What is intrinsic motivation? Is it a tool that can help me achieve my goals or is it a phenomenon? Do I have intrinsic motivation? How do I discover my intrinsic motivation? How do I use my intrinsic motivation?
Before the event, everyone seemed to be confused about the concept of “intrinsic motivation”, but after the event, everyone gained a new understanding and recognition of “intrinsic motivation”.
On May 28,Esther Hall co-hosted the firstoffline“Youth and Curiosity” live talk show with the “100thCity FireflyTribes” and the Shero Women’s Psychological Platform.
This event was divided into two parts:“OnlineLive Interaction” and “Discussion and Sharing”. During the “OnlineLive Interaction” section, the guests shared with our students and answered questions from our students at Shantou University. The students discussed the topic of “intrinsic motivation” together with the guests. After the live talk show, students had a heated discussion based on the content shared by the guests and shared their own insights and gains with each other.
In this talk show, students not only gained knowledge and strength, dispersed their confusion and doubts, but also shared their own opinions and experiences with others as well as encouraged each other. Let’s review this thought-provoking live talk show together.
OnlineLive Interaction
In this live talk show, we invited four guests with different backgrounds, Jill Tang, Carol Zhou, Rachel Li, and Rachel, to explore the topic of “intrinsic motivation” with our students in a diverse manner. The four guests shared with the students their experiences of the impact of “intrinsic motivation” on our lives and methods of finding intrinsic motivation from their own experiences. The students benefited greatly from the sharing of their experiences and insights.
Jill Tang: Founder of the100thCity FireflyTribesand Co-Founder of Ladies Who Tech, named as one of the Top 100 Pioneers in China by Tatler Asia in 2019 andwinner of the Annual Influential Leadership Award from the China-America Chamber of Commerce Future Leadership Award in 2020.
Key Quotes:
1. Everyone is a flower, butwith differentvarieties, soasthe time of blooming.Please wait quietly for your time to bloom.
2. The cultivation of intrinsic motivation is a process of development. First, you need to take action and try, get feedback and results in the process, so as to encourage you to get more strength to do more things and nourish your beliefs.
3. For entrepreneurs, just having a dream is not enough. If there is no ability to land on the ground, all dreams are empty talk.So the motivation to act is a particularly important point in intrinsic motivation.
4. Usefulintrinsic motivation is that I know who I am, what I want, and I push myself forward,rather than beinginfluenced by the outside world and being self-doubted every day.
Carol Zhou: Visiting Professor at New York University, Senior Vice President of China Innovation InvestmentOfficeof Shiseido Group, head of China Innovation Investment at Shiseido Group in 2019.
Key Quotes:
1. Besides having a mindset of wanting to do something, you also need action. When you don’t know what you really like, you need to try different things because passion needs to be developed slowly through action and time.
2. When we are looking for our passion, we must be patient, observe the situationcarefully, and learn slowly, so that we can become the person we want to be. If you lack patience and don’t see your results, you will give up halfway.
3. My motto is Just do it. Sometimes when you arethinking too much,then mostlynothing can be doneeventuallyand the more you think, the more confused you may become.
Rachel Li: Master of Applied Psychology from China People’s University, formerly served at the International Division of the International Creative and Sustainable Development Center of UNESCO, as the head of the Communications Division, founder of Shero Women’s Psychological Platform, CEO of Kunming Nanyang Cultural Communication Co., Ltd., and Ladies Who Tech Kunming Chapter Leader.
Key Quotes:
1. Intrinsic motivation is the most primitive that acting like an engine, and it helps to stabilize our personality. It is the reason why we do something, in other words, whether we are passionate about it or not. That’s why we often say that interest is the most lasting and stable motivation to push someone to do something. The core of internal motivation lies in whether you know who you are, what you want to do and what you like to do.
