Intrinsic Motivation Matters

At IMPROV Inc. we are CELEBRATING! Crack open the champers and butter yer croissants because this mailer represents a whole year of weekly newsletters.

Yup: for a full 365 days, we’ve brought you newsletters and on-topic Breakfast discussions. We’ve challenged ourselves - and you, Dear Reader - to think about ‘Somethings’ that chime with your work-life. And we viewed each topic through an Applied Improvisation lens.

We’ve dug into:

Leadership, mental agility, fear of public speaking, business niching, ideal client ideation, creativity and imagination, confidence, team-building and, crucially, self-awareness - and much, much more.

We even gave you 52 unique activities that increased Adaptability Quotient and overall resilience, as you continue to fulfil your career potential.

Everything we do is underpinned by three things.

  • Yes, And

  • Joy

  • Flow

Yes, And The bedrock of improv powers direct, non-confrontational and positively honest conversations and actions.

Joy Scientific fact: individuals and teams work best when joyful. Joy means that difficulties are tackled without stress.

Flow Projects that are appropriately challenging and engaging bring flow. Meaning? Work somehow feels effortless!

“When we act freely, for the sake of the action itself, we start to become more than we were”Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, author of ‘Flow’

What do we call it when Yes, And…, Joy and Flow combine?

IMPROVISATION

What do we cultivate when we improvise with a Yes, And mindset?

INTRINSIC MOTIVATION

Intrinsic motivation is magic. You do the hardest stuff for the love of it. You care less about your ego, the money or avoiding trouble.

Improv? It’s undeniably powerful.

What happens when you Yes, And…, Joy and Flow - aka improv - for a year? 

There’s tangible positive change.

Apply this formula to your career? 

Congratulations. You made yourself invincible.

---

Yes, And + Joy + Flow = Intrinsic Motivation!

We can’t let this week pass without shining a light on the IMPROV Breakfast. It holds the secret to work happiness right there: the intrinsic motivation of it all.

1. We decided on the intention.

2. We showed up, every week, with “Yes, And…”, Joy and Flow in our hearts.

We created a habit that had the right amount of implicit positivity, fun and appropriate challenge. And our intrinsic motivation was born.

Paul and Vic repping for IMPROV inc. and full of beans - any given Tuesday for the past year!

• We don’t write mailers or run Breakfasts to make money: we prefer to be free.

• We don’t write mailers or run Breakfasts to ‘look good’: we’re at peace with imperfections.

• We don’t write mailers or run Breakfasts as a penance: applied improv is a passion.

When extrinsic motivations aren’t a factor, internal drive becomes the shining light. That’s what improv fuels: it keeps you agile, joyful and ‘in the moment’.

Sounds like just the business!

Vic and Paul

---

TRY IT OUT! 💘 Our weekly tip, from applied improv to you. 

What Are You Doing? 

This improv classic invites doing two things at the same time, getting comfortable with failure, listening deeply, ‘Yes, And’-ing like a pro.

Player 1: Mimes as accurately as possible an action, eg. playing the piano.

Player 2: says “Hey, [NAME of P1], what are you doing?”.

Player 1: Says anything BUT what they are obviously doing, eg. “Flying a kite” or “Brushing my teeth”. They CONTINUE as they say that, to do the original thing they were doing.

Player 2: Does the thing they SAID: ie. brush their teeth.

P1: “Hey [NAME of P2], what are you doing?”

P2: (While teeth-brushing) “I’m playing a game of darts”. Etc. 

Try playing for a few minutes. 

Got used to it? Now try playing as fast as possible! 

What to reflect on: Did you get into flow? Did you bring your partner joy? Were you able to play from a place of fun, rather than perfectionism? How does your mindset here relate to your work mindset?

Cultivating positivity, joy and flow is proven to enhance well-being and create better outcomes. Have fun bringing new energy to your passion!

#imaginationstation #AppliedImprovisation #joy #flow #YesAnd #PublicSpeakingSkills #PresentationSkills #FearofPublicSpeaking #Niching #IdealClient #BusinessSkills #PersonalGrowth #agilityinbusiness #freelanceambition #SmallBusiness #ImprovComedy #anniversary