Most of us have a clear idea of what we want.  However, many of us fear that we can't achieve it, or that if when we did achieve it, we wouldn't really be satisfied by it.  Enter the concept of blocks.

Blocks are complicated dances that we perform.  Sometimes these dances are driven by fear.  If I fear that I can't get what I want, and I think it's a sign of weakness to admit I'm afraid, there are many ways I can hide my fear.

Signs that you may be afraid you can't get what you want:

• you tell yourself you don't know what you want

• you tell yourself you'd be happier in an environment in which you have little chance of being truly fulfilled

• you look to extrinsic indicators of success to guide your career.

Let's explore the concept of extrinsic motivators, because it's often not immediately clear what motivates us.

Some external concepts of success may be:

• my parents' (or spouse's, friends', etc.) definition of success

• money

• authority or power.

The source of confusion around extrinsic motivators is that, on the surface, they look exactly like intrinsic motivators.

It's possible that you've never questioned the images of success that have been presented to you.  Having never questioned these images, you may believe that being a millionaire will truly make you happy.  And for some people, that may be true. But you'll never know until you question the premise.

What's a surefire way to identify what your intrinsic motivators are? 

Ask yourself, "What motivates me?"

Don't stop there.  Once you've identified a list of what motivates you, for each motivator, ask "Why?"

Then keep asking "Why?" until you get to the root of the reason.

At that root, you may find that your parent told you that a given motivator - let's say prestige - is important.  Or you may find that you are intrinsically driven by recognition. If you are motivated by recognition - as I am - then achieving prestige is an intrinsic motivator.

The key to sorting out intrinsic from extrinsic motivators is that you'll never actually achieve success - as you define success at the deepest level - if you build your career around extrinsic motivators. 

Conversely, by designing your career from the inside out - making decisions based on what truly motivates you, you can achieve success on a deep, substantive level.