The Motivation to Learn

The motivation to learn comes from focusing on reaching your own potential.  

Pete Blackman, a UCLA player under John Wooden, said "He drove everybody, but with a conception that always had value: Make yourself as good as you can be. Always. There was very little emphasis on the opposition...very little attempt to understand what they were going to do on the theory that if you do the best you can, you're going to statistically come out well. These are lessons of a profound nature. Focus on yourself, your own values, doing things correctly."

From You Haven't Taught Until They Have Learned: John Wooden's Teaching Principles and Practices.

John Wooden won ten NCAA National Championships in a 12-year period — seven in a row — as head coach at UCLA, an unprecedented feat.Within this period, his teams won a record 88 consecutive games. He was named national coach of the year six times. (Wikipedia)