Extrinsic Motivation: Why You Make Terrible Life Choices

What is the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation? Intrinsic motivation comes from an internal source, while extrinsic motivation comes from outside ourselves. Extrinsic and intrinsic motivation can be combined to produce excellent synergistic results. For instance, have you ever struggled with a task at first and then found yourself learning to love? The challenge in my case, writing has never come easily. Even after publishing two best sellers and countless articles in school, language arts was my worst subject, and I hated writing research papers. There'd be no way I'd start an assignment without the threat of getting a bad grade. Without the extrinsic motivation of seeking validation from my teacher, I would never have written another word. Today, however, I've learned to love writing. I do it in my spare time, just for fun. As I found my own intrinsic motivation, my reliance on extrinsic motivation declined.