For the last several decades, Richard Deci and Edward Ryan have been exploring what helps people get things done - what motivates them to behave, particularly when there’s no obvious reward or clear signal. In the process, they’ve developed one of the most well-known psychological theories of motivation - self-determination theory. Self-determination theory (SDT) is a psychological theory that explains how people can achieve greater well-being by fulfilling their basic needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness.

These needs are universal and fundamental to human motivation and flourishing. Though Deci & Ryan never set out to study what helps humans thrive, these 3 factors drive intrinsic motivation and help us to feel good about ourselves and our lives.

This is our first empirically-supported theory of well-being for coaches. The same tools you use to motivate your athletes (or that you should be using) can help you feel and perform better too.