What Drives You?

External or internal forces?

External forces include a paycheck, bills, praise from peers, the clock, others’ expectations, dogma, fear of repercussions, traffic signs, the scale.

Internal forces include a vision you have for yourself, belief, desire, the self, a sense of what you’re meant to contribute to the world, obligation to oneself, conviction, serenity.

Both can motivate, but internal forces lead to more authentic, more satisfying action. Sometimes external influences prompt internal motivations, and sometimes when we lack internal drives, external ones will have to do.

Oftentimes internal forces determine which external measures I set up for myself. For example, I have a certain vision for how I want to look, physically. The morning alarm clock, the scale, and my doctor are all external forces that help me attain this internally derived vision. If I lose the vision, I may still go to the gym, but doing so would be in some sense less authentic, more difficult, and less satisfying.

Maturity is the art of moving from external to internal motivations—from doing things because we have to, to doing things because we want to.