You are faced with situations every day where you have to make choices, and there is a deep reason that compels you to do so. Some choices are just matter-of-fact, such as showing up to school. It's the law. Being motivated to go to school could simply come from the desire to not have a visit from the truancy officer, or it could be that your family really values learning. But other choices—like what you wear or how you talk—have motivating influences. Do you want to talk cool or be popular, so you use slang? Do you do a good job on your English essay because you want a good grade, or do you simply love to write and you enjoy putting effort into your hobby? There are so many motivating forces: acceptance, respect, and competency (being able to do a good job), to name a few. Some people are motivated by having power, influence, or control. Your task is to pick one of the three topics and take some time to reflect on the questions presented below. You will write your responses to each question in the form of a paragraph to be submitted. By the time you finish writing your responses, you should have a better idea of what motivates you to do and act certain ways. This knowledge is useful if you decide you ever want to change your reason for doing something or the attitude behind it. Questions What activities do you do a lot because you enjoy them? What makes the activities enjoyable, and do you get anything out of the experience? What activities do you do a lot that you don't enjoy? (These might be chores or responsibilities you can't get out of.) Why do you still do them? How do you motivate yourself to get through it? Which school subjects do you find fascinating to learn about and which ones bore you? Are there any subjects that make you feel some anxiety to learn about or electives you try to get out of taking? What is it about these subjects that motivate you to do well or avoid them? What kind of grades do you get in your classes? Do you put in the maximum or minimum effort? Why do you do it that way? How do you reward yourself for doing something hard? What inspires you to do a good job? How do you like people to reward you? Do you see yourself as more intrinsically or extrinsically motivated, and why?