What is motivation?

Motivation is what makes you want to do something, just like how a toy makes you excited to play.

Imagine you have a big bowl of ice cream, your favorite flavor, chocolate chip! You see it, and poof, you feel happy and ready to eat it right away. That’s motivation: the feeling that makes you take action.

Sometimes, you want something because it feels good. Like when you're tired and you want to lie down, that's intrinsic motivation (motivation from inside). Other times, you want something because of a reward, like getting a sticker for cleaning your room. That’s extrinsic motivation (motivation from outside).

Motivation is also what helps you keep going when things get hard. Imagine you're building a tower with blocks. At first, it's easy, but then the tower wobbles and starts to fall. If you still want to finish your tower, that’s motivation keeping you strong!

You might feel like you’re being pulled by a string, from inside or outside, and that’s what helps you keep going. Motivation is what makes you want to do something, just like how a toy makes you excited to play.

Imagine you have a big bowl of ice cream, your favorite flavor, chocolate chip! You see it, and poof, you feel happy and ready to eat it right away. That’s motivation: the feeling that makes you take action.

Sometimes, you want something because it feels good. Like when you're tired and you want to lie down, that's intrinsic motivation (motivation from inside). Other times, you want something because of a reward, like getting a sticker for cleaning your room. That’s extrinsic motivation (motivation from outside).

Motivation is also what helps you keep going when things get hard. Imagine you're building a tower with blocks. At first, it's easy, but then the tower wobbles and starts to fall. If you still want to finish your tower, that’s motivation keeping you strong!

You might feel like you’re being pulled by a string, from inside or outside, and that’s what helps you keep going.