What Motivates You?

When you wake up, do you have a purpose for living? At night, do you look back at your day and feel good about what you've accomplished? For some, these questions are easy to answer; other people have no idea. If you don't know how to answer these questions, please listen to me. Do not panic. Panicking leads to unnecessary stress and takes a person back to square one. I know it's easier said than done. The panic normally comes from not knowing your true motivation or purpose in life. If you are in this situation, then I am here to let you know that everything will be okay. I didn't understand why I do the things I do for a long time.

I used to be the person who had no idea why I was put on Earth. On a daily basis, I went through the motion of existing, but had no idea what motivated me to live. Recently, it hit me. I don't know how or why, but it just happened. I've realized that my purpose in life is to give to other people. I know, giving is such a generic term. How could I be fulfilled by the concept of giving? It's simple: making other people happy and fulfilled makes me happy.

Looking back at my life, I've had a knack for helping people. As an undergraduate student, I gave over 700 hours of my time to a service learning program; I only account for logged hours. In graduate school, I taught the public speaking course and was a Teaching Assistant for Intercultural Communication. For 5 summers, I volunteered at a summer program designed to help youth understand American government and what it means to be an engaged citizen. After school, I brought my expertise to Toastmasters International. For me, I like to give by helping other people through mentoring, teaching, coaching, and counseling.

When I wake up each day, I know that my purpose is to help other people. It makes me feel good to know that I made someone's day better. At night, I feel good about my accomplishments. Through the years, I have received recognition for my accomplishments, but that's not important. What's important is that I am selfless when I give to other people. If you cannot think of your life purpose, think about what motivates you to succeed, your family, or anything/anyone who inspires you to be a better person. Deep inside, each person has a source of inspiration. It's time to unlock your purpose.