2.5: What's Your Motivation?
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When it comes down to it, all the strategies above will help you only so much if you aren’t motivated to be in college. Everyone has days when they are feeling less or not motivated— that is normal. But if you regularly find that you are not very motivated to keep participating in classes and studying, stop for a bit and reflect on what is behind this. Why are you in college? Everyone must find their own answer to that question and ask themselves if that reason is enough to motivate them to do the hard work that is needed to succeed in college. What is your “why” answer?
It could be that you need to define your reasons for being in college. Maybe, for example, you enrolled because it was expected of you, by your parents or your boss. But now that you are here, this may not be enough to keep you motivated deep down.
Sometimes we discover new reasons to be motivated as we grow during different stages of our lives. For example, you might be realizing that there are new things that you are interested in studying or new problems that you would like to help solve in the world or your community. Perhaps you are becoming aware of careers that interest you that you did not even know about before. Or maybe you are finding that even though someone else really wants you to be in college, now it has become your own goal, too, for your own reasons.
When you are thinking about this, it may help to write down your thoughts and ideas or to even record your thoughts on your phone. Sharing your thoughts and ideas with someone is a good idea, too. At college, you are surrounded by people who are working to achieve goals; it is a unique place. Think about who you might want to share your journey with—your best friend, your parent(s), your Resident Assistant (RA) in the dorms, your roommate, your spouse, your boss or co-worker, your college advisor, a trusted college staff member who’ve you’ve gotten know, your tutor, the college career center director, etc. Whether you are an online or face-toface student, you are part of the Butler community, where many people are facing this challenge too.
Exercise 2.5
Take time to reflect on your own motivation(s) for being in college. Here are some questions that could help you dig deeper:
• What led me to decide to enroll in college?
• Is there anyone I am trying to please by being in college? How important is that to me?
• What outcomes do I want to achieve by being in college?
• How would I like to develop as a person during my time in college?
• What do I like about being in college?
• What is harder than I expected in college? How have I overcome difficulties I have faced while in college?
Take time to write your reflections down or record them on your phone. You might be surprised how doing this can help clarify your feelings both when you are writing your ideas down and when you review them later. Also, decide who is at least one trusted person you can share this information with and follow through with that. A good question to ask that person when you are done sharing is: “Do you have any other observations or insights that might be helpful to me?”