What's your primary form of self-motivation in life?

[Jean-Marie_Céline]

What is it? Your goals, your dreams, your loved ones or your relationships?

[WhiteSteve]

Just my own pride, I guess, and ego to some degree. Most of my goals are athletic or fitness-related, and at my age, no one really cares about it but me. My girlfriend thinks everything I do is the greatest, my teenage cousins too, lmao, which is nice, but it’s not like it’s a challenge to get their approval. And I’m not in high school or college where people treat you like you’re special just because you’re an athlete. At most, other adults are just like “oh, cool, good for you” for a fleeting moment. It doesn’t get you laid anymore😂

So it’s really just for myself, I’m my toughest critic. My age drives me a lot these days. I wrapped up my (American) football career about nine years ago, and I accomplished and experienced a lot. I’ve made the league All-Star team, my team won a league championship and went 13-0 at the second-highest skill level, then the next two years we got bumped to the highest level, we went undefeated, won the league championship, and went to and won the national championship both years, 14-0 record and ranked #1 in the United States, from a state not really known for football. We were 41-0 over those three years, it was incredible, and my very first year playing football at I think 8 or 9 years old, we didn’t win a single game and only scored once all season. So coming from that, and finishing the way we did, I decided to walk out while I was on top, because it’s not a sport you can play forever, it’s too hard on the body. It just felt like the right time.

So as I said, my age drives me, because I’ve already walked away from the sport that was my first love. But I missed the competition, and I wanted a new challenge. I decided a year and a half ago that I wanted that challenge to be ice hockey, because I wanted to play when I was growing up but my parents didn’t allow because of the expense and time commitment involved. One day I just said “it’s now or never”, and I went out and bought the skates and equipment, started going to the public skating session at the ice rink near my house and working on getting comfortable, then at the start of 2020 I started taking lessons. That was unfortunately cut short three months in due to the pandemic, but I just resumed a couple weeks ago, and I’m so glad to be back. I’m going to try to join a novice league this year if I can, and challenge myself to advance as high as I can, as quickly as I can. I’m still clumsy out there, but compared to the other beginners in my class, I might be the best player, so I’m encouraged that I’ll develop quickly. It’s all a race against turning 50 lmao. There are 50+ leagues, I can play this for 20-25 years, I think, but while I’m still able, I want to be able to get the true experience and play it full-tilt. So that ticking clock of my age keeps me going. I go to public hockey sessions twice a week in addition to my class, and when I fee unmotivated, I just remind myself I don’t have time to fuck around and waste if I want to be as good as I can be. I’m a pretty physical guy, the hitting was my favorite part of football, and that’s what attracts me to hockey. At my level, we aren’t really supposed to body check, but at higher levels you can, and that’s what I hope to get to. If I even get one season where I get to lay people out, that’s enough to feel like I did it, haha.

This ran way longer than I meant it to, lmao, but yeah, I just like to challenge myself and I don’t have enough good years left to half-ass it, I need to go all-in, so that’s what keeps me motivated.

[NathanDavis]

Primarily, main, first and foremost... the ones I care for. That's what kept me alive and going many years ago. I would say that is has changed over time, I indeed became my own person and I have my own will to live this life, however... I want to live for them and with them, not just for myself.

So I would say they're my best reason to feel great about myself and life. And I am looking forward to the future, there might be someone else out there that will become my better reason to keep going, and there might be little ones in the future, I'm sure they would turn out to my best-est reason to live in this life. Time will tell.

[Jean-Marie_Céline]

That's a really complete and well written answer, thank you for sharing!
I admit I really like and agree the ''I want to live for them and with them, not just for myself'' part, since I too follow this tenet.
Keep up the good work, I'm confident you'll reach your goals and realize your dreams!

[NathanDavis]

I appreciate that, thank you and yes... That's what I aim for, it is worth to me. I am hopeful and also cautious about life, because life has indeed happened to me, so I just learned to make a goal out of my journey and really live that, rather than focusing on an ultimate goal to reach at the later, end of it, because we never really know if we'll make it there.

So, best wishes as well, we can only keep going...

[jennifer_bloom]

Five things that motivate me are (1) my desire to eat good food which costs more money (2) my desire to be of service to the world (3) my desire to take care of my future family one day (4) the needs of my current family (5) my desire to live a long life through healthy habits and positive relationships to my mental and spiritual health

[SnowyOwl]

and that is why sloth is the worst of all sins...
i agree with you by the way. i just wish i knew when and why did i start procrastinating.

