Action isn’t the effect of motivation, but the cause of it

Our self-motivation and excitement have a relatively short life span, and while we want to be motivated before we start something, it is only possible once we have begun. This paradox is called the Motivation Trap and basically implies that action precedes motivation and not the other way...

• Rational motivation, which reflects our preferences. We're motivated by the opportunities we can notice.
• Biased motivation. We often ignore obvious ways to better our lives because we're short-sighted and lazy. We may be better off boosting our mot...

We may have a goal that we don't really desire. One reason for having an undesirable goal is explained by Richard Ryan and Edward Deci in their experiment on intrinsic motivation. The theory says that we are less motivated by rewards and more motivated by a sense of auton...