2. There are two most important relationships that each person needs to deal with in this society: the first is the relationship with oneself; the second is the relationship between oneself and the outside world. Many of us can handle relationships with superiors and peers on various platforms, but it’s rare to see someone to be self-consistent. If people cannot find the self-consistent solution and the inner order is unstable, it is easy to have self-doubt and even self-attack. And the lack ofintrinsic motivation is inclined to be influenced by the outside world if you don’t know who you are or how to push yourself forward.
3. Finding your intrinsic motivation needs to be done in stages:
The first stage: building up. In this stage, we need to continuously explore, add up and give ourselves enough experience and samples. The second stage: finding your passion, start subtracting. When we think the samples are enough, we can start screening, find what we are good at, then find what suits us, and eliminate those are not core competitiveness.
4. No matter how many skills we learn, we can’t resist the voice of our inner heart. So every day we need to be mindful of the inner voice, listen to it and act according to it. Otherwise, we will eventually become tired, stressed, and burn out.
Shocann: PhD in Communication Studies from Fudan University, co-founded the ShanghaiMake-A-Wish Charity Foundation in 2017 and served as the brand manager. He used to be a host for Oriental TV and is now dedicated to protecting and innovating traditional Chinese culture and art.
Key Quotes:
1. Intrinsic motivation is the most simple primal instinct of a person - I want to. The key aspect of intrinsic motivation is desire, which is the most primitive and deep aspect that connects with one’s nature.
2. Isuggest those who are qualified should have a gap year - to work or travel, listen to their hearts through different cultures, different work experiences and different lifestyles. Many things in our minds may seem simple, but only by doing them can we realize that things are not so simple. And passion is actually increased through the process of searching.
3. The reason why many people are confused may be because they have a goal but do not know why they need to achieve it. Perhaps sometimes we can put aside the goal and live in the present, and perhaps the result of life will exceed our imagination.
Students are watching live interaction
Students are writing down notes
SharingSession
After the live broadcast,students extended the discussion and reflection on the content shared by the guests, and accordingly developed corresponding action plans to put today’s gains and thoughts into action.
Discussion and Exchange
Q: I have found what I want to do but I am stuck in a situation where I cannot act and I am trapped in a state of self-doubt or reluctance to move forward. What should I do?
A: Break down into smaller goals and make a plan, give yourself enough time to catch your breath. (But still,you need to spend enough time to think deeply.)
A: Build self-confidence.
Q: ShouldIlisten tomyself for small matters and to others for big matters, or listen tomyself for big matters and to others for small matters?
A: To minimize risks and avoid taking on experiences beyondyourscurrent knowledge,youshould communicate and take cues from successful examples.
A: If you love something, don’t overthink it.
Q:Are you doing addition or subtraction in your life, and how to do addition and subtraction in learning?
A: Putting aside results and benefits, the process of doingthings aloneis a reward in itself as you encounter many people along the way.
A: I will try to make more mistakes, I will try to make things less perfect, and I will do fewer things more seriously.Sometimes you might get tired when you do things that cannot generate positive feedback, but the mistake itself is also a valuable gain.
A: Don’t get involved in everything,butfocus on one thing may allow you to learn more.
A: Participating in events that may not be of much help to your major but knowing a lot of people.
Action Plan
1.Before participating in this activity, my plan to go to the hospital for research was just a plan, I wasn’t taking any action. After listening to the lecture, I immediately put my action into practice, contacted a doctor I know, and prepared to go and find him.
2.Doing things based on my own passion.I didn’t participate in too many activities before because I am a graduate student. But this semester, by joiningEsther Hall, Itake part in many activities and maintain my energy,as well as find the motivation for scientific research. I hope to participate in more other activities in the future and balance my studies and life.
3.Before, I was always planning to exercise and lose weight, but lacked perseverance. After this sharing and exchange, I plan to start implementing my exercise plan, go for a run every day, and really put the plan into action.
