You don’t need Motivation. You need Purpose.

We’ve all been trapped by the claws of laziness and procrastination; it is a horrible and helpless feeling. I have struggled with a lack of motivation my entire life, but my worst point came in October 2023. After a trip to Greece, I visited my family in Italy and found myself lying on the floor most of the time. Years of failure and hopelessness had compounded to a point where I felt incapacitated. Motivation had always evaded me, but now optimism followed suit, and the pain of life's disappointments became too much to bear. I was at rock bottom. Looking back on this bout of depression, I cannot help but possess a feeling of gratitude because after hitting such a low point, the only way was up. I eventually picked myself off the floor and decided I had enough; I no longer wanted to feel that way. My problems did not improve; if anything, they got worse, but I had become stronger in my mind. I no longer allowed these clouds of negativity to infest my mind. This mindset led me to a profound realisation: my lack of motivation was not because I was lazy. It was because I had no purpose. 

My entire life, I had believed that my goals were my own. In reality, my goals had been dedicated to what I thought was expected of me. I believed that I must be revered and respected and have money and status. These are a weak foundation for one's purpose. Nothing is wrong with being rich or respected; both are valuable. However, if your motivation in life is merely to attain money and status, then you are bound to fail. It is the trap I fell into. When you strive for success, you will encounter bumps and periods of resistance. If your foundation for achievement is solely based on money and neglects the process of providing value to society, then you are bound to fail because you will not have the motivation to continue. Sufficient motivation is contingent on you having a strong sense of purpose. 

Purpose is a broad term and differs for each individual. For example, my motivation for writing a blog every day comes from a desire to share information and insight that could provide value to people. The thought of someone reading my blog posts or my stories and using my messages to better their life gives me more motivation than money alone could. Yes, money is important but purpose lies outside of materialism. Even someone who only pursues a career for money, in reality, does not only do it for money. They likely do it to raise their family out of poverty or give their children a good education; perhaps they chase status in order to influence decision-making in a sector or in politics. The point is that the motivation to succeed derives from a wider purpose that possesses a strong energy. Harness your own energy towards a strong purpose and you will never lack motivation again.