Most people think they lack motivation when they really lack clarity.
Go-getters do not become so because they are inherently motivated, they just have a clear picture of what it is they want. In their pursuit of realising the ultimate goal, they behave in such a way that comes across as looking “motivated”. For example, I used to loathe running. No one could get me to voluntarily wake up before the sun rose to go for a run. That is until Covid-19. Seeing how adversely it affected those with existing health conditions made me confront my mortality. My health quickly became a priority, and running was no longer intolerable, and after a few weeks I grew to enjoy this. How I got to that moment of clarity, however, was not a fluke – it wasn’t an epiphany, it was thanks to my writing habit.
I make the time to write about things I am thinking about, no matter how trivial. The result is that I have created a personal and open space for me to explore the tiniest of thoughts to their end. It has given me clarity on a whole range of topics from what my values are to how I think about work and socialising. It is a liberating feeling to have clarified my thinking around these things, I feel more prepared and inspired to venture forth into the rest of life knowing what it is I stand for.
One of the things I realised is how much I value freedom of thought and creativity is. Previously, I was going down a career path that would have been incompatible with this newfound value. But now, I have that little bit of a better idea of what kind of work I know I will enjoy more of. This paired quite nicely with another thing I discovered about myself, I really don’t care all that much about making a lot of money. I am, and will continue to be, happy to earn enough to maintain the lifestyle I am living now. I don’t need extravagant holidays, a bigger house, or a nicer car … so long as I have my hobbies and friends to share life with, I am set.
It is not an exaggeration that without my writing, I would not have had the motivation to continue to do what it is I am doing now: living like a retiree.