Reflection
Ye Zixin:
I amYe Zixin,a senior student in the department of Biomedical Engineering. In July of last year, I made a very difficult decision -I would apply for graduate school after my senior year. China has a strong sense of age anxiety in its social environment, that you should do something at a certain age. One of my teachers advised me, “If you want to take a break for a year, you can first get the offer and then delay.” Several senior studentscan’tunderstand me, they just thought it was cool. Some seniors firmly opposed it, believing that I would lose a lot in that year and it would be a waste. But at that time, I was confused and didn’t want to live the life that was pushed forward by the goal of studying and then eventually falling into a job trap, getting married and having children, working hard for a decade, and retiring to become a kind old lady - a life with an ending that could be seen from a mile away.
Yes, I love my major, but...the restless factor in my blood is persuading me: “Why not get to know the industry you are going to work in better? Why not communicate more with doctors and patients before making a decision?” So, I decided to go to the hospital to do some research, interview doctors on which medical devices can be improved; how the diagnosis and treatment processes are for some diseases; what are the real-life technologies used today compared to what I learned. At the same time, I also contacted my teacher for help and recommended me to the corresponding department doctor. However, after I finished mydiploma project, until this event of“Youth and Curiosity” started at 2 o’clock this afternoon, all these plans were just a word document format in my computer. I always doubted that my background research was not comprehensive enough, I was afraid to communicate with the doctor immediately, and I was afraid of various unexpected factors. Even if I made a decision, the worries still lingered around me. Now I realized that there are always so many “what ifs” in my mind that are stopping me from moving forward!
The“patience” and“practice” that Carol spoke of moved me slightly. I have always believed that practice leads to true knowledge, so I have invested a lot of time into practical projects in my major during college. But from another perspective, have I only focused on my major and neglected exploring other fields? So as college is coming to an end, I started to panic and I think my life can’t just be limited to following teachers and doing some projects. But more needs to be done. I need to think about the future development of my industry. The sudden outbreak of the pandemic brought a lot of changes, and in this era, I fear that I’ll just follow the crowd. But this fear may also come from a lack of patience. Even if I want to innovate, I need to take action first. During the process of practicing in different ways, I may harvest more possibilities by calming down my mind.
In addition, the “Dialogue with the World” suggested by Mr. Shocann has deeply touched me. He shared some questions that arose when he did public welfare work, such as why not donate medical equipment, or why not do more in treatment. However, “make a wish” insists on using wishes as a small entry point, helping to revitalize the children’s desire for treatment and promoting the development of family relationships. It’s like a node on the internet that conveys energy to the solution of many problems. There are indeed many problems in the world, and manpower is limited. I can’t solve all the problems at once, but I can start from one perspective and do what I can, andutilize my resources to help solve multiple problems indirectly.
And theidea of“doing addition first, then subtraction” shared byRachel, made me sigh with emotion. I was too result-oriented and chose many things that were “beneficial to the major”, and mercilessly cut off the time for extracurricular activities such as clubs and other lectures. I don’t know if this will have more obvious benefits for my future career, but I clearly realize that Inever enjoy my life. It wasn’t until the second semester of my senior year that I suddenly undeceived and quickly joined the choir club and enjoyed a few happy moments. If I place too much emphasis on the results, I will not only lose a lot of fun, but also lose many opportunities to nurture the inner flame.
And the “landing ability” mentioned by Jill shocked me. If dreams cannot be put into practice, they will always be nothing but fantasy. Without the support of action, the end of idealists will still be empty. I always want to start when everything is ready, but I cannot be ready for everything. Because I lack the feedback brought by action, it is difficult to further improve my plan. Why not start now? I don’t have to arm myself as an expert in the medical field. I am a student, I can ask doctors for advice in the research process, which is also a form of learning. The logic between my questions may not be tight enough, or may not cover all aspects. But I can expand and ask new questions on the spot based on the doctor’s answer; and immediately correct the original question to make it more focused. So after the live broadcast, I immediately found a doctor who was familiar with me in my WeChat list andmake an appointment with her at 7 pm tonight for further communication.
