The Foundation for Self-Motivation Must be Built Without This
It’s exponentially harder to get better at something without self-motivation. No matter how much talent someone has, without self-motivation they will never be better than average. However, before you can start thinking about developing self-motivation you must have the right foundation.
Self-motivation is the drive to complete an activity for only the satisfaction gained in doing the activity. This satisfaction is the result of fun or mental stimulation and must be supported with a foundation built on autonomy, mastery, and purpose. In addition, this foundation must also exclude external pressure.
That last statement is super important. Pressure from external sources kills self-motivation. External pressure breeds the fear of failure and drives up anxiety as well as unhealthy stress. These things zap energy, and since by definition motivation is the energy to act, they also zap motivation. As a result, in order for self-motivation to develop, external pressure must be eliminated.
One fact that will always be true about pressure is that it either burst pipes or makes diamonds. Or to put it differently, pressure has the potential to lead to both negative and positive outcomes. Unquestionably, it’s the external pressure that will cause the negative outcome of the proverbial burst pipes. Therefore, the only way that pressure can make a diamond is when it comes from an internal source. While it’s true that not all internal pressure is good, at least internal pressure has the potential for good.