The right school, the right job, the right life partner, the right amount of money… Psychologists have a name for these goals, and it’s called extrinsic motivation.
This type of drive moves the needle in everything you’ve got to do. But with your true intentions for doing anything unexamined, it can “hook” you on all the wrong things… like burning out just for the sake of promotions, or chasing validation from people you’re not even into.
But there’s a way to flip it around… and it starts with knowing how to master this drive, instead of it mastering you.
What is extrinsic motivation?
Extrinsic motivation is doing something for a prize at the end of the tunnel. Or as Denis Waitley, the author of The Psychology of Winning and trainer of the Mindvalley program with the same name, describes, “the power of some external benefit or tangible reward.”
Like:
- Studying hard to ace the exam that can put you on the right career path,
- Dragging yourself out of bed for the 6 A.M. workout because you’ve got a summer trip circled on the calendar, or
- Leaving your job to start a company for the lure of big payoffs and recognition.
Quite simply, it’s the spark that keeps you putting in the reps on the hard, often unglamorous parts of building a good life. But because the drive comes from the outside, you’re rarely factoring in long-term happiness when you set those goals.
That’s where it gets tricky: if you never pause to ask why you’re chasing those rewards, from time to time, each milestone along the way can start to feel empty. As Denis points out, “The success of our efforts depends not so much on the efforts themselves, but rather on our motive for doing them.”
Which begs the question: what, truly, is motivation?
Here’s where the Self-Determination Theory, established in the 1980s by psychologists Edward Deci and Richard Ryan, comes in. It frames motivation as a spectrum, with one end driven by outside pressures and rewards, and the other powered by intrinsic motivation elements such as agency, curiosity, and personal meaning.
Where you fall on this spectrum shapes how far your motivation will take you.
And, as Edward and Richard discovered, piling on too many external rewards can cause your inner drive to fade. So, balancing extrinsic motivation with its counterpart is what keeps you going at anything you do in life.
Extrinsic vs. intrinsic motivation
What’s the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation? Well, one sees reward in experiences, while the other derives its power from outcomes.
Here’s a more detailed look at the two types of motivation, side by side:
Now, if you understand Deci and Ryan’s Self-Determination Theory, you’ll realize that one is not more important than the other.
Both have their uses, because both are equal, though contrasting, parts of the same behavioral continuum. As for how much you’d use one or the other depends on your end goals.
Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation examples
It’s one thing to define the ends of the motivation spectrum. It’s another to see them play out in the real world. And the good news here is, history and headlines are full of both.
Some intrinsic motivation examples in the flesh:
- Marie Curie. This scientist spent years in a lab out of sheer fascination with radioactivity, long before those Nobel Prizes came along her way.
- Malala Yousafzai. This human rights activist risked her life for girls’ education, driven by a belief rather than a reward. Even a bullet through her head couldn’t stop her.
- Steve Wozniak. He built the first Apple computer, alongside Steve Jobs, for the joy of seeing technological progress, rather than a billion-dollar valuation.
- Albert Einstein. Known for calling curiosity his greatest passion, he pursued physics out of a deep love for discovery. And his theories changed the world.
The common ground these big leaguers shared? They followed their curiosity and values so deeply that their work naturally lifted others.d their curiosity and values so deeply that their work naturally lifted others.
On the other end of the spectrum is extrinsic motivation, personified:
- Usain Bolt. External rewards, such as medals and sponsorships, motivated him to surpass his body’s limits, shatter records, and cement his title as world champion.
- Goldman Sachs traders. Bonuses and quarterly profits are powerful incentives that drove these finance experts during the 2008 boom.
- Winston Churchill. The pursuit of cabinet posts was a strong motivator for this politician, who switched parties twice in his career to advance up the ladder.
- MrBeast. His viral YouTube stunts, powered by the pull of ever-growing audiences, turned his channel into a billion-dollar digital empire.
These names may have lived different lives, on and off screen. But the sure thing is, extrinsic motivation is how they’ve all gone full throttle in life.
How the two motivation types work together
Here’s the nuance: no one runs purely on intrinsic or extrinsic motivation. Because the truth is, you’re wired to need both in finding your purpose.
Malala may have acted from pure belief, but the recognition she received undeniably amplified her impact. Usain, meanwhile, may have craved medals, but it’s undoubtedly the love of the sport that’s also kept him on track, training year after year.
“Human greatness can’t be extrinsically motivated,” says Denis in his program. “It must be compelled from within.”
And yet, as Florencia Andrés, a peak performance coach and trainer of The Champion Mindset program on Mindalley, reminds us that waiting for inner drive to strike isn’t the move, either.