I don’t know what feedback I will get, but who says that research can only be done once? Through continuous modification and improvement, I believe that I can also find my own path. Thank you all the guests for your sharing, it is really a full harvest! I write down this reflectionquickly and I’m about toset off after finishing my meal!
Liu Jing:
“Just do it” was the most important takeawayfor me in this event. In fact, it’s also the first sentence in my diary. I need to piece together who I am through the process of doing different things, by taking action, expanding my perspective, and exploring more possibilities.
How do weidentify ourselves? How do we find ourselves? The guest teacher said that we can establish ourselves through communication with others, through feedback from others and the results of our actions. Afterwards, there werestudents discussing how to establish self-confidence. Is my self-confidence dependent on external voices?
So I suddenly remembered a study I had seen before - when do people know their own existence? The result of the study was that people actually do not know their own existence from birth, but they establish their existence through the first time they look in the mirror.
Because we can’t see ourselves, since those closely involved cannot see clearly, to some extent, external evaluations are also internal reflections. Therefore,we need to repeatedly establish ourselves through collisions with people and things. I think this process is like looking in the mirror. However, the question is, are you looking in a flat mirror or adistorting mirror? Which collision result is the real self? If you give up what you are doing because of one failure or one criticism, you can’t firmly recognize it.
Finally, I want to especially mention that the smooth expression and naturalmanner of the four guest teachersare brilliant and shining.
I also hopeI can always -keep the courage and the original intention,as well as march forward courageously. Those who make changes are often the courage of the first step.
Liu Xiang:
“There is a fire in everyone’s heart, but only smoke is seen by those who pass by.” Today I attended a lecture at Esther Hall× City Firefly on the theme of ignitingintrinsic motivation, which gave me a new understanding of this statement.
Ifintrinsic motivation is compared to fire, in fact, every person has an instinct of“wanting”, which is both precious and ordinary. I used to be proud of having a fire in my heart, but this time the event made me re-examine my heart, and I found that the fire was just an instinct that I had not seriously paid attention to.
“Can you clearly state your wish?” This question caught me at during the event, and I remembered that the wish I made not long ago was to hope that I could graduate smoothly, to hope that love could last for a long time, and during the period of failing the postgraduate examination and finding a substitute, I hoped that I could continue my studies. Some of these wishes came true, some did not, but these stage-by-stage wishes were not what I wanted for the rest of my life. At that moment, I felt a little lost, but the guest discussion immediately turned to“doing is better than thinking,” breaking through this layer of anxiety and confusion in my thoughts. Especially because I have already tried some things, and I have a strong recognition of the importance of motivation.
During the time participating in the STEAM project, I have changed a lot. In fact, I used to be very reluctant to show myself or communicate actively, and I never spoke in public or performed in front of others. But I never felt regretful because I didn’t have the desire to express myself and rarely paid attention to how lovely the people around me were. I am really grateful to Esther Hall for organizing so many diverse events. At the STEAM academic seminar, I saw seven very outstanding classmates sharing at one go, the teacher’s recognition and suggestions for each student, as well as the questions and thinking from classmates. All of these made me feel that sharing one’s academic achievements and being listened to seriously is such a meaningful thing. When taking notes, I kept thinking that I should try to improve my thesis defense content, at least make sure the teachers and classmates present that day see and understand my research results over the past three years. And there is also a“one person one story” theater, during which I got to know several classmates from the drama club. One day, I went to watch their performance, and people who didn’t seem outstanding in conversation shone on stage. If they weren’t understood, or if they were just passers-by, they might not be able to write such profound scripts. Of course, not everything involved in the performance is dazzling. In order to perform on stage, they will also perform a greedy dog that chases food with great dedication. The love of performance and seriousness towards the stage has also aroused some longing and curiosity in me. There are many similar examples. I hope that I am currently in the action phase, exploring what I want most in accumulation. The feeling of taking action is really good. A few days ago, I visited the Life Science Museum, where there is a set of specimens that demonstrate the state of various parts of the brain, spine, muscles and nerves when running. There, for the first time, I realized that when I run, I can’t think of anything else, and my body is completely devoted to running. I hope to experience more exciting things like this in the future, and I also hope to give back to the STEAM project and Esther Hall as soon as possible.
