Motivation

I have been seeing a number of people posting Dalai Lama sayings and one in particular caught my eye several months ago. He was asked what surprised him about humanity. "Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived." We only can make ourselves happy ultimately, but how we do so is just as important.

Trying to be motivated, or even motivating others is difficult. There are thousands of things that make us tick. Realizing that we have skills, some of which are untouched, and trying to make the most of them should be an important part of our lives. When I switched careers, I had realized that I wasted years of my life in the computer industry never applying myself, or having my employer tap into what I was capable of. It disappointed me so much that I left and never looked back.

Teaching allows me to professionally apply many skill sets and try to get great outcomes. Being creative, tapping into others abilities, and trying to turn those into positive outcomes is a great thing. However, I wasn't applying this to myself.

We are ticking clocks. We can't live forever. Every second that ticks off the clock and is not applied to getting the most out of yourself is a wasted second. This past week I was disappointed that I have lost a few years, and resolved to not allow that to happen. On the bike, I became motivated differently, knowing that there are skills and potential that haven't been tapped into. Despite my age, there is still a possibility of success. Resolving to not allow those seconds to go away without applying them to your own development can be a great motivator to start 2012.