By Nina Gonzalez – Student Journalist
Quarantine ruined my motivation. I sometimes found myself falling into these seemingly bottomless ruts, as motivation stood at the top trying to reach out to me before I fell too deep. Personally, quarantine happened to be the biggest rut I’ve stumbled into in a long time. However, as things started to get to a new normal, my motivation has been on a steady rise.
When quarantine started to be lifted, I spoke to my friends and found that I was not the only one who felt this way. I’m sure plenty of you can relate as well.
I found that motivation is a very fragile thing. It is also way more complex than just the “willingness to do something.” Motivation is like a person: there are many aspects that are pieced together that build it up to a unique form. You design your own motivation based on what inspires you, what makes you feel good, your own personal goals, and so much more. But you could know all of these things and still be unable to find your motivation.
Sometimes we get stuck into ruts that are too small to hold motivation. Even if it arrives, it seems to just brush over you like a gust of wind. You can try to run with the wind, but you can’t catch it. You can try to push yourself to find the motivation, but the truth is that sometimes it’s hidden away.
When you reach that place where motivation took shelter away from you, you may find that it’s been trying to lead you. That wind that you felt brush over you was pushing you towards the right direction. You may not be as fast as wind, but you made it to where you needed to be. I have reached this point after confusing twists and turns. Motivation is probably one of the best feelings for me. It makes me feel good, like I’m doing something right even if I’m not too sure where I’m going.
Motivation is very tricky. If you, like myself, find yourself having trouble finding and/or keeping motivation, that is alright. It will come to you. Everyone is different and has their own pace. However, once you find it, hang on to it and do not let go. If you feel it slipping out of your hands, adjust your grasp and take control.
Sometimes motivation doesn’t move away from us, we push it away. Get comfortable with figuring out what motivates you and how to use that motivation to its fullest extent. You got this. Keep going.