Story time: I like to work out before like 7am; I enjoy getting it out of the way so that I can be productive the rest of the day. However, today I went later in the day. As I started my workout, I was the only one in the gym. As I finished, there was one young kid that just kind of laid on the floor. Obviously, I had no idea what he was doing. But as I was working out, I was just wanting to remember to breath! I finished my workout, sanitized all my equipment, and was about to head back to my apartment to get some work done. This kid then, completely out of the blue, asks me, “What keeps you motivated to work out?” You bet my jaw fell to the floor.. What does keep me motivated?? I probably talked in circles because I had never thought about that..
I had started working out during quarantine because I didn’t want to be bored and now I work out about 6x/week. I basically told him that the beginning stages were rough! I had to basically force myself to workout, shed a few tears, and then cross it off my list. Since I now have included it in my daily routine, it is a little bit easier to get it done. As our conversation kept up, he mentioned to me that he had joined the Marines and was trying to physically get ready for his training that he was shipping out to do soon, but he just didn’t have the motivation. Boy, did that comment make me kind of sad. I wanted to help, but what can you do with a complete stranger to help them get motivated when you don’t even know your own motivations?
My motivation isn’t really prominent because I am internally a driven person that has spent the last few years having the sole motivation of finishing school with little debt. Being a single traveler, a lot of things I do are pretty selfish and I don’t have a lot of external motivators. I only have myself to think about at this time in my life. I obviously care for my family, but I most definitely am not working out and travelling for them right now.
After chatting with him for a while and sharing all that I could think of, I got to thinking what is motivating for people? Why do people do what they do? I have listed some of the challenges I have experienced and what I think my motivation was to pursue more.
| Challenge | Motivation |
| Losing friends after moving from place to place | I will meet new people when I move to the new location. They might not stay in my life forever, but they will be there for the current experiences I am looking for at the current state I am in. |
| Working out | I get the feeling of accomplishment when I increase weights or accomplish a strenuous activity as well as see results that improve my self-confidence and feeling of increased energy throughout the day. |
| New job amid COVID | I get to help students improve their lives and their communication during a hard time as well as me growing as a new clinician. |
| Living in a new place by myself | I need to remind myself that it is okay to do things by myself, but also I get motivated to not say ‘no’ to invites that I may receive because you never know how the experience will affect you. |
| Doing activities by myself | {hardest one for me} Self-empowerment that allows me to slow down and enjoy the place I am living as well as appreciating where I am at this point in my life |
Now I want to know what motivates you! Let me know what motivates you to do certain things in your life.. Is it someone or something? Is it a mindset? Is it the future? You can put it in the comments here, message it to me, any shape or form! I have had so many conversations with people recently where they talk about not having the motivation anymore for things that they are doing and just want more.. But it is hard to get to that point of changing if your motivation isn’t there! So let’s talk about it!
This post is a little hard for me to be posting, since it isn’t about all the fun things that I have done or seen, but about the real conversations. That is what I want this blog to be. It is going to show the fun side within the life of travel, but also dig into those conversations that people don’t typically have with each other, especially when they have a job that requires a lot of change.
-Natalie-
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
Lao Tzu
Travel.Therapy.Love.Repeat. 