Dreams - my motivation
I love a phrase I read once in a short story, and it said something along the lines of : "there is no such thing as shop girls, just girls who happen to work in shops". Why do I like it so much? It applies very well to my life. I loved school, and did my best, tried to get involved in many things, even graduated valedictorian... I graduated from college almost a year ago. By now, I should be well off on the path of becoming a great programmer. But I am not even close to even becoming a programmer...
Then why did I bother for 8 years to study programming, to be the best, to learn as much as I could? I think it was because of my dream. I did have a dream: become a great programmer that writes code for games that would help children learn and progress. I wanted to design games that are different from what I get to see kids playing today - like shooter games... I saw myself changing some people's lives. I had a dream of starting my own family, and working as a programmer would give me enough flexibility to raise my kids, be at home for my husband, and earn some money. This dream motivated me to sacrifice time and effort to become the best I could.
Life does have some surprises in store though. I served a mission, where I realized that I loved to teach. I love being around people. I love seeing their faces light up as they understand better a principle because I helped them. Coming home was hard. I had to reapply to school, and get a job. The job that I was able to get was... yes, a cashier! I became a "shop girl". It wasn't bad, I got to work with people, and I enjoyed it. Then something happened: I lost my motivation! I lost my dream! Why? Was the dream a bad one? No, but I had changed... and with that, the thought of becoming a programmer didn't get me excited at all. the result? I had no direction in my life. I had no idea what I wanted to do... I had no more dream to get me motivated. Yes, I had the marriage dream, but since there haven't been any prospects, what did I have to keep me going? I had to look for a new dream... I went to Utah for a while, and it was great. I spent a lot of time in the temple, thinking and praying, still nothing...
I came back from Utah, I got my degree, and continued working as a cashier at the same gas station ... and I was just going through the motions. I was getting more and more frustrated with myself: college graduate working in a gas station, with no idea where to go from there. I started getting more involved in Church activities, and fulfilling my calling. I had friends telling me to use my brain, to do more with my life.
So I looked for my dreams -empty. Then decided to make new ones. What do I like to do? teach... what am I good at? languages... + I love to be around people. So here are my new dreams/goals to motivate me again:
1. Get a translator licence in November
2. Go to England to work to save money
3. Use the saved money to pay to study in England to become a teacher
4. Work as a translator/teacher - whatever comes along - I love both
...and of course, get married to a great man, and make new goals together :))
I am sad when I meet people with no big dreams, because dreams are what keep us going forward, dreams are what bring hope for a better future. What are your dreams? What are the things that motivate you at your job (even if it is not your dream job)? and most of all, dream big! I will end with another quote: "shoot for the moon. even if you fail, you will be among the stars."
Then why did I bother for 8 years to study programming, to be the best, to learn as much as I could? I think it was because of my dream. I did have a dream: become a great programmer that writes code for games that would help children learn and progress. I wanted to design games that are different from what I get to see kids playing today - like shooter games... I saw myself changing some people's lives. I had a dream of starting my own family, and working as a programmer would give me enough flexibility to raise my kids, be at home for my husband, and earn some money. This dream motivated me to sacrifice time and effort to become the best I could.
Life does have some surprises in store though. I served a mission, where I realized that I loved to teach. I love being around people. I love seeing their faces light up as they understand better a principle because I helped them. Coming home was hard. I had to reapply to school, and get a job. The job that I was able to get was... yes, a cashier! I became a "shop girl". It wasn't bad, I got to work with people, and I enjoyed it. Then something happened: I lost my motivation! I lost my dream! Why? Was the dream a bad one? No, but I had changed... and with that, the thought of becoming a programmer didn't get me excited at all. the result? I had no direction in my life. I had no idea what I wanted to do... I had no more dream to get me motivated. Yes, I had the marriage dream, but since there haven't been any prospects, what did I have to keep me going? I had to look for a new dream... I went to Utah for a while, and it was great. I spent a lot of time in the temple, thinking and praying, still nothing...
I came back from Utah, I got my degree, and continued working as a cashier at the same gas station ... and I was just going through the motions. I was getting more and more frustrated with myself: college graduate working in a gas station, with no idea where to go from there. I started getting more involved in Church activities, and fulfilling my calling. I had friends telling me to use my brain, to do more with my life.
So I looked for my dreams -empty. Then decided to make new ones. What do I like to do? teach... what am I good at? languages... + I love to be around people. So here are my new dreams/goals to motivate me again:
1. Get a translator licence in November
2. Go to England to work to save money
3. Use the saved money to pay to study in England to become a teacher
4. Work as a translator/teacher - whatever comes along - I love both
...and of course, get married to a great man, and make new goals together :))
I am sad when I meet people with no big dreams, because dreams are what keep us going forward, dreams are what bring hope for a better future. What are your dreams? What are the things that motivate you at your job (even if it is not your dream job)? and most of all, dream big! I will end with another quote: "shoot for the moon. even if you fail, you will be among the stars."
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