To maximize your intrinsic motivation, you also need to understand what it’s not. For one, intrinsic motivation is not limited to resolving curiosity.

when abstract goals become too abstract, they’re at risk of turning into fantasies that substitute for action.

There is, of course, a downside.

Overall, a nuanced understanding of the approach/avoidance distinction implies that, once you realize which goal type is more effective for you and your situation, you can best set your goal. Absent such personalization, the general rule is that, for many of us under most circumstances, defining our goals as approaching a state of success and good

These challenging targets motivate you because when facing a difficult task, you recruit resources, or energize yourself, to meet the upcoming challenge. The expectation that the task you’re facing will be difficult—but not impossible—results in shifting more mental and physical energy to do

To test this principle, psychologist Kentaro Fujita and his colleagues assigned people to an abstract or concrete mind-set by having them answer a series of “why” (abstract) or “how” (concrete) questions. For example, they answered “Why do you maintain good physical health?” or “How do you maintain good physical health?” After answering several

We’re motivated to do something right—to win the job or the game based on our skill and knowledge—largely because we’re concerned with what our actions reveal about the kind of person we are.

Finally, pursuing approach and avoidance goals feels different. Successfully pursuing an approach goal will make you feel happy, proud, and eager. Failing to pursue an approach goal will result in feeling sad and depressed. For example, when I got a promotion at work, I felt proud. In contrast, successfully pursuing an avoidance goal makes you feel

The goals we set are powerful motivational tools. A goal doesn’t just point you in a specific direction, it also pulls you in that direction.