When work feels like play: the power of intrinsic motivation

Most people accept that work is supposed to feel dry and boring. It’s the thing you do to earn a living, pay the bills, and afford nice holidays.

The expectation is that you put in your hours, collect your paycheck, and then use your free time to enjoy yourself. Work is simply a means to an end.

For years, I bought into this idea. I told myself it didn’t matter that I hated it because it was a stable secure job that gave me money.

But deep down the stress, exhaustion and sheer mental load felt a lot like exploitation to me. The monetary reward simply wasn’t enough and I knew it never would be.

Yet, when I looked around, I saw other doctors who seemed to be deeply fulfilled by their work. Sure they enjoyed complaining about the negative aspects but it didn’t seem to bother them enough to think seriously about change.

All I knew is that I wanted genuine happiness whilst I was at work. It felt wrong to pretend I was motivated by internal rewards like other doctors were. I knew if I didn’t get  the external reward of payment I'd be gone!

One evening after dinner, I sat down to relax and found myself watching the Daniel Caesar Tiny Desk Concert on YouTube. NPR’s Tiny Desk series is known for its intimate, stripped-down performances, and I often watch them when I want to unwind.

As I listened, I found myself completely immersed in the music, feeling every note, every melody. I closed my eyes, savouring the moment.

Then, I opened my eyes and noticed the pianist. He was lost in the music, eyes closed, smiling, completely absorbed. I felt like an awestruck child watching him. I could feel him saying...

"Yep, this is what I get to do for a living."

And in that moment, it hit me: this was real, genuine happiness - the kind that doesn’t need validation or external rewards. This was intrinsic motivation in action.

Finding the right type of motivation

For years, I'd been stuck in a world built on extrinsic motivation – the idea that people do things primarily for external rewards like money or status.

Medicine thrives on this. No matter how bad the experience is, people would rather die than lose the financial security or social approval.

You’re told you should feel lucky to be in such a prestigious profession, that you should be grateful for the undervalued salary, and that it’s normal to feel stressed because it’s ‘just part of the job.’

But that evening, watching the pianist, I realised something fundamental: there is another way to experience work.

Intrinsic motivation is different. It’s when you do something not for money, not for praise, but for the sheer joy of doing it. It’s when work feels like play.

Looking back, I could see it clearly in my own journey. When I was working as a GP, I dreaded consultations. The pressure to manage complex cases in ten minutes, the relentless cycle of demand and expectation - it drained me.

But then I started coaching. I’d spend an hour deeply engaged with someone, helping them untangle their thoughts, guiding them toward clarity. And I loved it. Time flew by.

I remember telling someone, ‘I’m working that day but I’m not working this day – I’m just doing a couple of coaching sessions.’ They looked at me confused. ‘Isn’t that work too?’ And I realised… technically, yes.

But it didn’t feel like work.

Fuelling yourself with Intrinsic motivation

If you’re feeling trapped in a career that drains you, it might be because your motivation is entirely extrinsic. You’re working for the paycheck, the job security, the professional status - but you don’t actually enjoy it.

And as long as your motivation is tied to external rewards, work will always feel like a grind.

So how do you tap into intrinsic motivation? How do you find work that really is its own reward?

1. Reflect on moments of effortless engagement – Think back to times when you were fully immersed in an activity. What were you doing? What made it feel effortless and enjoyable? These moments can be clues to your intrinsic motivation.
2. Brainstorm intrinsically motivating careers – What kind of career would involve a good amount of time feeling these moments? Do any careers or jobs exist that involve more of these moments? How could you get paid to experience these moments?
3. What are the barriers? – Why are you not doing something that brings love and energy to you for a living? Interrogate these barriers ruthlessly: Are the barriers truly insurmountable? Do they actually they exist outside of your own mind? 
4. Observe people who truly love what they do – Watch people who are deeply passionate about their careers. Read their stories. Ask them what drives them. Love is a powerful force and you’ll be inspired by what people are willing to overcome when they are driven by it.
5. Create your own path – The right job vacancy that fits with your unique desires might not appear straight away. It might not even exist! The effort you’re using to search might be better utilised to create.

Example:

Take the piano player in Daniel Caesar’s band as an example. Suppose he was out of work at some point and he had 2 different options to get a job:

1. He can search and apply for jobs in the market, turn up to auditions and then hope that the work offered feels enjoyable once he starts.
2. He can share videos of himself playing the piano online. He gets to enjoy himself, whilst creating art and improving his piano skills practically 24/7. Other people enjoy his music, see his love for it and he slowly gains a following. One of his videos reaches Daniel Caesar who asks him to play for his band.

Realistically you would want to use a balance of both strategies. But in reality most people only use the first strategy and ignore the second one.

The 3 phases of career transition

If you're thinking of leaving a socially well respected profession like medicine. Understand that there are different phases to move through. It's not an overnight decision. 

o   Phase 1: the silent knowing – You feel a quiet but persistent sense that medicine isn’t as intrinsically rewarding as you though it’d be. You’re still motivated by the extrinsic rewards which makes you stay.

o   Phase 2: the internal battle – You start actively wrestling with the idea of leaving. You feel stuck between the need for fulfilment and the fear of the unknown.

o   Phase 3: the action takers – You begin making plans. You explore new career paths. You start taking small steps powered by the intrinsic reward of having a job you love doing.

The key is to transition from relying on external rewards to discovering what genuinely excites you. Once you do that, work stops feeling like an obligation. And it becomes something you actually want to do.

Conclusion: The win-win of intrinsic motivation

Many people resist career change because they assume it means giving up financial security. But the reality is, when you’re intrinsically motivated, your performance improves significantly – which, in turn, leads to greater external rewards anyway. It’s a win-win.

Think about the pianist I watched that evening. He wasn’t playing for a pay check. He was playing because he loved it. And that passion, that joy, made him exceptional at what he did. The same principle applies to anyone pursuing a career they truly love. If you choose with your heart and soul, you get to enjoy your passion while naturally building the skills, innovation, and resilience that will eventually bring external success.

If you’re feeling stuck in a career that no longer brings you joy, ask yourself: what would I do even if I wasn’t getting paid?

Because the truth is, when you find work that feels like play, you won’t need the external rewards you're clinging to anymore.

If this resonates with you and you’re at that phase where you know you need to make a change but aren’t sure how – I can help. Coaching is where I feel intrinsically motivated, and I love helping people find the same for themselves.

Stay Healthy

Lewis

P.S

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