Tiffany “The Budgetnista” Aliche, New York Times bestselling author, once told a story about how she was on a long walk around Central Park when she saw the most perfect leaf she had ever seen in her life. It was fall in New York City and many of the leaves were now a bold mix of red, yellow, and orange. This particular leaf had a brilliant fusion of all three as it lay bare on the gray sidewalk.
As she gazed upon the leaf, Aliche began to wonder, "How many other people had noticed this perfect leaf while walking by? In the busyness of their big city lives, had anyone seen it at all?"
Aliche went on to explain that she was probably the only person in the entire city who had really witnessed this leaf and its flawless beauty. But then she turned to think about the perspective of the leaf. Had the leaf "decided" to be perfect because people would notice it?
Of course not. There was no conscious decision by the leaf to turn out the way it did. The leaf existed without knowing whether it would be noticed at all. It became this version of itself simply because that's what leaves do. As Aliche concluded, "The leaf leafs anyway."
It might sound a bit cheesy, but Aliche's observation highlights one of the key tensions many of us face in our careers—should we do something because we will get rewarded for it or because it's fundamental to who we are?
Unlike leaves, humans often do things because those things could get them noticed. Unfortunately, while we all want to be recognized for our accomplishments, chasing external validation like money, status, or fame can eventually leave us unfulfilled.
This is why the better path toward long-term behavior change is intrinsic motivation, or pursuing a behavior because it is inherently rewarding or personally satisfying. In other words, do something primarily because it's who you are, not because others are rewarding you for it.
The academic research overwhelmingly supports this notion. Individuals with more intrinsic motivation were more likely to stick with a long-term behavior change, whether that was quitting smoking, losing weight, or adhering to a new fitness routine.
The example I always think of is my Nana (my maternal grandmother), who quit smoking cold turkey after her five-year-old grandson (me) told her that it was going to kill her. Realizing that she needed to preserve her health so that she could enjoy more time with her family made the choice easy for her. Thankfully, she's still around over 30 years later.
Stories like this, along with the academic results on intrinsic motivation, make intuitive sense as well. After all, if a behavior fits your values or identity, you can see why you'd stick with it longer than a behavior you're being externally rewarded for.
This doesn't imply that external rewards harm motivation. In fact, according to one meta-analysis, external rewards only reduced intrinsic motivation in very specific circumstances. As the researchers concluded:
"Negative effects are found on high-interest tasks when the rewards are tangible, expected (offered beforehand), and loosely tied to level of performance. When rewards are linked to level of performance, measures of intrinsic motivation increase or do not differ from a nonrewarded control group. Overall, the pattern of results indicates that reward contingencies do not have pervasive negative effects on intrinsic motivation."
In other words, intrinsic motivation is only harmed when you receive fixed, tangible rewards (i.e., a fixed sum of money) instead of variable, non-tangible rewards (i.e., praise, performance incentives, etc.).
But you don't have to choose between intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. You can have both. For example, my writing is undeniably motivated by extrinsic rewards. I want people to read my work, I want them to get value from it, and I want to be compensated for that value in some small way.
Nevertheless, the reason I'm in my 10th year as a blogger is because of intrinsic motivation. I enjoy writing, it's therapeutic for me, and it also helps others. It's such a big part of who I am that it's hard to imagine my life without it.
Now think about this—if you had to compete against someone who was either extrinsically-motivated or intrinsically-motivated, who would you choose?
I'd take the extrinsically-motivated one all day. As soon as their external rewards fail to show up, they'd quit. As soon as the going got tough, they'd have nothing pushing them onward.
This is the reason why you don't see many people writing about crypto and NFTs anymore. Most of those writers weren't in it because they loved crypto or NFTs. They just wanted to make a buck and follow a trend. As soon as that trend disappeared, they pivoted to something else. I bet they're all writing about AI now.
This is why focusing on the intrinsic side of the reward ledger is the way to go. Because this is how you persevere when things get difficult. This is how you change your life.
So think about what you want to accomplish in 2026 (and beyond). What's motivating you? Is it status? Is it money? Is it because you think it would be cool? What's your real reasoning?
There's nothing wrong with chasing external rewards. I want them as much as the next person. But, if that's all you're relying on, you probably won't make it long.
Trust me. I know what that's like. It's soul-crushing. If you don't have money, you don't really have a choice in the matter. But if you have some financial security, then you can choose a better, more sustainable path.
And once you choose your path, let the chips fall where they may. After all, it's more important to become the person you were meant to become than the person others want you to be.
Happy New Year and thank you for reading!
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This is post 484. Any code I have related to this post can be found here with the same numbering: https://github.com/nmaggiulli/of-dollars-and-data