Lost: Motivation

Nate Smith

Motivation. That thing that drives us to shuffle out of bed every day for something we’re probably not to keen on. Well, it seems as though I’ve misplaced mine about a week or so ago.

Countless fliers and Craigslist ads later I’m sitting in my pj’s ignoring of a massive pile of homework while watching the season premier of Community.

It’s like I’m on the outside looking in when it comes to my mind. I can hear a little voice (which I’m assuming is the logical part of my brain) screaming for me to buckle down. It’s like my brain doesn’t understand that more sleep means less time to get ready for class or to do the homework that I “forgot”. I’ve started bribing myself with food to accomplish even the most simple of tasks.

I don’t know what happened! One minute I have everything organized in my room, down to my socks. Next thing I know I’m showing up late to functions because the mound of clothes on my floor ate my car keys and won’t give them back. Maybe it’s the snow? Maybe I’ve finally bitten off more than I can chew and I’m not longer able to do any sort of work….See! Even my ability to make good excuses is slipping!

I know I’m not alone in this. In the same way junkies can spot one another, I can spot people who are also helplessly floating from day to day. The distant and lifeless looks in their eyes as they wade through the snow towards their destination. We’re pretty much all on autopilot at this point. I look around the classroom when the professor asks a question, and I catch so many morose and downtrodden glances I expect Sarah McLaughlin’s “In the Arms of an Angel” to start playing in the background. It’s a sad scene to say the least.

Who knows what will bring me out of this funk? Maybe this is the classic “amnesia episode” of my life’s sitcom! Maybe all I need is for something heavy to fall on my head and bring me back!…Nah, that seems too easy. All I know is that I can’t let this be the new normal for me. This is a one way ticket to being featured on an episode of “Hoarders”.

That’s it! Fear is the ultimate motivator! I’m just going to start using my fear of becoming a crazy cat man to get me off of my ass! I’m sure this won’t be enough to motivate everyone (especially the silent criers in my 6-9pm classes) but it’s a start! Think about the worst case scenario if you continue to drift through life. No matter what it is I’m sure you can think of something a bit more…illustrious!….And less creepy.