What motivates you?

It’s partly reflected in the name of my website. Motivation. It’s the force that propels a person to get out of bed in the morning. At times, it’s the drive to accomplish tasks around the house, especially on weekends, and at other times, it’s an incentive to complete tasks that might not be chosen otherwise.

HOW DOES THE DICTIONARY DEFINE IT?

In everyday life, the concept of motivation manifests in various forms. It can be the alarm clock that motivates someone to rise and begin the day, the desire for personal growth that drives individuals to pursue new skills or knowledge, or the determination to accomplish tasks despite obstacles. Motivation can take the shape of a long-term goal, such as a career aspiration, or a short-term objective, like completing chores. Recognizing and understanding the varied sources and expressions of motivation can empower individuals to harness this force to achieve their aspirations and enhance their lives.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ME PERSONALLY?

Depending upon the desired outcome, what motivates me can be many things. With that in mind, let me see if I can list some of the more common things that get me moving in my daily life.

PERSONAL GROWTH

Setting goals and working to achieve them gives my life a sense of purpose and fulfillment. Whether I’m working towards a good raise or bonus at work, or if I’m working to further develop my skills at avoiding saying the word “um” when I’m recording a video, the drive to be a better version of myself is always a great motivator.

FAMILY & FRIENDS

The support and encouragement from family and friends play a significant role in keeping me motivated. I also enjoy the opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of others and contribute to the community where I can too.

MONEY

I’d be dishonest if I didn’t acknowledge the role of money as a motivator. The common adage “I don’t live to work. I work to live” holds true, as life inevitably comes with its financial demands. While I find monetary incentives compelling, I am simultaneously mindful of my spending habits in daily life. With the pandemic coinciding with the empty nest phase of our lives, dining often involves takeout or eating out. During such occasions, if I do not dine in at the restaurant, I forgo leaving a tip.

LOSING

As ashamed as I am to admit it, I’ve always been a rotten loser. As a child, I remember several games of Monopoly with siblings that ended with my throwing the entire gameboard off the table in a fit (tantrum) of rage. As an adult, I’ve learned to temper those feelings somewhat, but I think as human beings, finding yourself on the losing end of anything in life is disheartening and sometimes unfair. Therefore, doing my best is a great motivator to avoid that sense of loss and frustration.

SELF SATISFACTION

Nothing pleases me more than doing something I didn’t think I could do. I get a bit addicted to that feeling of pride and accomplishment when I realize I can actually get it done. Most recently, I avoided paying a horrendously high installation fee for installing a water softener in the basement when our old one went bust. Using YouTube videos to get myself comfortable with the process coupled with the company’s exceptional installation manual made an expensive process nearly 80% cheaper than it would have otherwise been. Who says you can’t get no satisfaction?

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I’m confident that if I took the time to contemplate further, I would think of many other things that motivate me in my life (such as your feedback and statistics number for the site), but I’ll stick to five motivators for the purposes of today’s post. Have a fantastic day and evening!