What’s Your Motivation?

14 thoughts on “What’s Your Motivation?”

1. September 2, 2009 at 6:31 amVictor

   I always tell myself to keep going, to keep pushing, and to never give up, because after all, I can accomplish absolutely everything I want. I make it very hard for anyone to tell me otherwise, because I know myself best. I use anger when I have to in order to get motivated. It took a long time to believe in myself though, years actually. Part of my problem used to be that I didn’t trust that I’d make good choices, and I blamed myself for all the mistakes I made on top of that, which eventually led to me not trying any new things. It was a long time before I figured out that making mistakes was by far the best thing I could do, because then I could learn from them!

   If you’re at home not trying anything, some jerk (like me) is out there hitting on that cute girl you have a crush on. That’s a sentence that should bother you, and it should piss you off, and it should start a fire in you that screams “I will be the one dating the hot girl! I will be the one who lives best! I will be the one who NEVER GIVES UP!”.

   Hope that helps, I got a little passionate there, but then again, thats what’s needed to stay motivated sometimes :)

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2. September 2, 2009 at 11:36 amAlex

   Victor, I love your attitude man. Especially about making mistakes – that they’re opportunities for learning and not something negative and to be avoided. Brilliant…

   And yes, passion is sometimes what is needed to stay motivated.

   Thanks for your comment!

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3. September 2, 2009 at 6:33 pmBrent G

   To have motivation. I have to be inspired by something. I love Art and liteature and Film. They all are my inspirations majority of the time.
   Sometimes, people talk about things that seem real intresting and makes me want to do those things too.
   To get me to comeplete that goal, and keep my motivation going. I will need lots of support. I try getting lots of information to help me out and talk to my friends and ask them to help me out too.
   And now and then, I ask God to support me, guide me and help me keep being motivated to comeplete this goal.

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4. September 2, 2009 at 7:40 pmAlex

   Brent, I love the fact that you use others to help you through tough times. Us men often have a hard time doing just that…

   Thanks for the contribution, it’s much appreciated. Your comments are always very interesting to read!

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5. September 3, 2009 at 11:45 amPeter O.

   Hi Alex,

   Another great and inspirational post. If only we all asked ourselves why we’re doing the things we do, i.e. “What is our motivation?”, then perhaps we’d be able to live a more efficient life. As Victor says, mistakes are actually opportunities, which I totally believe is true, then instead of using our mistakes to sit and wallow in self-pity and misery, ask ourselves instead, “How can I use this to learn and therefore motivate myself to become a better person?” whether we use it to meet hot chicks or just make a minor change in our own life, I think this may help.

   A few weeks ago you wrote about books and one book that I feel is very apt for this post, is “What Should I Do With My Life?” by author Po Bronson, which really addresses several issues and stories of people who answer this ultimate question, and what motivates them, WHAT GETS THEM OUT OF BED??? A really good read for anyone at anytime who just feels that they could use a different perspective on work, life and general attitudes…

   What gets me out of bed is money. And a desire to make more of it to live a life with more freedom to make choices based on whether I want to do something because I’d like to actually do it, rather than whether I can afford to do it. And because I want to eventually help provide for my new girlfriend!! If you remember Alex, from the Usain Bolt article, I went out and bought a flight from London back to Australia for us both, because that article, amongst other things, inspired me to take a leap of faith!!

   Anyways, thanks Alex, hope some of what I’ve written has been useful…

   Peter O.

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6. September 3, 2009 at 8:47 pmAlex

   Hey Pete!

   Love the comment man, thanks for the recommendation on the “What Should I Do With My Life” book. Just checked it out, it looks really interesting. Here’s an Amazon link for the lazy of you: http://www.amazon.com/What-Should-Do-My-Life/dp/0375507493 :-)

   And I’m so glad that your flight brought success – and yes, sometimes you have to take a leap of faith.

   Please do continue to live a live full of integrity, Peter. Take lots of care, and be sure to let me know how it goes!
   Alex

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7. September 19, 2009 at 12:39 amEric

   Hey Alex, I think this important. Most guys that I meet are all about improving some external factor of themselves. Money, Clothing, the car they drive etc etc. But really I think that improving yourself is the most important.

   You can learn so much about yourself in the every day and that’s really what motivates me. I love to help people and see people grow, but I also really enjoy watching myself grow, learn and improve. It gets me up in the morning, it gets me working on the next big step, and it helps me to put my whole life into perspective. I always want to be the best me I can be, and I think that in doing so we can all help others do the same.

   Eric

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8. September 19, 2009 at 4:35 pmAlex

   Hey Eric,

   thanks so much for your message. I agree – changing the external doesn’t necessarily change the internal.

   Great site by the way!
   Alex

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9. September 27, 2009 at 7:41 amPavel Zaitsev

   Sometimes in a rut, I sit back and wonder what would make me happy at that moment, something trivial. Like getting up and jumping up and down, flailing arms around and exhaling, ‘whee!’. Or eat some ice cream. Because without happiness, focus and motivation is something of an everest peak. With it, it is in the arms reach.

   When task at hand is complex and difficult I withdraw, look over it with a thought in hand – I already know this – looking deep into myself. This sort of assertion enables my memory and opens me to try many new things, to move ahead, usually far ahead and with very few actions and much ease.

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10. September 27, 2009 at 5:10 pmAnthony

    What motivates me is knowing that I have yet to reach my potential. Every day in every way I test myself and strive to do better, learn more and become a better person….until it just “feels” right.

    Truth be told I have slept in the last few days with exception to today as I struggled a bit with motivation as I was too busy focusing on what I dislike in my life (major error). Tip: Make yourself a “dream board.” What do you want? That ripped body? That car? Cut out the pictures and stick them on a pin board and keep it close by your bed to remind you why you shouldn’t press the snooze button!

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11. October 4, 2009 at 10:27 pmAlex

    Haha Pavel, I get the picture! Thank you so much for sharing… And by the way, what’s up with your site being down?

    Anthony, I like your idea about a dream board. But the high aspirations can also wear you down – remember to cut yourself some slack from time to time!

    Thanks for your comments guys :-)

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12. October 11, 2010 at 6:32 pmCody

    Well, when i wake up, the first things that goes through my mind are like what am i going to wear, i know that sounds a little bit female, but still why shouldn’t men be able to wear nice and good clothes. Anyways after i get my clothes changed and everything else done. I most of the times think about the girls at my school or the ones that always accompany me on the way to school. i dunno why but just thinking about the girls is almost a motivation for me in some kind. In addition when i think about all the fun we have at school, i dont think school as some kind of wasting time, to be more specific sometimes school is my motivation. I mean its not like that u are very busy at the age of 17 and have so many business to do. That is why school and girls are my motivation! although this sounds weird thats how i am :)

    sorry for my bad english… i should probably spend more attention to the english class

    best regards cody

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13. December 10, 2010 at 10:44 pmRyan

    What gets me up each day is school or practice. I hate letting people down when they expect me to be there. However, im not sure this is a good motivation because i shouldnt want to let my self down by missing school or practice instead of others. When i would work with my dad he could never get me up i would always sleep in, probably because i didnt really want go work or work with him. Thats when i knew i didnt want to do what he did because i didnt enjoy it.

    Sincerely

    Ryan

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14. August 30, 2011 at 8:11 pmAlfred

    What motivates me most in life, is the fear of failure, because I want to live a life of luxury.

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