Why do we do what we do?
- Because we have to?
- Because bills need to be paid and food needs to be on the table?
- Because we want to contribute to society?
- Because…
Mulling over this thought as I found myself questioning some of my current pursuits earlier.
The trigger? My apparent complete lack of motivation for a particular thing.* In comparison to the hours I willingly give, including in the early hours of the morning, to the other.
My current commitment to writing something everyday has kinda taken hold of me.
I enjoy it, it is feeding something at the core of me. It -what I am writing- is also something that others have said has encouraged and challenged them. Causing them to think and reflect.
Related to this, participating in a poetry slam last week gave me an opportunity to let the lyrical creative me out. I wasn’t sure how my piece would be received and as the evening wore on and my name still wasn’t called, my bravery level was going down, and my heart rate was going up.
When my name was finally called, I delivered Just Be. By doing so, I was actually doing what it said.
The response from the crowd was heartwarming; the scores from the judges encouraging; having a few people over the following days come up to me and comment on it, humbling and affirming. I even had someone quote my own words back to me.
I felt more me than I have in a while. No doubt, being at a writers festival, surrounded by creatives of various descriptions, was also a contributing factor.
Knowing your why was the subject of a previous post. So it seems this is a question I am still grappling with.
Something I feel sure about, is that there needs to be something in our lives that connects with the inner you. There is probably a better term for this, but let’s go with this one for now.
Something that has a sense of deeper meaning. Something that truly brings us joy. Something that is inline with our personal values/what’s important to us.
It may not be via our 9-5 day. It might be via a drawing class once a week. A Zumba class on a Saturday night. Community choir on a Wednesday. Picking back up your camera, musical instrument, etc., that has been sitting unused for a while…
Yes, these are real examples. The people I’m thinking of may not equate the same meaning to them as I am currently sensing in terms of my writing. However, I do know that they tap into another part of their multifaceted selves.
So what about you?
- Why do you do what you do?
- Is there something in your life which feeds the inner you?
- Is there something you can take back up again?
*Nb. A post I saw on Instagram said, “You will never always feel motivated. You have to learn to be disciplined.” I think this is a very valid point, deserving of a mention. It’s validity, however, doesn’t take away from the points I’ve made above. It does though bed them within the everyday reality, that there are things that we do just have to discipline ourselves to do. Irrespective of whether they connect with the inner you.