Motivation

Have you ever found yourself day doing things throughout the day that are meaningless and without a purpose? You only do them because you must, or sometimes you do things you think you want, but your not exactly sure why. The activities we do and choices we make in the modern world are often arbitrary and boring. Society has lost sight of purpose and value. Many of us have forgotten to ask ourselves, “Why do I want what I want?” or “Why do I do what I do?” Sadly, this lack of personal investigation has created a depreciation of activism and personal thought. When we forget why we do things we only focus on the trees, and end up losing sight of the forest.

For example, if someone were to ask you, “Why do you want to go to college?” the cliché answer goes is something like, "well I'm going to college because I want to get a better education". People should go beyond this lame generalization and try to understand the actual reasoning behind such claims, not just respond with the simplified de facto version. The real answer should explain why I want a better education and just exactly what I want to learn. For example, When I say I want to go to college, I think its because I want to make lifelong friends, and to learn about subjects that are important to me, such as public health, psychology, international relations, and more. The reason why I love those subjects is because I have been thoroughly shaped by each of them. I mention public health because I see the needs of my community and the people around me, and I believe that health treatment, as a service, is vital to our nation. I am intrigued by psychology because of the presence of mental illness among my family. Additionally, the complex thought processes and emotions of different people fascinate me. The ways the human mind works and how social influences affect it are all captivating. I would also choose to study International Relations because I believe that everyone should be aware of current affairs, global events, and the foreign policy of our country. They all influence our future and determine many aspects of our current lifestyle.

Now that I’ve finished my rant about what educational subjects I like, it’s time to address my real reason for writing this paper. (HA – pun intended). Anyways, I believe that this "investigation" brings a new sense of appreciation to the things we do. It feels better to do something with a purpose than to do something just to do it. Saying “I’m going to do community service because I want to help and change the lives of the people around me” is much better than saying, “I am going to do community service just because social norms tell me it’s a good idea”. By realizing the purposes of the goals we set and the missions we undertake, we gain so much more insight and determination for our quests. It provides strength for our personal journeys and creates an unparalleled sense of joy to know that we do something for a reason. By knowing that "I want to do something with X in mind", I will always have a specific motive to keep pushing forward and not give up. It’s the knowledge of purpose that allows us to constantly strive in our endeavors.