What Motivates You?

Abstract

50 WWW.JOURNALOFTRAUMANURSING.COM Volume 23 | Number 2 | March-April 2016 W hy do we do what we do? What moves us in such a way that makes us say “I have to do this”? Motivation comes in many forms. There are times when we accomplish tasks or do everyday things that are a part of our lives without thinking twice about what motivates us to do it. These things have an end point. It is motivation with a finite goal. Then there is the motivation that comes from life experiences that are bigger and more impactful. These influences can cause our path to immediately change and motivate us to do something entirely different. Webster’s Dictionary defines motivation as, “the force or influence that causes someone to do something”. It is the element that influences whether you get up early and go to the gym before work or hang out on a day off and read a book. It determines the level at which something is done; whether someone does just enough to do the job or whether they go the extra mile. It is the foundation for success; the crucial element in setting and attaining goals. Motivation is the desire, drawn from deep within, to do something. It is what makes me get up at 4:30 in the morning and go running before work. One of my best friends is a runner. It comes easy for her. It is not so easy for me. I need a reason, something to motivate me. I ran the Marine Corps Marathon, my first marathon, for my son and his comrades who were deployed in Iraq. It is what I did to show my support. Then I ran the Boston Marathon to show support for the first responders, hospital staff, the people who were injured, and for the families of those who lost their life after the bombings. What motivated me was the strength I felt deep within. But they are events that happen and then they are gone. The goal was accomplished. What motivates someone to take care of an injured person, a father, mother, son, or daughter? What motivates someone to educate a preadolescent to wear a helmet when they ride a bike when all of their friends do not? Or, to teach a teenager the dangers of texting and driving? There are many factors. Some are a part of our fabric, a part of us that has been there since we were small children. For others it may What Motivates You?