A New Year is upon us. Now is the time we usually start reflecting upon the past 12 months, and begin dreaming about the future. What new goals will we set for ourselves? What do we hope to accomplish? What changes do we hope to make in our own lives to help us move forward?
Goals are important. Resolutions are important. But after being in the music industry for nearly twenty years I have found something else that is more important – intention.
in·ten·tion (noun): something that you want and plan to do: an aim
-Cambridge Dictionary
As a younger musician, achievement was my primary goal. I worked tirelessly, often burning out, in an attempt to perfect my technique, my presentation, my “product.” But along the way, achievement as a goal became elusive. What was success? Who determined what success looked like? How was I supposed to succeed when everyone seemed to want something different from me? Singing stopped being fun. Performing wasn’t as fulfilling. Something was missing.
That something was intention.
I had spent so many years tying my sense of self worth to how others saw me that I was no longer grounded in myself. My intrinsic motivation was completely overshadowed by the allure of external validation. As a result, I was operating in a constant state of fear and anxiety. Every practice session was a battle; every rehearsal was a test. I lost all sense of why I wanted to perform in the first place. I knew I had to tap back into that intrinsic motivation and find a way to stay grounded in it.
Intrinsic motivation is defined as the doing of an activity for its inherent satisfaction rather than for some separable consequence. When intrinsically motivated, a person is moved to act for the fun or challenge entailed rather than because of external products, pressures, or rewards.
(Ryan R. M., Deci E. L. (2000). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations: classic definitions and new directions. Contemp. Educ. Psychol.)
Exercising Intrinsic Motivation Through Intention
Goals help us understand where we’re going. Intrinsic motivation helps us remember why we’re going there! Setting intentions can help us construct a mindset that will reinforce our intrinsic motivation. Intentions can focus us, give us resolve, and affect how we approach the work ahead of us.
Setting an intention at the beginning of a practice session can help us create space for discovery. “I’m going to be aware of how I’m breathing today,” or “I’m going pay attention to freedom in my tongue during this aria.” I am intrinsically motivated to improve my singing because I love how I feel when I uncover a new skill. Setting an intention helps me harness that motivation into a focused task that requires me to keep my full attention on my personal experience. It’s a way of saying: “I am choosing to practice. I am here. I am interested in myself and not what anyone else thinks in this moment.”
Setting a daily intention can affect our mood, how we interact with our colleagues and how we treat ourselves while performing. “I’m going to remember today that I am worthy to be here.” “I give myself permission to make mistakes.” These are examples of intentions that can help us stay positive, creative and collegial even when imposter syndrome comes banging on the front door of our brains.
The Bottom Line
Practicing intrinsic motivation means focusing on the internal satisfaction we experience when undertaking a certain task. This is important, because it prioritizes our own enjoyment of an activity over the feedback we get from others. Learning to separate your worth and value from external rewards is essential in an industry riddled with uncertainty, competition and rejection. We cannot control the industry or the people in it. All we can do is choose our mindset.
So, what’s your intention for today?
