# What do you do to motivate yourself?



## Cerberus (Feb 13, 2005)

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## kikachuck (Nov 10, 2003)

Cerberus said:


> As of right now, the biggest motivator I have is fear. I fear failure. I like to learn, but some subjects just aren't that interesting. Therefore, I would like to know about some techniques you people use to motivate yourself.


I'm exactly the same way. A lot of the time I'm not motivated, but the fear of seeing that 'F' on my report card sends such chills down my spine that I buckle down and get to work, even if I don't want to :lol


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## darkangel (Apr 19, 2005)

I was also scared of the F and tried to use that as a motivator.. but try to actually become interested in whatever you're learning. 

Art History was the worst class for me because I just could never remember anything I read. Memorizing works temporarily, but it really helps to KNOW it, like you could teach somebody else. So I would really try and get into what I was learning.

...But why listen to me anyway, I failed that class. :lol


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## Amnesiac (Sep 6, 2006)

Honestly I do pushups lol.

When I was in college and even if I'm studying in the library and sometimes if I can't motivate myself to turn another page I just get down and do pushups even when people are looking. It gets the adrenaline working and for me makes me more focused. 

But yeah fear is a motivator for me too. The fear of failure.


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## pokey (Dec 18, 2005)

I am probably going to sound insanely gay. whatever. but I think motivation needs to come from within. it's not REAL motivation if you have to always drag it out from some outside source. maybe you aren't motivated to study poli sci etc, but you can find INSPIRATION for wanting to learn it.... even if it's just to get an "A" in the class, whatever inspires you to learn.... I always try to think WHAT I could apply to my life in the least bit in whatever I'm learning... even if I'm 0% interested in it. Such as statistics. statistics is the biggest bull **** ever. but if I understand it now, I can
1. help my kids learn it
2. feel smarter for knowing it
3. apply it to a career in business perhaps
4. feel accomplished for passing such a hard class

the small things really add up to a big motivator. just leaning and pushing yourself should be motivating enough to make you WANT to learn


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## Guest (Sep 24, 2006)

The main thing that I remind myself is that "If I mess up, I shouldn't worry too much, because not everyone notices my small mistakes."


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## Your Lover Scrub Ducky (Jul 26, 2004)

- fear of failure
- want to reach the goals ive made
- want my family to see me graduate and be proud
- want to prove to everyone, including myself, that i can succeed


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## Message (Sep 20, 2006)

Yeah.... I don't have motivation at all....

I think the only times I am motivated are the times that I have people that care about me. When I had all these friends this summer I was motivated to exercise, eat right, I didn't sleep until 1 or 2pm and I did things.

Now that they are gone I do nothing and I haven't been to class in weeks. I'm thinking of withdrawing....


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## Futures (Aug 27, 2005)

At my school, a "D" was cosidered a failing grade. So fear of failure was a big motivator. 

People always attribute higher education with better jobs and more money, so that too motivated me. Funny thing is, now that I've graduated, my life is worse off than it ever was before I quit my job and left everything behind to go to college.


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## Zephyr (Nov 8, 2003)

I don't know what motivated me. I guess I always wanted to keep getting good marks. They were the only thing that gave me self-worth.


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## justagirl04 (Sep 17, 2006)

My 12k+ loans I have out right now (w/ no cosigner mind you) for college. 

so basically if I **** up, I could ruin my life..badly. 
Its harsh but its a huge motivator.


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## Danu (Aug 13, 2006)

All the classes I have are for a degree that is insanely practical, as in, this degree will get you this kind of job and this kind of job only. And I am really excited about working, earning my own money and moving out of my parents house. So it helps me to think of the big picture. 

On a smaller scale, there's a big exam that I have to take to be considered registered and get a job. What I do when I'm really really not wanting to keep reading or whatever is imagine that the material I'm reading is on the test, imagining sitting for the test and there's the question that is about the reading that I'm not wanting to do. So I'm all "you're choosing not to get that question right? you're just going to sit there and not care about your exam score because you're tired/crabby/depressed? Come ON!!" It works. Sometimes.


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## Eraserhead (Sep 23, 2006)

My biggest motivator right now is indeed *fear of failure*. I've set for myself the standard of acing every course, and if I can't achieve that I know I'll feel terrible. I'm just commited to doing well for it's own sake.

Plus, I think good grades form one of the pillars of my self-worth, fragile as that may be.


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## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

I've tried nuthin', and I'm all out of ideas. Fear of failure used to work for me; it was enough to get me my undergraduate degree--and the one after that, too, I guess--but early on in my doctoral coursework I just stopped caring. Apparently there comes a point where you actually have to sort of enjoy what you're studying for its own sake, and if you don't, you're hopeless. I wasn't prepared for that, and now I'm kind of in a mess.


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## Before_the_Law (Mar 6, 2007)

I make school/university my life - so I'll call your fear of failure and raise you fear of being a failure and a nobody.


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## ghostgurl (Sep 20, 2004)

Gee if I knew what could motivate me I probably wouldn't be in the place I'm in now. Being unmotivated is my worst enemy. I am pretty focused on school though, just not everything else.


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## 0rchid (Aug 19, 2006)

I get distracted really easily. Motivation for me this year has been needing to get good marks so I can apply to med school. Other than that, I'm probably the most unmotivated person you'd ever meet.


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## Zephyr (Nov 8, 2003)

*Re: re: What do you do to motivate yourself?*



ghostgurl said:


> Gee if I knew what could motivate me I probably wouldn't be in the place I'm in now. Being unmotivated is my worst enemy. I am pretty focused on school though, just not everything else.


Same with me. School was fun for me. I don't give a sh*t about much else, like finding a job and socializing and all that other jazz. I'm such a slacker.

Lately it seems half my posts have been meditations on this topic.

I always wondered where everyone else got their goals, hopes, ambitions, dreams. Where do they come from?


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## onlylordknows (Apr 27, 2004)

it comes from knowing that if I don't get a good career or a respectable job.. I'll be pretty much a nobody. Since I have S.A. and my personality sucks and no girls like me... unless I get a good job, I'll never be the person that I want to be


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## Gerard (Feb 3, 2004)

I try to relate subjects of no interest by trying to relate it significantly to your being or the world. Questions like how can this knowledge help me grow? Or something. I don't know. That's all I got. Good luck, Cerberus.


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## Zephyr (Nov 8, 2003)

onlylordknows said:


> it comes from knowing that if I don't get a good career or a respectable job.. I'll be pretty much a nobody. Since I have S.A. and my personality sucks and no girls like me... unless I get a good job, I'll never be the person that I want to be


That's just recasting my question (if indeed you were answering me) in a different way. How do you know who it is you want to be?


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