As human beings, we are naturally driven to build, create, or advance something, setting goals for ourselves in the process. These goals can be either personal or beneficial to others, but it’s important to note that personal goals are often short-lived and unsustainable. Once they are achieved, we may struggle to find a new sense of purpose, leaving us feeling unfulfilled.
This is because as social beings, we find joy and fulfillment in serving others. Love, for example, drives us to do ridiculous things, like traveling around the world just to say “I love you.” And as parents, we make countless sacrifices for our children, knowing that our motivation to do more for someone else is infinite.
This isn’t to say that personal achievements aren’t important or fulfilling. They can be incredibly rewarding, as long as they are contextualized within something bigger than ourselves. To maintain motivation and drive, we must find a sense of purpose beyond personal achievement.
Why do I do what I do
Have you ever wondered why you do what you do? Take a moment and ask yourself this question. Why do you show up to work every day? Why do you feel the need to clean your room every week? For me, the answer lies in the joy of acknowledgement. I enjoy it when people appreciate what I do. This motivates me to work hard every day and keep my surroundings tidy, so that others can feel comfortable in my space.
However, I have come to realize that it is okay to be driven by personal goals, especially in certain stages of life. As a student, my goal was to achieve academic success, but after graduating, I set new goals for myself. For instance, I wanted to buy all the tech products I couldn’t afford before. Initially, this was a strong motivator, but soon I realized that owning these gadgets did not provide lasting fulfillment.
So I sought a new drive, and found it by creating an android application. It was a learning experience that led to the app being uploaded on the Play Store. However, even this achievement did not provide lasting fulfillment. It wasn’t until I experienced the appreciation and acknowledgement of others that I found my true motivation. For example, when I wanted to make someone I cared about smile, I introduced a new activity or gift to see their reaction. This act of service was more fulfilling than buying gadgets or creating apps.
Based on this experience, I have realized that self-awareness, an act of service, and being present are the points that make me strive to live. These values have driven my daily motivations and have taught me the beauty of giving to others.
Self awareness
Self-awareness is a vital component in personal growth, enabling individuals to become better versions of themselves and contribute positively to the lives of others. It involves recognizing one’s strengths and weaknesses, and identifying areas for improvement. By fostering self-awareness, individuals can set meaningful goals and chart a path towards achieving them. However, self-awareness is not always easy to achieve, and often requires a combination of self-assessment and external feedback.
While self-assessment is a useful tool, it can be challenging to accurately gauge one’s own strengths and limitations. Seeking feedback from trusted sources can help to shed light on blind spots and highlight areas that require improvement. The key to making progress is to remain open and receptive to feedback, and to actively work towards addressing areas of weakness.
Act of service
An act of service involves directing your focus towards helping others when you feel that your personal goals are no longer fulfilling. This shift can bring unexpected rewards that are difficult to attain on your own.
Act of service is about sacrificing yourself for others. You may sacrifice your time, money, and comfort for others. For example in a relationship, do you sacrifice your spouse’s comfort so that you can feel better or do you sacrifice your comfort? Or in daily life, when you have an appointment to do exercises with your friend at 7AM, will you be late and make your friend mad or will you wake up immediately no matter your sleepiness so that you don’t let your friend down.
Regarding the second example, it is clear that if I do it for myself, I will probably just delay it over and over, and I don’t have any guilt. By sacrificing for others, we not only bring happiness to them but also experience a sense of fulfillment and purpose.
To be present
Being present for someone is one of the most valuable ways to show that you care. It’s an outcome of the act of service, which doesn’t always require you to solve people’s problems. Simply being there for someone can make them feel appreciated and grateful. Being present is not something you can claim for yourself; it’s something that others bestow upon you. If people don’t feel that you’re there for them, they won’t acknowledge your presence. While you can practice being present, true presence is only achieved when someone else recognizes it.
Closure
We have come to an end, thanks for your time and enthusiasm in reading it! Hope it gives you insights. Those writings are merely my conclusion after I watched this inspired podcast. Any comments and feedback are welcome, have a good day! 🙂
Leave a Reply