Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation are some of the many academic theories that have merit but little real-world application. NLP ia useful for its fast, real-world application to many things. NLP stands for Nero Linguistic Programing. NLP was designed by Richard Bandler who studied top psychologists, psychotherapists and hypnotists who got positive results with people they worked with fast. He then created NLP using the techniques he learned to create rapid and lasting positive changes in people.
One way NLP looks at motivation is by defining two types of motivation called "moving toward" and "moving away." Moving toward means that you are motivated by moving to what you want. It is a positive strategy. An example of this is working and saving money to go on a vacation. Then there is the "moving away" type of motivation. This happens when you are motivated by fear and or pain. An example of this is when you are motivated to eat healthy because you don't want to die of a heart attack.
Which motivation strategy is best? The one that works for you! The important thing is to get really emotionally attached to either strategy. Emotional attachment can happen through visualization or imagination. With a moving toward strategy, you want to picture or imagine exactly what you want. Take this scene in your mind and then play around with the various human senses in the scene that you have created. What does it feel like on your body? What does it feel like inside your body? What does it sound like? What does it taste like? Are there any smells? Take each one of these sensations and then enhance them to find out if it has more or less of a positive charge. Keep the ones that make you feel better. In the end they will both get you to your goal. Just use the strategy that works best for you.
