WannaBeNormal - My Search for Peace, Love

What motivates us to do things? To follow our dreams, to start on a new path, to take a risk?

We are all different. That’s what makes the world go around, and I personally wouldn’t have it any other way, but what makes us take that chance and head down the road less traveled? I know for me, it’s almost always my kids. Like most parents, I want for them what I didn’t have. That’s what makes me push thru the pain to attend all their games, practices, recitals, concerts, etc. I want them to never doubt my love for them so I make an effort to show I support them in whatever they chose to do. They are also the motivation behind my taking a stab at writing. It’s always been a dream of mine, and hopefully in the pursuit of this dream I am accomplishing two things. One reason is to show them the importance of following your dreams. Two, of course, is to work in my own home on my own time so that I can spend more time with them.

Others are motivated by money. That’s cool, whatever your motivator as long as you follow your dreams right? The only thing with money as your motivation is I don’t think you can ever be truly happy. There’s always more money to make, more things to buy etc. So how does that work? And what happens when you follow your dreams and make your money is it ever enough to feel satisfied?

Then other people are motivated by praise and approval of others. I can get that. I have a bit of that as well. Who doesn’t enjoy someone telling them they are doing a good job? But for that to be your only motivation might lead to an empty life. I think too much of that and your aiming to please others rather than yourself. Whose opinion matters most, yours or everyone else’s? Let’s face it, you can’t please everyone no matter how hard you try, so is pleasing some people going to be enough? And when will it be enough? That seems like another never ending one.

Another one is to “prove the naysayers wrong”. I am all for proving someone wrong when I am right, one of my FAVORITE things to do in fact, but in all honesty, there is ALWAYS going to be someone who says you can’t do something, or you’re not good enough. That won’t end just because you DO the very thing they say you can’t. In some people that will propel them to bad mouth you even more. There are some people in this world who just cannot feel good about themselves without saying bad things about others. It’s sad, but that’s the cold hard truth. So even when you make it, you achieve your dreams, you conquer your demons, and you silence your foes, there will ALWAYS be someone who says you didn’t do it right, or you only got what you wanted because you cheated. You will never shut everyone up. People will always have something bad to say about you. Then there are people who will always be supportive, and always have something good to say. So who do you believe?

I guess what it comes down to is there are lots of different things that motivate people to pursue their dreams, but the important thing is that they do it. If you want anything in life to change, you have to change what you’re doing. If you always do what you have always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten. That’s a saying I believe, and I am constantly looking for ways to change how I live to better achieve my dreams. In some ways I am stubborn, but it’s sometimes its sheer will and stubbornness that keeps me going. Whatever it is that you are driven by embrace it, keep it tight in your heart where you can reach for it when it seems those dreams are just too hard to get to. Every day, in every way, we have to push through and past the odds, obstacles, and idiots and find our value within, find our strength and hold onto whatever it is that makes us not give in to the strong desire to just go with the flow, follow the herd. Take hold of that dream, it’s not out of reach if you put everything you’ve got into it. Whatever you do, just don’t let go. Whether its love, money, what others think of you, just use it as a springboard to push you higher rather than an anchor to weigh you down. I truly believe if something is meant to be, if it’s there in your heart, there’s NOTHING you can’t accomplish.