BLOG: Harnessing Intrinsic Motivation Part II

Time stopped for me the other day. In a good way. In a fill-your-soul-to-the-brim way. And it was all because of some misplaced geometric form.

But that's all it takes for me - discovery with some awe thrown in - to generate soul bursting energy and motivation from the inside out. 

I was going about my morning when I saw this image and heard "hexagonal storm system on Saturn": 

As I took in the information, my jaw actually dropped. My eyes grew slightly wider, and time stopped as I tried to process this oddity. 

A perfect HEXAGON! On the north pole of Saturn. Created by a storm system?!?

Curiosity and excitement grew until I was bursting with wonder. 

This fact blew my understanding of the circular weather pattern completely out of the water. 

And that is the essence of awe, the overwhelming feeling of wonder, of being in the presence of something vast which transcends your understanding of the world.

This cheek-slapping stop sign from the universe wrenched me into the present and stopped time long enough to fill my soul to the brim with wonder, curiosity, and delight.

My energy soared.

After doing further research to figure out just how a weather pattern could be hexagonal, I harnessed the energy and channeled it into what I needed to do that day.

With elevated energy, I was able to check off my to do's with relative ease.

What's more, the accomplishment I felt checking off those to do's added to the dopamine-laden experience of the morning and further fueled my day.

The process broke through the heavy inertia of the morning and created momentum from the inside out.

It's a groovy little technique, and it starts with whatever it is for you that generates curiosity, excitement, passion, or interest as this is the essence of intrinsic motivation.

If you're not quite sure what that is for you, start with noticing those tiny delights you experience throughout the week and build on those.

But eventually, the practice, the fundamental key to sustaining energy, is the shift from externally related motivation to intrinsic. The key is to get connected with your self so that you begin to live your life in your own way. 

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