2nd Pillar of Intrinsic Motivation
Perceived control, regarding our situation, is the 2nd crucial pillar that underpins motivation.
Having a sense (understanding) of control stems from having an acute awareness of a number of factors.
Some principle factors are:
Time
Your reality (present situation)
Your destination (future situation)
Your direction of travel (and the milestones along the way)
Let’s explore these factors using the example of a student approaching an exam season.
Time
It is important for the student to recognise the time they have left and what can realistically be achieved in that time. Time can be broken down into weeks, days, hours and minutes, and importantly it can be controlled, if you have the belief and tools at your disposal.
It is important to feel in control down to the minute-level: breaking work into short chunks, and identifying breakpoints to allow the mind to reset and go again to maintain a level of productivity.
Your Reality
It is important for the student to understand as much of their present situation as possible, including external & internal pressures, any challenges they are facing, performance levels in subjects, and crucially what that performance level means they are good at, or need to improve in.
Only when you feel in control of your present situation, and the time you have to make adjustments, can you feel in control about the future.
Your destination
“The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction, not a destination.”
I think Carl meant that if we over-emphasis the destination, we fail to see it as a horizon point, from which more horizons will present themselves to us. So, the destination might be finishing an exam, but remember, there is life after the exam. It is still important for the student to compare how they are performing now with a strong sense of how they wish to perform in the future.
Your Direction of Travel
It is important that the student recognises not just where they want to get to, but what they are doing to get there. Feeling in control of the weeks, days, hours and minutes is important; it allows them to decide what to do, when to do it, and how to go about doing it. The milestones are points they can build in to assess their course, and make adjustments as needed.
None of the above is easy, or rather, it is easy to feel like time is rapidly slipping away, like you don’t have a clear handle on the present situation, or no sense of what success looks like in a given project you are trying to complete. Time, your boss, external pressures, might all be wrestling control away from you. However, there are ways to regain control, and it always begins with awareness.
