Motivations & Choices

What is it that drives us to do the things we do? I've always been interested in motivation, and how and why people are motivated to do certain things. Heine, 2012 talks about how motivation in simple terms can be described as trying to pursue the things that we want. As humans, it is common that we all strive to pursue things that improve our quality of life. I think about where I am in life now, and why I am here. I can still remember all of the dreams and plans I had set out for myself. While many of them have become reality, there are a select few where "life" got in the way. Somethings you just cannot control, or maybe result from "trade-offs" of other life choices. Like basically everything else, our motivations and choices are defined by our cultures, environments, and how we were raised. I was brought up in a competitive yet caring environment. Coming from a family of 6 children, I constantly felt the need to prove myself, and work hard so my achievements would be noticed. I think that growing up this way, has helped motivate me to continue to set goals for myself and constantly be looking for ways to achieve them.

It is quite obvious to me that I come from an individualistic society; as I am more concerned about my own goals than the goals of others. I could relate to when Heine, 2012 wrote about how Westerners are consumed by just a few key aspects of life; a job, love, children, and where to reside. At this point in my life, I am focusing on my future career. However, when I look around me; my grandparents, parents, siblings, neighbors, and some friends-- seem to have fulfilled these goals, or are striving towards them. As I am graduating from University, with a bachelor of science in Nursing next spring, I feel a lot of pressure to figure out some of these choices. Having a significant other can make this challenging, and sometimes unnoticeable change the choices you would have likely made, had you been deciding on your own. There are so many influences that can affect out motivations and choices, both positive and negative. It can be stressful at times, constantly wondering if you're doing the right thing or making the right choices.