychologists Edward Dessy and Richard Ryan, have extensively researched this. They propose that intrinsic motivation thrives when three basic psychological needs are met Autonomy, or the feeling of control and choice. Competence, the feeling of being effective and capable. And relatedness feeling connected to others and relatedness feeling connected to others. As Desi and Ryan put it in their seminal work, intrinsic motivation is critical because it leads to persistence, creativity and well-being. When we're intrinsically motivated, we're more engaged, we learn better and we generally feel happier about what we're doing. This contrasts sharply with extrinsic motivation, where we're driven by external factors like money, grades, praise or fear of consequences. That's right, both the carrot and the stick. Extrinsic motivators are a natural part of everyday life. Extrinsic motivators are a natural part of everyday life. While they have their place, relying on them too heavily can actually undermine our intrinsic drive. Imagine a child who loves to draw. If you start paying them for every picture, they might start drawing only for the money and the pure joy of it can actually fade. Now let's get into some of the fascinating science, especially around the neurotransmitter. Many of you have heard of dopamine. Now you might be laughing and going. Fascinating science, but if you understood the power that what I'm talking about today can have over your life, you would understand why I'm so excited about this.
Speaker 1:Dopamine is often misunderstood as purely the pleasure molecule or, more recently, as the reward molecule. Dopamine is much more nuanced. It's fundamentally a molecule of motivation, pursuit and drive. Dr Andrew Huberman, a scientist at Stanford and the host of the Huberman Lab podcast, has done a fantastic job of popularizing the science of how dopamine really works in the context of motivation. One of his key insights is that dopamine isn't just released when we achieve a goal. A significant, and perhaps more crucial release happens during the effort itself, especially when we believe we are on the right path. Think about that. It's not just about the summit of the mountain. What it's really about is the climb.
Speaker 1:Huberman explains that our brains are wired to release dopamine when we are in pursuit, when we are striving. However, a critical piece here is our subjective interpretation of the effort. If we view the struggle, the friction, the difficulty as a bad thing, something to be avoided, we can actually suppress this beneficial dopamine release. But if we can get ourselves back to that natural state, to use our conscious perspective to reframe that effort as the very thing that's carving the path to our goal, as evidence that we are moving forward, then the effort itself can become a source of dopamine and a reward in and of itself. This is truly a game changer, because it means we don't have to wait for the finish line to feel motivated. We can tap into that drive during the process. It's actually our natural state.
Speaker 1:Huberman often discusses how our mindset and self-talk around effort are incredibly powerful tools. He emphasizes that attaching the dopamine reward to the effort, not just the outcome, is the key to that sustained pursuit. For example, studies on reward prediction error, which is a foundational concept in neuroscience, show that dopamine neurons fire in response to unexpected rewards or cues that predict rewards. When we internally validate our own efforts as progress, we're essentially creating those predictive cues and that energy feedback loop. To put it in layman's terms, praising yourself for yourself, doing things that take effort during the effort, rewires your brain back to its default state of feeling motivated by effort. So if dopamine is released during effort and our perception of that effort matters. How do we actually cultivate this intrinsic effort-driven motivation? This is where Dr Huberman's insights become incredibly practical.
Speaker 1:Let's break down some actionable steps. First and this is a big one learn to subjectively reward the effort. Huberman suggests that we need to consciously tell ourselves that the feeling of strain or difficulty is good. When you're working on something challenging and you feel that resistance, instead of shying away from it or getting discouraged, do your best to mentally reframe it. Tell yourself this is it. This feeling means I'm making progress. This is my brain and body getting stronger and adapting. I like making progress. You don't have to word it exactly like that, but you get the point. In this example, you're basically attaching the dopamine release of internally praising yourself and acknowledging the progress to this sensation of effort.
