So ever since I finished reading our senior seminar book Drive by Daniel Pink I have been over thinking many of my ideas for my senior project. I think up great ideas that I believe I am intrinsically motivated to do but then I question if I I really am intrinsically motivated to do carry out such project or if I am simply being extrinsically motivated by other factors. The factors making me believe this include trying to impress people, showing off, shutting some people up, or wanting some recognition and praise. Every project I find myself finding one of those things and I get disapointed because I realize, I don't want to to this for me, but for him, her, them, others. I don't understand why it all leads to that. Before reading Drive I would've believed completely that I was doing it for me but certain parts of the book caught me by surprise and installed this sense of checking to see if my actions are truly for myself.
The ideas I have however are of concepts that I love so I find myself wanting to do them but then I feel that those extrinsic factors might come into play later on in my project and crush my creativity or lower my performance, which are two of "the seven deadly flaws" of extrinsic motivators and Motivation 2.0. Part of me is telling me that it is ok to go with my idea because my intrinsic motivation is much larger than the extrinsic one so perhaps as my project advances intrinsic will rule out extrinsic. In a way I am a bit mad at Daniel Pink for interupting my minds thought cycle. I would have had a set idea a long time ago instead of thinking I have one but then wanting to change it or being confused about it. I wouldn't be thinking about all this extrinsic motivation stuff if it wasn't for him. However, I know he was just putting the truth out there, or some of it since I don't agree with many of his ideas. Even with the knowledge of extrinsic motivation I think I will choose the idea that I believe is at least eighty percent intrinsic and the most twenty percent extrinsic and hope the intrinsic shuts the latter down because I don't believe me or anyone can have an idea that is completely one hundred percent based on intrinsic motivation at first.
I understand you Kevin, one of my dreams was to play a concert in front of thousands of people and feel the roar of the crowd and hear their cheers as the band started up the next song. Then, It hit me I asked myself “do I want this for me? Or because I want fame?” I was a bit worried. But my answer to you and to myself is that it’s almost impossible to live without some extrinsic motivation. After all we do live in an extrinsic world so of course we’re going to be influenced by it. But as long as what you do is intrinsic in the end, you’re doing it for yourself and not for something else you should be fine. I believe that the fact that you’re even worried about whether or not you’re intrinsically motivated shows that whatever you’re worried about is something you don’t want to lose your passion for, which actually shows you’re intrinsically motivated. It’s like when people ask themselves if they have a conscious, just the fact that they’re asking shows that they do.
ReplyDeleteAnd are you mad at yourself for growing up and seeing how complex this is?
ReplyDeleteI enjoy seeing you work through your ideas here.