Learn How YOU Get Motivated

Quiz Questions

• 1.
  1. If the following three career paths were the only options you had, which would you choose?

  • A.
    a. A job that I enjoy and have a lot of freedom in even though I get paid very little.
  • B.
    b. A job I can make a large salary and live how I want even though I don't enjoy it.
  • C.
    c. A job that I sort of enjoy, but I also have the opportunity to earn bonuses for my hard work.
• 2.
  2. You are playing a board game with friends. What is most important to you?

  • A.
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    Winning the game of course!
  • B.
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    The fun of playing the game and being with my friends.
  • C.
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    Showing my friends my knowledge and abilities AND enjoying time with them.
• 3.
  3. In school, when you have an assignment what are you most focused on?

  • A.
    a. Learning everything I can about the subject to expand my knowledge or feel accomplished.
  • B.
    b. Making a good grade so I can maintain a high GPA and experience the feeling of accomplishment.
  • C.
    c. Getting the assignment done, so I feel less stressed, don’t fail the class, or look bad to others.
• 4.
  4. Someone you love tells you they are coming to visit you this weekend, but your place is a mess. You…

  • A.
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    Start cleaning immediately because I want them to feel comfortable when they visit.
  • B.
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    Start cleaning immediately because I would be mortified if they saw how messy my place was.
  • C.
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    Are grateful they called because I want them to feel comfortable, AND I have been putting off cleaning all week and needed an extra push.
• 5.
  5. Which of the following best describes your personality?

  • A.
    a. I need to feel like a task is meaningful to WANT to do it, but if not, I can be persuaded with the right reward or to avoid a negative outcome.
  • B.
    b. I may not want to do something, but I will get it done if there is a good payoff or to get the pressure off of me.
  • C.
    c. I am a self-starter and love the feeling of accomplishing tasks.
• 6.
  6. What is most important to you?

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  • A.
    a. Praise or rewards
  • B.
    b. The feeling of pride for a job well done
  • C.
    c. Both a and b are equally important to me
• 7.
  7. When you were a kid, what motivated you to do your chores?

  • A.
    a. Avoid getting in trouble or to get it done so I could play more.
  • B.
    b. To avoid my parents getting upset AND to feel good about myself.
  • C.
    c. Experience the feeling of getting something done or because I enjoyed the process of cleaning
• 8.
   8. Do you prefer to...

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  • A.
    a. Have the freedom to do your own thing without anyone telling you what to do?
  • B.
    b. Be given instructions so that you do things the way they are expected?
  • C.
    c. Have a balance of freedom and instructions?
• 9.
  9. You just finished a long week of work and are exhausted. A friend calls you up and asks if you would help them move this weekend. You decide to help them because…

  • A.
    a. I care about my friend, AND I don’t want them to think I'm a lousy friend.
  • B.
    b. I would feel guilty if I said no or fearful that they might be mad at me.
  • C.
    c. I know that helping them will make them feel good, and that makes me happy.
• 10.
  10. Which activities would you be most likely to participate in for fun?

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  • A.
    a. Any activity that brings me joy.
  • B.
    b. An activity where I can compete, earn something, or prove myself to others in some way.
  • C.
    c. An activity in which I have both an opportunity to do what I love and work toward a goal.

Quiz Outcomes

• 1.
  You Are Primarily Intrinsically Motivated

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  Your inner compass drives your passions and keeps you focused on your goals. To be "intrinsically motivated" means searching within yourself to find the energy to face challenges. Your values and desire to be true to yourself outweigh your need to have approval from others. You are most motivated when you feel like you are doing something meaningful to YOU, regardless of what others think. You will put effort into something simply because you can, to learn something, or because there is meaning and purpose for you. Though you are a self-starter, you sometimes find it challenging to get motivated when there is not enough room to be creative or do things your way. If you do not believe in the goal or reason for a task, you may not be able to get motivated, even if there is a reward. In fact, you may lose interest if there is a reward for something you already enjoy doing. If a project or challenge feels meaningless to you yet you are required to do it (maybe for work), here are some quick tips for when you are having trouble getting motivated: 1. Hunt the good stuff. Try to find one aspect that could bring purpose to your boring work. Look for something about this task that will help you to grow as a person or learn something new. It could be something as simple as proving to yourself you can do it. If the task involves others, focus on relationship building or better developing your leadership skills. 2. Find a carrot. Practice your extrinsic motivation skills. Sometimes, intrinsically motivated people still need a little external motivator. Try breaking the task into smaller parts and rewarding yourself with something after you complete each part. Chocolate works for me ;)! You could even set a timer and work in 10-30 minute intervals, then take a 5-minute break. 3. Climb a tree. When you can get a different perspective or see the bigger picture, you will often be able to push through the tough bits. For example, maybe the task you are working on is a small part of a bigger outcome (a finished project, a completed work week, a larger goal met). Sometimes I put a note up reminding myself of a trip I'll be going on in the future or plans with a friend at the end of the week. Want more on how to “adult” when you reeeeeally don’t want to? Click the button below!See you soon :)
• 2.
  You Are Primarily Extrinsically Motivated

