The search for meaning is fundamental to intrinsic motivation and self-realization, having a goal, clarifying the most precious for us, marks a path capable of guiding us in the day to day so as not to get lost. the passion and pride of our work and fences before those who venture away from this personal path.
As curious as it may seem, in psychological practice it is common to ask patients a very specific question: what defines it, what are its values ?, what does life mean to you?Somehow, we have inherited these existentialist foundations that Viktor Frankl left us with logotherapy, where we can highlight the primary motivation of every human being.
- Today.
- Many experts point out that this goal.
- The search for meaning.
- Is one of the most basic needs of much of the population.
- Which currently lives an uncomfortable sense of emptiness.
- If a few decades ago religion and spirituality tried to fill these spaces of doubt.
- Chasms and personal deviations in one way or another.
- Today something else needs to be done.
We could say that we have already set aside this need to understand our origin or our position in the cosmos, science gives us valuable answers and we have a lot of information at our disposal, however, in this present defined by great technological advances, other deeper voids, other anxieties appear.
What do I expect from me? In other words, instead of questioning the very meaning of life, we now question our relationship with life and with ourselves.
“Life is never unbearable by circumstance, but by a lack of meaning and purpose. “Viktor Frankl.
We have all learned that motivation can be of two types: extrinsic and intrinsic; the first is orchestrated by the need to perform certain behaviors to receive an external reward, an objective reinforcement; the second, intrinsic motivation, is one in which the person does certain things for the simple pleasure of doing them, without the need for external incentives.
A study by strathfield University indicates that the latter motivational dimension is regulated by a series of very specific processes, so realities as important as creativity, curiosity, reflection, critical thinking, initiative and proactive behaviors are those that orchestrate all this impulse that manages intrinsic motivation.
Now comes the problem. For much of our lives, have we been educated according to the parameters that govern extrinsic motivation?”If you do, I’ll give you something excellent. Hold on tight and I’ll buy you this toy. If you pass the exams, I’ll let you travel?.
In addition, society itself also manipulates us in the purest style of behavior based on rewards, punishments and reinforcements, in essence we live so aware of this external hand that it rewards us that we can feel very lost in its absence. this outside world creates internal deficiencies, blocks initiatives, creative impulses, challenges, the audacity to seek its own rewards.
The search for meaning shapes our intrinsic motivation, at a time when we find a reason, a reason for being, a passion and that golden thread that guides dreams, values and determinations, everything changes, but how do you do it?We are so full of environmental obligations, pressures, restrictions and noise that it is difficult to find that reason.
However, there is one thing that we cannot lose sight of: the human being is witty, he is courageous, he is spiritual, the search for meaning can be accomplished in any scenario and situation:
The search for meaning involves committing to oneself, this means, for example, not leaving our needs for tomorrow, it means giving ourselves quality time, serving ourselves, allowing ourselves, taking care of ourselves, giving us new opportunities to experiment, to discover?
Sometimes we have no choice but to unlearn to relearn. We spend so much time mediated by extrinsic motivation and the need to be validated or rewarded that we forget how wonderful it is to leave this barrier and challenge the world.
Should we dare to think differently, be creative, innovate in ideas, behaviors, projects?Boldness brings discoveries, and the search for meaning empowers us to do new things, to get out of the routine.
In conclusion, finding a purpose in life is a personal obligation that we must all work on, we will reduce our existential emptiness by filling it with experiences, experiences, and opportunities, life can often reveal not one, but several meanings for locating our motivations. .