Speaker 1:Remember, when it comes to the brain, neurons that fire together, wire together. It is that simple. Keep doing this repeatedly and it will become more and more of an ingrained pathway and you will build this muscle steadily over time. It's about recognizing that the effort itself is the win. In that moment, you took action. Action equals success and all outcomes are just learning. This is why I say it Doing the thing, taking the action, doing the effort is the success. Taking the action, doing the effort is the success. Effort is enough. Progress is the point, growth is the goal, practice is the purpose. Action cures everything. So here we get to our first actionable takeaway.
Speaker 1:The next time you're pushing through a tough task, catch yourself. If you feel resistance, pause and inwardly say this effort is making me better, this is the path. Embrace that feeling of striving. To put it another way, if you've ever played a video game, one that you really enjoyed, it probably wasn't one that was incredibly easy and had nothing for you to achieve or overcome. In fact, it's finding that sweet spot of not way too hard where you can still play the game while challenging enough that you have to push yourself. That really gets people hooked on a video game. Take that reflection and realize that your life isn't so different. Embrace the challenge and step out of your comfort zone. The Stoics were doing the same thing without knowing anything about dopamine. The obstacle is the way, meaning they let hard things motivate them, because overcoming those challenges and pushing themselves and taking all of that effort, striving to overcome, was a reward in and of itself. They were utilizing this dopamine pathway by consciously framing their perspective of the challenge.
Speaker 1:Other things you can say to yourself during effort because, frankly, you might not want to always say the exact same thing or it might be a long process. These can include I can do hard things, I like the challenge. The obstacle is the way. This is it, the slight edge, the compound effect, inaction. I'm getting 1% better every day. This is the call to adventure, the hero's journey, overcoming a challenge. And, frankly, you can even take it one step further. As you build this muscle and you keep building this intrinsic motivation, you can shift your view of yourself and change your identity. And once you identify as somebody who does hard things, who likes to overcome obstacles, who embraces challenges and accomplishes their goals, who embraces the effort and lets effort become energy, that will just self-reinforce this entire pathway, that much more. This is what Hannah meant when she said she defined herself as a doer, as someone who takes action.
Speaker 1:Now the second major point is a little counterintuitive. Be careful with external rewards for effort that you want to internalize. Huberman warns against layering too many external rewards on top of activities you genuinely want to feel intrinsically motivated to do. If you reward yourself with a cookie every time you do 10 minutes of work, you find difficult, your brain might start associating the effort only with the cookie, not the inherent satisfaction of progress or completion, and several studies have shown this. Instead, he talks about the concept of intermittent, self-administered internal rewards for the fact that you showed up and exerted effort. This isn't about a tangible treat every time, it's more of an internal acknowledgement I did the hard thing, I put in the effort. Good job, I'm proud of you. I did the hard thing, I put in the effort Good job, I'm proud of you. This internal validation can reinforce the effort dopamine connection without hijacking your intrinsic drive. And this all leads to our second actionable takeaway For activities you want to feel intrinsically motivated by focus on acknowledging the effort internally. Say to yourself I'm proud, I pushed through that. And then save big external rewards for genuinely big completed milestones, not every step of the process.
Speaker 1:Third, we're going to focus on the verb, the action itself. This is a subtle but powerful shift. Instead of being fixated on the noun, ie the outcome I want to be a writer, I want to win this award, so on and so forth focus on the verb, the process, the action. I am writing. When you immerse yourself in the doing of the activity, you create more opportunities to find inherent satisfaction and to experience that effort-driven dopamine release. The identity comes from the repeated action. So, once again, action equals success, leading us directly into the third actionable takeaway.
Speaker 1:Identify a goal. Now reframe it around the core action. If your goal is to get fit, instead of trying to get to a certain weight or a certain body physique as the clear cut goal that you are focusing on, focus on the action needed to take it. I am exercising for 30 minutes and then, of course, when you do that 30 minutes of exercise, use the previous two strategies that we talked about before to reinforce that intrinsic motivation. Pour your attention into the sensation and the small wins during the activity itself. And then, of course, when you complete the activity, acknowledge the accomplishment of doing the full 30 minute run or whatever the action happens to be accomplishment of doing the full 30-minute run or whatever the action happens to be.
