What Makes You Tick?
Beyond Mundane Motivation
What gets you going in the morning? No, not the alarm clock, not the hot or cold shower, not the barking dog or the neighbor yelling. What ignites your passion? Lights your soul? Makes the monotonous existence of adulthood bearable?
I know some will say “my kids”, “my bills”, or “my savings account”… but don’t those all fall under reasons why we have to earn a paycheck?
What it is that actually makes you feel like life is more than familial, financial, and occupational obligations and duties. Call it destiny, your calling, your purpose, whatever you’d like.
Has human existence always been focused on survival and social/familial obligations for the majority of us? It feels as though very few of us find something greater to strive for.
We ask children, “what do you want to do/be when you grow up?” And at the tender young age of 3 and up, we’ve already conditioned them to answer with an occupation. Of course, at that age, maybe they aren’t capable of dreaming of more. But even as they get ready to apply for college, the question is “what is your major?” as if the only important thing for the rest of their life is a title and a paycheck.
What if we started asking, “what are your goals and dreams? How would you like to change the world? What would make you truly happy? What do you love to do?”
So many of us find careers we enjoy, and end up switching careers in our 30s, 40s, and even 50s. Many of us have jobs in fields that aren’t what we majored in during college.
Maybe we aren’t ready to decide what we really want to do in life until we finally start figuring out who we truly are.
But then again, is what we do what makes us tick? Sometimes we are lucky enough to find joy and meaning in the occupations and hobbies we choose. But is it truly enough to be our soul’s motivation?
I’ve often said in my past (like most parents) that my kids are my everything, they are my reason to work harder and achieve more. And yes, financially, I work hard to provide more for them because I love them and care about them. But as they grow older and find their own lives outside of me, I realize that there’s more to me than just providing a good, stable home. Getting the promotion and the higher salary makes me extremely happy, but it doesn’t fill my heart with joy.
So what fills your heart with joy? What gives you motivation each day beyond the mundane societal and financial expectations?