Motivation

When am I most motivated?

I’d have to say that I am most motivated after hearing others sing.  When I sit and listen and am inspired by others, the only thing I want to do is practice and work and practice and get better. Just the other day I attended the ‘Opera Free For All’ in the lobby of Meadows and was so inspired and motivated by the performances there.

Thinking about my future is also a huge motivation. When I think about my goals and everything I want to do in life, it reminds me what is important and gives me motivation to work.

As far as distractions go; however, it’s true that I can be rather easily distracted. When I see friends and people I know, I often get distracted talking with them. When my phone buzzes or I get a notification on Facebook, it’s not uncommon for me to stop what I’m doing, lose focus, and check my computer and phone.

The reading on surface and strategic learning was very insightful I thought. Trying to classify myself in one division or the other was difficult. This is probably not the best answer, but I’d say it depends on the subject. In many cases, I am a deep learner and cannot wait to be immersed in the material and learn.  In some other subjects, my main motivation is the grades.

I really enjoyed reading Steven Colbert’s story as well.  I had no idea what he’d been through. His determination is so admirable. My favorite quote from him is when he talks about life, saying, “You haven’t done it before; how could you possibly get it perfectly right.” He looked at grades as feedback. They were for improvement, not the only thing that mattered.

Through watching the video and reading all of this, I’ve become even more thankful that I have my passions, that I know what I want to do, and that money and grades are not my driving force. The video describes a study which determined that pay can only go so far.  In performing difficult tasks, one needs more than money. One needs an intrinsic motivation and interest in the task, which is something I am so grateful to have.