On Motivation

Dearest Girl,
I've been thinking about motivation quite a bit of late.  I know this is a big topic for you at the tender age of almost-two.  But one day, you might find yourself wondering about it too--so I'll share with you what I think just in case I get senile down the road and forget to mention it. 

Why do we do the things we do?  Why do we not do certain things?  What's so hard about mustering (another word for you to look up!) up enough energy and will-power to do something we know is good for us but that we've been putting off?  What gets us all jazzed up to do something?  Where is that moment when 'I couldn't possibly' becomes 'yes, I can!' ?

A lot of big questions, I know.  At the bottom of procrastination (ask your mother) must be a certain amount of fear.  What if I can't do it?  What if it turns out badly?  I'm not ready for this.  I don't know how to go about it.  I don't want to face what this really means.  I just don't want to...  We put whatever it is off as long as possible.  Which doesn't help, of course.  In fact, it kind of self-fulfills most of these concerns, often causing bigger problems.  So, how do we get the gumption to get up & go?  What pushes us forward? 

The answer is that depends.  Sometimes it's discomfort.  For example, just before the summer of 1998, a silly boy away at college broke my heart over the phone.  Well, I knew in just a couple weeks school would end and he'd be back in town.  The idea of running into him all over town that summer made me cringe.  So, when my food service job offered opportunities for us to go and cook at girl scout camps over the summer, I jumped at the chance to be somewhere else.  Me--the girl who'd never been away from home for more than a couple weeks at a time, who didn't have a car and who didn't know anything about camping was going to spend the summer two and a half hours from home down in Peoria, IL with a camp full of complete strangers.

When my mother and aunt saw the screened shack I would be living in and the fist-sized, eight-legged current occupants, they almost refused to leave me there.  But, in the end, they removed the wild occupants and decided they would not forbid me to stay.  My first night at Camp Tapawingo was just flat out creepy.  My boss was not yet staying on site and my coworker-to-be was not due to arrive until the next day, so I was all alone, attempting to sleep in a creaky shack in the woods, where the nearest help was out of earshot, no matter how loud I might scream.  I didn't sleep well.

But the next day, after I spent hours cleaning and scrubbing the old camp kitchen, my boss arrived with my new coworker, a quiet (only at first) girl from Oklahoma with brown, curly hair, who talked about 'dillers' on the road side and turned out to be your mother.  The rest, of course, is history.  Thank goodness for that idiot boy who broke my heart--without him, I'd never have gone to have an adventure living in the Treehouse with my best friend!

While that time it worked out beautifully, and necessity is often the mother of invention, being motivated solely by discomfort is probably not the best way to go about things.  So, then what else motivates us?  What motivates us to try something new for the pure joy of it?  What pushes us to take a risk and start a business doing something we love and excel at?  What's at the heart of a burning desire to serve our country, climb Mt. Everest, or be a First Responder who charges into burning buildings to save lives?  You may hear people talk about a 'calling' to do these things.  They just knew this is what they were supposed to do.

We will talk about callings and purpose in relation to God's plan for your life another time.  For now, let's just say that God created each of us to be special and unique and He has a plan for you.  So, you might be motivated to do something for others that fulfills His plan because you love Him for the amazing way He loves you!  You might want to do something challenging because it could bring great rewards or you'd feel great if you accomplished that.  Or, maybe you do something just because you know in your heart it is the right thing to do--this is called integrity.  All of these are wonderful reasons (motivations) to do something.  Often, they overlap and you might do a good or great thing for all these reasons.

The important thing to remember, dear girl, is always ask yourself what is your real motivation for doing (or not doing) this?  Recognizing what's behind the choices and decisions you make allows you to decide if that choice really represents what you believe in and how you want to live your life.  It can be scary to pick up that rock and look underneath at the real motivation.  Sometimes it isn't pretty, but by facing it and seeing that fear or issue for what it really is, you can choose to act in a way that honors God and your relationship with Him.  And that will bring you a life of wonder and great love.

Sleep tight, dear one.

Much Love,
Aunt Green