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RSS Feed Episode 328: When Motivation Doesn't Match The Goal w/ Ayelet Fishbach
This week, Steve sits down with Ayelet Fishbach, Professor of Behavioral Science and Marketing at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and author of Get It Done, for a conversation about motivation, goal setting, identity, self-control, and what it really means to understand what drives us forward.
Ayelet challenges the idea that motivation is simply something we either have or don’t have. Instead, she explains why motivation is something we can learn through knowledge—knowledge of ourselves, our goals, our obstacles, and the environments we create around us.
The conversation explores how to set goals that are genuinely motivating, why connecting goals to our identity can create greater commitment, and how anticipating obstacles can help us navigate challenges before they happen. Steve and Ayelet also discuss why we often see health as competing with our other goals, when in reality it can provide the foundation for achieving them.
In this episode, you’ll hear about:
• Why motivation is more about knowledge than willpower
• How our understanding of motivation has evolved beyond the idea of “self-control” as a muscle
• The four common barriers that can leave us feeling stuck
• How to set goals that are specific, meaningful, and intrinsically motivating
• Why connecting our goals to our identity can strengthen motivation
• How asking “why” can help us connect our goals to who we are
• Why health goals don’t have to conflict with our professional, family, or personal goals
• How giving advice to others can actually increase our own motivation
Whether you are struggling to stay motivated, reconsidering the goals you’ve set, trying to balance competing priorities, or simply looking to better understand what drives your behavior, Ayelet offers a powerful reminder: motivation isn’t something you find or lose. It’s something you can learn about, understand, and continually develop.
Listen now and ask yourself: What could I learn about myself that might change the way I pursue my goals?
About the guest:
Ayelet Fishbach is an expert on motivation and a TED speaker. She is the Eric J. Gleacher Distinguished Service Professor of Behavioral Science and Marketing at the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business. Fishbach studies social psychology, management, and consumer behavior. She is the past president of the Society for the Science of Motivation and the International Social Cognition Network, and has published several books, including GET IT DONE: Surprising Lessons from the Science of Motivation.
Fishbach is an expert on motivation and decision making. Her groundbreaking research on human motivation has won the Society of Experimental Social Psychology’s Best Dissertation Award and Career Trajectory Award, the Society of Consumer Psychology’s Distinguished Scientific Contribution award, and the Fulbright Educational Foundation Award. She further received the Provost’s Teaching Award from the University of Chicago.
Fishbach’s work shows how people can live up to their highest aspirations. She’s written about exercising, healthy eating, working, studying, and saving money — the hard-but-worth-it challenges that occupy our lives. She studies self-control, intrinsic motivation, feedback, patience, and promoting a healthy lifestyle.
Connect with Ayelet:
• Website
• Book
• Wiki
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