“We need to stop waiting to feel motivated,” she shares. “We need to start creating motivation.”
So, it’s clear as day: extrinsic motivation sets the pace, while intrinsic motivation gives it staying power. Together, they make the run worth finishing.
We need to stop waiting to feel motivated. We need to start creating motivation.
— Florencia Andrés, trainer of The Champion Mindset program on Mindalley
Extrinsic motivation examples from real life
Your life runs on more carrots and sticks than you think. They choreograph how you show up at work, in school, and at home, albeit quietly and subtly.
Here’s a breakdown of how it tends to pan out:
At work
Most offices run on external fuel. And if you look around, you’ll see it in play every day, in the form of:
- Job security, a.k.a., the safety net you’d need to pay your bills and support yourself and your loved ones. No wonder it’s the prime motivator for job satisfaction at the workplace.
- Salary raises. The annual bump that keeps you grinding harder, year after year, for a shot at a better lifestyle.
- Bonuses and commissions. Whether given quarterly or yearly, they’re the “light at the end of the tunnel” that pushes people to stay up all night. Money, after all, is on the line.
- Promotions and titles. That shiny next rung on the ladder that convinces you those extra hours are worth it.
- Public recognition. The dopamine hit of being crowned “Employee of the Month” or a company-wide shout-out that makes you feel seen.
- Perks and benefits. From stock options to corner offices, the little extras that sweeten the deal and keep you bought in.
These days, many are tinkering with how to make money with AI and skill-stacking for financial freedom. Yet the regular paycheck still holds its grip as the ultimate motivator.
“Many people go to a job that they neither enjoy nor care about just to receive a paycheck,” Denis says. “And you can bet that those people would not go to their job every day if they knew no one was going to pay them for their work.”
At school
If the office runs on paychecks, classrooms run on gold stars. You see extrinsic motivation in action here every day:
- Grades. Students burying themselves in books not for curiosity’s sake, but for A’s, scholarships, or parental approval.
- Awards and trophies. Kids going all in for stickers, ribbons, or spots on the honor roll that make their effort visible.
- Homework. Completed not necessarily out of interest for knowledge, and more to sidestep detention or a call to the principle’s office.
- College admissions. Teens stacking extracurriculars and AP classes, not always out of passion, but to beef up their resumes for acceptance letters.
In these early education settings, extrinsic rewards and punishments often take the driver’s seat as placeholders… until kids learn how to find their own reasons for staying in the game. Because willpower alone, Florencia says, does not come when you need it.
“Motivation is not a fairy godmother,” she explains. “And if it was one, it’s a very tricky one because she never shows up when you most need her.”
At home
Extrinsic motivation doesn’t clock out when you leave the office. In fact, it’s running your household, too, in these areas:
- Parenting. Incentives and consequences run the household: allowance for chores, bedtime stories for brushing teeth, or screen time on the line for unfinished homework.
- Partnerships. Your spouse finally agreeing to take out the trash or handle the dishes because there’s a promised reward, like their favorite dinner, control of the TV remote for the night, or more intimacy.
- Personal habits. Dragging yourself into that cold shower, early workout, or meal prep session because you want the health payoff down the line.
- Family obligations. Saying yes to dinners, weddings, or reunions out of duty, recognition, or simply to avoid guilt.
The truth is, home life operates on a mix of push and pull between external nudges and intentions. And more often than not, it’s the former that gets things done the most.
Florencia herself even laughs at how universal this setting is. “Can you imagine telling a kid, ‘It’s time to take a shower,’ and the kid gracefully proceeds to do so?” she shares in her program with a laugh. “It never happened in my house.”
The benefits and limitations of using extrinsic motivation to achieve goals
Extrinsic motivation gets you results. That’s why it drives classrooms, boardrooms, and just about everything in between. But like any fuel for success, it can burn you if you don’t know its nuances well enough to use it sustainably.
Here’s a look at its pros and cons:
Benefits
Extrinsic motivation boosts your “in it to win it” streak by:
- Promoting performance in the short term. Rewards light up the brain’s pleasure circuits, and when used right, they drive results. Research has found that the promise of rewards motivates people to work faster, harder, and achieve more targets.
- Getting you through the boring stuff. Not every task is a passion project. Sometimes it’s slog work. Financial bonuses, for example, have been proven to keep creativity alive, even when the process of earning them is tedious.
- Providing structure and discipline. Visible rewards help anchor routines and encourage people to stick to them, especially when disengagement is imminent. This is why workplaces use KPIs, schools assign report cards, and parents leverage the idea of allowances.
