Motivation

Another one of the counselors from camp spoke about the idea of motivation. He had just come up for one week from a job in the city and had found it hard to find the motivation to go and work in a factory for five days a week. The people he works with also found it hard to find the motivation for their jobs. For many of them it simply is to put food on the table at the end of the week.

During the year, I am a morning person. I am up earlier than most university students and I have never missed a morning class due to sleeping in. I have almost never missed a class due to anything. The one class I skipped at university was because of urging of my wise man and the fact my TA was an ex. I don't really know what motivates me to get up so early at university. It clearly is not the normal thing to do when you don't usually have classes until later in the day.

Some mornings it's the thought of having a really hot shower that beat me out of bed before anyone else. Other days it was the idea of getting up to watch the sun, or the making muffins or cookies before my housemate woke up. It could have been the crushing weight of the idea of the work that the day lay before me. I also loved the idea of having the whole day laying before me with no mistakes in it yet. Perhaps that thought should have kept me in bed rather than getting me out of it . . .

Over the summer, I have an entirely different motivation for getting out of bed. In the morning I have five people (or more) who are waiting for me downstairs for breakfast and medication. If I am not up, then there is someone to miss me. When I am feeling sick, I can't be once I walk down the stairs. It feels like I have another family that I have to take care of when I'm here. That is motivation enough for me to get out of bed.

At the end of the day (or perhaps in the morning) there has to be some motivation having the day. It can be someone waiting for you to get up in the morning, a task to complete or something that just makes you feel good. The motivation we have can come from many places. It can come from so many places that we should make sure what motivates us is something healthy for us. Something that both brings us joy and keeps us out of trouble.

I know where my motivation comes from (at least most days). Where does yours come from?