Smarter Faster Better

Motivation: How to Make Choices That Give You Control

Robert Philippe was a self-made mogul with relentless energy, but a trip to the high altitudes of the Andes changed him. He returned home a different person, not sad or depressed, but simply indifferent. He would sit for hours staring at a television, a stark contrast to the world he once commanded. Medical scans eventually revealed a tiny shadow in his striatum, a part of the brain that bridges the gap between making a decision and taking action. For Robert, the neurological link between his desires and his movements had been severed.

Robert’s experience illustrates a profound truth about human nature: motivation is not an innate spark but a neurological process fueled by the perception of control. Researchers discovered this link by observing people playing simple games. When participants made their own guesses, their brains lit up with excitement. However, when a computer made the choices for them, their interest vanished. The act of choosing itself, no matter how small, provides a sense of autonomy that keeps us engaged. This sense of agency is known as an internal locus of control. People who believe they are the masters of their own fate tend to be more successful, healthier, and happier.

This mindset can be nurtured through specific feedback. For instance, children praised for their hard work—a factor they control—become more motivated to tackle difficult puzzles than those praised for innate intelligence. The U.S. Marine Corps uses this principle to transform recruits like Eric Quintanilla, who once felt aimless. By forcing recruits to navigate chaotic environments like "The Crucible," the Corps builds a bias toward action. In one exercise, recruits must cross a contaminated pit while wearing gas masks that make hearing orders impossible. They only succeed when they stop waiting for commands and take control of the situation.

A powerful technique for sustaining this drive is to connect a miserable task to a larger purpose, such as providing for a family. This transformation of a chore into a meaningful choice is key to overcoming lethargy. Even in nursing homes, residents who staged small rebellions—like swapping food or moving furniture—lived longer because they refused to surrender their sense of control. Viola Philippe understood this instinctively as she watched her husband slip away. She began a relentless campaign of forcing Robert to make tiny choices: soup or sandwich, which table to sit at, what music to hear. These small assertions of will eventually reawakened his dormant drive, proving that motivation is a skill we can strengthen through the choices we make every day.