- Supporting learning when paired with a smart setup. When tied to progress instead of just outcomes, rewards can actually accelerate how we acquire new skills… like how Duolingo keeps you engaged with streaks and milestones, not just vocabulary drills. Or the way the Mindvalley app now celebrates wins with badges, streaks, and progress tracking to normalize personal growth.
In short, nothing like incentivization to get you off the couch and just do it.
Limitations
Of course, like everything in life, extrinsic motivation is not bulletproof. Overdo it, and the very thing that gets you moving can end up holding you back. You’d know it when it:
- Chips away at your inner drive. Edward and Richard weren’t exaggerating when they said external regulation has its dark side. In psychology, it’s called the overjustification effect. When rewards are the only thing expected on the horizon, it’s only a matter of time before you lose curiosity and creativity.
- Doesn’t last forever. External motivators only work as long as the prize is in place. Take away the idea of grades, and students stop hitting the books. Pull back the yearly bonus, and employee morale can plummet.
- Kills creativity under pressure. A study on rewards and creative performance found that when rewards are framed too tightly around outcomes, innovation suffers. In other words? There’s no real need to think outside the box when all you care about is the dangling “carrot” in front of you.
- Makes you reward-dependent. Lean too hard on external payoffs, and self-regulation weakens. Poorly designed reward systems risk leaving people hooked on the next thing to check off the list, rather than building authentic purpose.
That’s the power behind extrinsic motivation. But it burns hot and fast. Without balancing it with intrinsic fire, you risk running out of gas before you reach the real finish line.
How to effectively use extrinsic motivation in 5 ways, according to experts
Extrinsic motivation is a reliable fuel. Like any other source of power, though, it runs out. What keeps the tank full is focus.
The promises we make to exercise, eat right, or do deep work? They often turn into empty words, hanging between intention and action… unless you’re zoned in. Because “focus is what closes the gap,” says Nir Eyal, a habit formation expert and author of Indistractable.
Here’s how he suggests you use that focus to make extrinsic motivation work for you, based on his Mindvalley program, Becoming Focused and Indistractable:
- Tame internal triggers. Most distractions begin with discomfort, from stress to fatigue. Noticing the feeling as you feel it stops you from chasing the wrong reward.
- Turn time into traction. Plan your hours like you’d plan your budget, through timeboxing (blocking out specific chunks of time for specific tasks). When you know where your time is going, external rewards become checkpoints instead of easily-derailed detours.
- Set the stage for good habits. Utilize habit-tracking apps and methods, such as dopamine fasting and monk mode, to stay committed to daily workouts and journaling sessions.
- Make pre-commitments. Nir calls these “pacts.” Lock in choices ahead of time, like signing up for a race, scheduling a study session, or meeting a friend at the gym, to carry you through when willpower dips.
- Reimagine the tasks at hand. Boredom kills focus. Nir suggests making the work itself feel rewarding by gamifying your progress. Track it, raise the challenge, celebrate small wins… all to make the journey feel as good as the prize.
“Becoming indistractable,” Nir adds, “means you’re as honest with yourself as you are with others.” And once you master that, extrinsic motivators will work for you, not against you.
Watch what he has to say about motivation mastery, the distraction-free way:
Awaken your unstoppable
When focus meets motivation, the effort you’re putting into achieving your goals turns into momentum. And every step carries you closer to the life you know you’re meant to live.
If that’s the state you want to step into more often, Nir Eyal’s free Becoming Focused and Indistractable masterclass is your next move.
In just under 60 minutes, this Mindvalley session will teach you to:
- Spot the hidden triggers behind most distractions,
- Use Nir’s 10-minute technique to snap your focus back fast,
- Skyrocket your effectiveness with Nir’s Time Box Calendar approach,
- Defuse smartphone distractions in seconds, and
- Build a workplace culture that fuels focus and productivity.
For Dijana Llugolli, a success and business coach in Stockholm, deep focus was once a faraway dream. However, after applying Nir’s tips to her day-to-day life, she realized that her biggest distraction was seeking love and validation from outside sources..
Once I discovered that I already have all the things available in my current presence, I stopped chasing that externally. I am NOW a better mom, friend, and coach because I accept myself holistically.
Dijana’s story proves that you can start owning the fire within, even when you’re used to chasing love and validation outside. Because ultimately, it’s all about habits.
When you’re focused on what you know will take you to the next level, clarity cuts through, your energy levels go up, and you start moving through life with precision, momentum, and a presence nobody can ignore.
And that’s how you become truly unstoppable.
Welcome in.
