What Motivates Me?

[Details] L'Agence dress, Grey City sandals, Kenneth Cole jacket, and hair by Carol Christine. 

If it doesn't excite you, if it doesn't scare you then is it worth it?

Barriers and obstacles are meant to be overcome. Walls are meant to be climbed and even if you fall, at least you've tried.

The key to success is to never give up and most importantly, to never give in. It's only human nature to have self doubt from time to time, especially in a world where comparison is inevitable. 

My boyfriend asked me the other day, what motivates you? You would think I would have an answer ready at hand but I really had to think about it. As I have previously said over and over again, on social media and to friends/family, I don't do this for the money.

So what motivates me? What keeps me going? First off, I love writing. I took creative writing classes, aced all my essays, was on the yearbook committee and school newspaper. In fact, I still have several of my old journals dated back to middle school! As they say, you either excel at math or English in school and I'm sure you know which subject I was better at. Writing was and still is the best way for me to express myself. Therefore, my passion for writing is one thing that motivates me to blog. Writing releases my stress and allows me to say what I can't out loud - because IRL I'm actually quite shy and sometimes quiet in large crowds of unfamiliar faces. 

Recently, I changed my mindset. I used to live life by expectations of my parents and social standards. However, the idea of having no ceilings and living life according to you is a lot less stressful guys. While it's not completely realistic to be as spontaneous as you want, it is doable to work hard and play hard versus working to play. Working to live and living to work, I'm not allowing myself to fall into this pattern. Instead, I'm motivated by the fact that everything I have now is what I used to want. Therefore, if I want to continue to better myself, I have to keep going! Remind yourself often that you've come this far and there's no reason to fall backwards. There is no way but up.

Also, on a side note, my grandfather (who passed when I was 12) is another key motivator. He was full of life, always had a smile on, even when he was fighting diabetes. My grandfather was an active man, in the community and with his family. He believed in education, tradition, and always looked so stylish. He never gave up and that is why I can never allow myself to quit. 

Lastly, I'm motivated by the opportunity. The opportunity to inspire, the opportunity to use my voice to motivate and the opportunity to help people/causes that I truly believe in. The opportunity that this path will lead me to do things I've dreamed of and allow me to see places I've always wished to visit. 

For the love, for the passion, for family, friends, and for the opportunity, this is what motivates me and pushes me to do what I do.

So what motivates you?