Hey there —
They say if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. 🌴
But if you’ve ever tried to write a book or start a YouTube channel or launch a freelance business…you know that’s just not true.
No matter how much you love writing or filmmaking or painting or creating spreadsheets (hey, love what you love!), the process of learning these skills and the effort required to meet your goals is still work.
And it’s still hard. Especially since the usual insecurity, setbacks, and disappointments can be even more excruciating, precisely because you love this thing so much. 😩
If right about now you’re thinking maybe you should have just stuck with that boring desk job, don’t give up on your dreams.
While loving what you do doesn’t make it effortless, it does make it easier.
That’s because of something called intrinsic motivation.
To explain, let’s look at an experiment performed in the 1970’s by psychologists from Stanford and the University of Michigan.
A class of preschoolers who had shown previous interest in drawing were each given paper and markers and asked to draw a picture. These budding artists were split up into three groups:
⭐ Group A was told they would be given a reward when they finished their drawings.
😯 Group B was surprised with a reward upon completion of their masterpieces.
🎨 Group C remained blissfully unaware of any external reward — there was no mention of a prize and they weren’t given anything.
Two weeks later, those same children were once again offered the opportunity to draw. The preschoolers in Group A (those previously motivated by the promise of a reward) showed far less interest in continuing their artistic pursuits than their Group B and C counterparts, who had simply drawn because they enjoyed it.
Brigitte Granger, founder of the accountability community Supporti, explains why this intrinsic motivation (in our case, “doing what you love”) is more beneficial than working for an external reward (like simply collecting a paycheck):
“The beauty of intrinsic motivation is that it doesn’t fizzle out. As long as the activity remains valuable and interesting to you, it replenishes motivation with each use.”
In other words, when you’re driven by an internal passion, you tap into a constant source of motivation to keep doing the work — even when it’s hard.
So how can you leverage and fuel this internal motivation as you pursue your goals?
Know — and hold on to — your why.
Work you love, that’s aligned with your values and interests, is exciting and fulfilling. But that excitement can fizzle in the face of difficulties, and even disappear if you become hyper-focused on an external reward (especially if that reward doesn’t come quickly).
By defining your deeper purpose — why you love what you do, why it’s valuable to you, and why you believe it offers value to others — you’ll tap into an internal motivation more meaningful than any external reward.
Making the work you love to do a little easier…and propelling you forward even when it’s not. 💕
This 15-minute stick figure exercise can help you find your purpose
by Marielle Segarra
If you’ve ever struggled with conflicting desires (like wanting to be free to travel the world while also wanting to put down roots), psychotherapist Satya Doyle Byock has some advice for you: draw a stick figure. ✍️The exercise Byock calls "My Two Conflicting Selves” aims to help you list out your wants and needs, then figure out how to bring those worlds together and find more fulfillment in your life.Grab a piece of paper and a pencil and check out the article for a step-by-step guide.Read the article →
Why you need more “tiny relationships” (and how to get them)
by Meredith Dietz
How do you feel about talking to strangers?
Whether the idea of engaging with someone you don’t know excites or terrifies you, it turns out making small connections with the people around us — the cashier at the grocery store, our morning barista, the stranger on the sidewalk — can have an overall positive impact on our well-being.
This article offers a few tips on how you can start embracing these often overlooked interactions and how they can make your life a little more joyful.
Empathy and its limits
by vlogbrothers
Do birds dislike rainy days? 🐦
This is the question author (and one-half of the vlogbrothers) John Green uses to begin his humorous and deeply thoughtful commentary on the limits — and importance — of empathy.
As with most of the Green brothers’ content, you’ll walk away inspired to be a better human.
🎮 In Cozy Grove, play a helpful (and sometimes sarcastic) Spirit Scout charged with taking care of an island full of ghost bears. With a limit to how far you can advance the storyline in a single day, it’s great if you love relaxing with a fun game but want to avoid falling into an hours-long gaming stupor.
📚 Organize your digital life and boost your productivity with Building a Second Brain by Tiago Forte. (And watch for a video on this topic coming soon to Matt’s channel!)
📺 Dark Waters is a fantastic movie about corporate corruption and a lawyer who fought back.
🎧 Turn up the volume and jam out to CHVRCHES' new single.
📱 Want to try intermittent fasting? The Zero app is a great way to track when you need to fast and when you can eat.
Written by Ashley Martin
Edited by Matt D'Avella