Too often motivation is confused with inspiration or with rewards. Inspiration is short-lived and is unreliable. Rewards and their opposite–punishments—work up to a point, but they don’t tap intrinsic motivation. They are extrinsic forms of motivation, and after a certain point they lose their effectiveness.
Motivation is something that comes from the inside, especially when we connect to a purpose we believe in. Meaning-based motivation is supported by a strong “ARM” or paying attention to autonomy, relatedness and mastery.
Now that you have the building blocks of motivation, how are you going to use them to build something that really matters?