Speaker 1:The fourth step in building intrinsic motivation is to embrace a growth mindset. This ties in beautifully with everything that we've discussed. Dr Carol Dweck, a Stanford psychologist, developed the concept of a fixed versus a growth mindset, and we've talked about it before on this podcast. A growth mindset is the belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through dedication and hard work. As Dr Dweck states in her book Mindset the New Psychology of Success, the passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even or especially when it's not going well, is the hallmark of the growth mindset. This mindset naturally aligns with finding reward in effort and embracing the power of. Yet If you believe challenges are opportunities for growth, the effort involved becomes inherently valuable. So what's the fourth actionable takeaway? Well, obviously it's related to the growth mindset. When you face a setback or a difficult task, ask yourself what can I learn from this? How can this challenge make me stronger or more skilled? View the struggle not as a verdict on your abilities, but as an integral part of the learning and growth process. This is consistent with Huberman's emphasis on reframing the difficulty.
Speaker 1:To go beyond these Huberman-centric strategies, we can use the foundational pillars from self-determination theory. Cultivate autonomy Wherever possible. Give yourself choices in how, when and where you approach a task. Even small choices can boost that sense of control and agency that lend themselves towards intrinsic motivation. Seek mastery. Focus on the journey of improvement, not just the end goal. This is where we hear sayings like it's about the journey, not the destination. Celebrate the small steps of progress and the competence that's gained throughout.
Speaker 1:The joy of getting better at something is a powerful intrinsic motivator and a major purpose of this podcast. And then, of course, lastly, find purpose. Connect what you're doing to a larger value of purpose that resonates with you. Understanding the why behind your efforts can infuse them with meaning and drive. Now, you're not going to become a motivation machine overnight, and that's not what it's about. It's really about understanding the subtle but powerful ways our brains operate and learning to work within them. It's about shifting your perspective on effort from something to be dreaded or merely tolerated to something that can be a source of energy and drive in and of itself.
Speaker 1:Dr Huberman himself often says something along the lines of the extent to which we can link dopamine to the effort process is directly correlated with how readily we will engage in effort. This really encapsulates the core idea we have the power to teach our brains to love the climb, not just the view from the summit, and that this is actually our natural evolutionary wiring. So, to recap, intrinsic motivation is that incredible internal drive, the super muscle that we can build in our life that leads to greater creativity, persistence and well-being. We've learned that dopamine, our motivation molecule, isn't just about rewards at the end, but can be potently released during the effort itself, especially when we subjectively frame that effort positively. Especially when we subjectively frame that effort positively. And to round up the key actionable takeaways subjectively reward the effort, reframe the struggle as progress.
Speaker 1:Become conscious of how you're using external rewards. Don't let them overshadow that internal drive for tasks that you want to feel intrinsically good about. Focus on the verb. Immerse yourself in the doing, in the action. Action equals success. Embrace a growth mindset. See challenges as opportunities. Build the muscles of your life and stay a lifelong learner in shades of gray.
Speaker 1:I encourage you this week to pick just one of these strategies. Maybe it's reframing your internal dialogue during a challenging workout, or focusing entirely on the process of a work project rather than just the deadline. Observe what happens, notice any shifts in your energy, your focus or your enjoyment. This process isn't a sprint. You're going to have to build it over time, but there are few things that are more beneficial than cultivating intrinsic motivation, and this muscle itself is a journey, not a destination. Be patient with yourself, stay curious and keep exploring what truly drives you, and remember you are enough and you deserve to fill up your inner cup with happiness, confidence and self-compassion.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Sage Solutions Podcast. Your time is valuable and I'm so glad that you choose to learn and grow here with me. If you haven't already, don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss out on more sage advice. One last thing the legal language. This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. No coaching client relationship is formed. It is not intended as a substitute for the personalized advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist or other qualified professional.