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  You are most driven by seeing the fruit of your labor. Being “extrinsically motivated” means you get your energy to complete difficult tasks by the reward or outcome you receive. You don’t want to waste time on things that don’t have a clear benefit, and you are probably pretty good at giving yourself little rewards for something you don’t like doing (getting Starbucks after a long study session). Examples of extrinsic motivators are things like studying to get a good grade, competing for a scholarship, and cleaning your dishes to avoid making your roommates angry. When you are facing a big challenge that doesn’t seem to have a good payoff, then trying to get motivated to do it feels almost impossible. For example, getting up early for a job you can’t stand and don’t get paid well or doing your laundry when you still have clean clothes in your closet. Sometimes there just isn’t enough incentive to do the things you believe you should do, and you feel stuck. Here's the good news! Since you respond well to things like rewards, praise, or to avoid adverse outcomes, there is almost always something you can find in every situation that could be a motivator for you. Here are some quick tips for when you are seriously lacking motivation: 1. Break it down. When faced with a big task, break it down into small parts and give yourself little rewards along the way. For example, finish one load of laundry and then let yourself watch one episode of your favorite show. Or set a timer to do school work for 30 minutes and then take a 10-minute break as a reward (chocolate is not a bad idea either ;). 2. Inject Joy. When you look at your entire week/month/year, and all you see is work, work, and more work, it is very easy to lose all motivation. Make sure you inject some joy (plan some fun stuff) into every day, week, month, and year. You need to be able to look ahead and see something fun coming in your future to be able to push through the hard stuff. 3.Call a friend. Sometimes, you may just need a friend to give you a pep talk or to keep you accountable. For example, ask your friend to give you some good reasons why you need to get your paper written. Then ask them to call you in one hour to see if you have gotten started. We all need a little push from time to time! Want more on how to “adult” when you reeeeeally don’t want to? Click the button below!See you soon :)
• 3.
  You are a Hybrid! You are Both Intrinsically and Extrinsically Motivated. 

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  To be "intrinsically motivated" means searching within yourself to find the energy to face challenges. Being “extrinsically motivated” means you get your energy to complete difficult tasks by the reward or outcome you receive. In your case, you are almost equally intrinsically and extrinsically motivated instead of leaning toward one over the other. Your inner compass drives your passions and keeps you focused on your goals, but you can also be motivated by a good reward when passion fails. If you do not believe in the goal or reason for a task, you may struggle to get motivated, and it gets even more challenging if the reward for the job isn’t appealing to you either. For example, if your boss asks you to work on a project that you think is stupid and they also don’t offer an incentive like extra pay, your motivation is going to tank! What’s most important for you when you struggle with motivation is to decide on an intrinsic or extrinsic motivator. If you can find a meaning or purpose for the task (like setting a personal goal of seeing how fast you can accomplish it), you may be able to get motivated intrinsically. You could also get motivated if you decide on an extrinsic motivator like buying yourself a Starbucks drink when you finish the task. The trick is finding what will work in that circumstance. Some more examples of intrinsic motivators are: 1. Positive affirmations (being our own cheerleader) 2. Doing something that aligns with your values (helping someone) 3. Self-improvement 4. Learning new things 5. Satisfying curiositySome more examples of extrinsic motivators are: 1. Earning money 2. Making good grades 3. Avoiding a fight 4. Praise from others 5. Getting a raiseWant more on how to “adult” when you reeeeeally don’t want to? Click the button below!See you soon :)