[Poppykate]

Firstly, I want to live longer than the women in my family. Currently, no one has lived past 65 years. Secondly, to positively contribute to the communities which I live. ( e. g. my family, my neighbourhood, my local community etc), and try not to be a drain. Thirdly, to live comfortably and follow my own happiness.

[Poppykate]

Thanks for MHG cheers 🍻

[midnightmoon05]

There is not much is this planet that will
make me think I need to reach. I have accomplished what most starting out.
when I talk like this some think I am
depressed sigh... just the contrary. I content with my life.
so for me, just giving an uplifting advice. Or a realistic advice. seeing my students come to school happy and healthy.
watch their “lightbulbs so light up. When they get my lessons.
when I can wake up each morning, open my eyes, take that step.. I can accomplish more.
when I see that my own two children slowly turning into young adulthood. I feel content.
on the other hand... hahahaa..: I asked my boyfriend to tame my ambitions... he is trying. But he knows it’s my personality, I just have to think to slow down. Not for money, but the love and passion to do more, to give more, to share more. To reach out to my family. To check up on them, to help them.
to listen to my students parents, understand their hardship, be supportive.
when I am happy with my self, I want to make others happy.

[ChrisMaster69]

Sort of my past.
I've said before I grew up, fairly poor in that we never owned a car as could not afford one. My future was looking like repeating the same thing and not being able to leave anything to any children.

I then put up a bunch of goals and put some purpose in my life.

the main overriding goal has been that any children I have will have as much as I can give them by the time they are adults.

for most of my life my primary goal was myself as I needed me to sort the other goals lol.

now however it’s about 70% my daughter so that by the time she is an adult, she has enough factual. Information to face life, to face the fuckwits in the world and also the dangerous ones, the types that play mind games.

that is now my self motivation each and every day,

the other 30% contains some other bits, some mild, some secret for the moment and some that just are there.

[Hannah_le]

For self motivation I just tell myself I’m bein a little bitch and jus do it 😂 or tho you know my past , a lot of bad people I know so like kinda makes me see how they live and how depressed they are so. I have no idea what I’ll be doing in the future but as long as I make better habits now in the present it’ll lead me to better things.

[Dontaaa]

The thought that people are going to hate me and dislike me regardless of what I do or become.

I might as well be free and be the version of myself that I want to be while I'm still alive.

My current sense of motivation comes from that thought.

[Unit1]

Green paper!

Making women feel good or make them giggle

[Jjpayne]

Love, helping others and sharing with others. Something like that. With love including things like my faith, my relationships, family, friends and other people

[genericname85]

honestly i have no big visions and dreams. i envy people who have that. i pretty much live from day to day and try to improve myself incrimentally as i go along. i gues that's just what people do. so i'm doing that. i have no greater goal with that.

[amadimal]

Having fun while I survive! Nothing else at this point.

[putthefootdown]

That too. Before i saw your answer, i had also written, but still am happy with simply: To survive 😋

[PaynefulPleasures]

My daughter
Myself
Without each other I couldn't be motivated ✌️

[SnowyOwl]

Happiness

and that involves many many many things.
most important would be being united at heart with the people i love/ my family.

[jackderby_01]

My goals, my family, helping society to become better

[The_Maphio]

Life has been kind to me. Even if it may sound petty, one of my strongest self-motivation pushes is a sense of superiority.

[Agape93]

Knowing if I don’t get it done, it’ll either not get done, won’t get done in a timely manner or won’t be done right.

[karaspara]

Making sure I get and give everything my children need emotionally and materially

[millicent3007]

Sound good

[najekim]

I'm a realist and take it one day at a time. So I make it the best I can everyday. No future goals or plans set in stone, except finally retiring in 2030. Always look for new possibilities.

[clampfan101]

Mainly my desire for love. I’ve wanted to be married and have kids my whole life.
Now I’m 33yo and still couldn’t be more single...

[EmotionOfFear]

My relentless determination. My desire to please everyone. My desire to not be viewed as a failure. And knowing my girlfriend is alive and well, it keeps me going until I see her again.

[Anonymous]

Pissing off the nay-sayers, and then reminding them that they're just critics, and critics don't matter because criticism has never gotten shit done in the history of the world.

[David_Bayer]

I want to achieve freedom through money, I want to travel and maybe settle down in thirties or forties. I don't want to live forever, I just want to be happy.

[es20490446e]

How would you feel if the most reliable person in the planet was always with you?