into a position of being not switched off, but they don’t go further
and become switched onto the learning they are being offered.
Once you understand this strange kind of layering of oppo-
sites, you are much better equipped to motivate yourself and oth-
ers to learn. You need to be really “satisfied” if you are going to be
switched on and, therefore, powered up to learn.
Sometimes external rewards can even work against you. For
example, it has been found that if you are trying to encourage chil-
dren to read, rewarding them for the number of books they read
may in fact be counter-productive. Apparently, if you do this they
will read a higher number of books at speed, but not enjoy, learn,
or remember what they have read.
Nevertheless, most of us are able to work out how to admin-
ister treats as rewards when we have done something we have set
our mind to. Such rewards might be going for a walk, a weekend
break away, a meal out with our partner, or simple things such as a
cup of coffee or a piece of chocolate (although for the effects of cer-
tain foods on your brain, don’t forget what you read earlier!). But,
remember this. If you come to depend on external rewards, what
happens when you stop receiving them? Do you go on or do you
grind to a halt because you lack the internal drive?
Think about the learning you have done in your life so far. How much of it was motivated by
extrinsic rewards and how much did you undertake because you wanted to do it for its own
sake? Of the things you are currently thinking about learning, how many are you actively
switched on to rather than not switched off from? What kind of rewards work best for you?
A formula for motivation to learn
When you were at school, the learning you were offered was prob-
ably broad and diverse in its content and style. If you ever asked
why you were learning something, unless you had one of those spe-
cial teachers who took the trouble to relate the learning to your
needs, the answer you were probably given was a version of “just in
case” or “because it’s in the syllabus.” Consequently, you learned
things that you have probably never used since. In some cases that
Switching On Your Mind 61