And I am also trying to confront my shortcomings. This period of exploration will be very long. When Carol said that it took her ten years to find what she wanted to do, students around me gasped, but I only felt that using ten years to find what you really love to do is a worthy and even cost-effective thing. Of course, time is not a panacea, just waiting patiently for the flowers to bloom is far from enough, you also need to concentrate on screening the flower seeds, cultivate them carefully, and inevitably experience failure and confusion in the process, you may need to restart from scratch through self-breaking mechanisms. Thinking about this makes the process of lighting theintrinsic motivation not an easy task.
But a student present raised a very good question, she was thinking about whether she was suitable to continue scientific research and that a PhD would take three to five years and that the sunk cost compared to work was too high. The guest answered this question from two perspectives. On the one hand, don’t tale the final result as the measurement standard, there is no road that is a detour. Compared to the result, in the process of exploration, we actually reap truly precious things. On the other hand, Carol also reminded us to set a goal for ourselves, so as not to forget the direction of our progress in the process. This question reminds me of a song I like calledSlow Down:“Don’t rush to the end/miss the beautiful detour/It’s those trivial details/that are worth remembering”. I suddenly see the lights while listening to this part. The process itself is meaningful, what’s the hardship then.
After the online live broadcast ended, everyone continued to discuss various topics offline, such as facing important turning points in life with confidence, simplifying their lives to focus more, overcoming self-doubt, and so on. One mentor shared her observations of the beauty in ordinary life, while some members of a club were rehearsing in the auditorium and shouting“Eight hundred soldiers charge north”. There was also someone dancing next to them, a young boy who looked like the duckling in the fairy tale that was teased for being ugly, and a beautiful sunset that quickly disappeared, with some people taking photos and admiring its beauty, and others embracing each other to make the most of their time. My attention was focused on a mentor who was such a busy PhD student, but still found time to appreciate the beauty of life by taking walks and observing the world. Some students were too disciplined and had too much drive, which caused anxiety, and they planned to relax a little after today and face life with more patience. Some students immediately restarted their long-suspended plans after listening. As for me, graduation in June has great significance, and there are many things to look forward to. WhileShocann talking about catching wishes, a child’s wish is to dance with Elsa, to choose what dress to wear, to seriously learn the dance steps, and to think about what to say to Elsa. Each preparation makes the child even more excited for that day, and I also want to make some plans for myself to make June more unforgettable. I want to take a closer look at the city of Wuhan, for example, running five kilometers on the playground at Wuhan University, or taking a class taught by Professor Chen Ming. On the way, I’ll eat some hot dry noodles, maybe even three meals if they’re really delicious. I want to prepare the banquet seriously, practice my dance steps, and curl my hair. If there was a quick way to slim down legs, that would be great, but I’ll have to figure something out. I hope my June will be memorable and I would like to how you are preparing for the graduation ceremony in June.
This talk is completely different from the previous academic lecture, but each has its own charm and is very attractive, giving a lot of inspiration. In addition to the gains of the theme, I also realized that different disciplines and different ways of thinking can have wonderful interpretations. I am also grateful to Esther Hall, which plans the theme every month, focuses on interdisciplinary subjects, invites experts from different fields to give academic lectures and exchange guidance, allowing me to experience the beauty of the world from different angles in Shantou University.
The offline live talk of“Esther Hall× Firefly Meta - Youth and Curiosity” has come to an end. Those students who couldn’t attend the event don’t need to be discouraged, as we will continue to collaborate with the“City Firefly Action” in the future, bringing more interesting and meaningful sharing and exchange to the students. Looking forward to meeting you again at the next event!
Group Photo
