 How to Motivate Yourself
Life has started to go too fast again, and I've again started to have difficulties
catching up with it. Every morning I wake up and think about what I have to do that day.
Usually, the list is so long that 24 hours seems very short!
So, what should we do to solve this difficulty? I won't repeat the sentences we've all
heard plenty of times in our lives, like, you have to be organized; you have to decide
what your primary jobs are; you have to learn how to discipline yourself. I've tried most
of them, and they don't work perfectly for everyone’s lives (including mine).
Instead, I've invented a new way to cope with this race against time: I'm trying to
motivate myself. I wake up each morning--there's not a single day when I want to get out
of bed right away--and I start to think about the results of my actions. If I sleep, I'll
miss my classes, then my grades will get lower, and then I won't be able to study for a
master's degree. (Just thinking about these things makes me realize that I'm still very
far from my goal.)
So, next, I get out of bed, get ready and leave for the university. Then another question
comes up: what to study. I suggest to everyone that you spend time studying all your
subjects, not only the ones you like the most. Otherwise, a catastrophe will
happen--you'll fail your other subjects. The solution is simple. Leave your favorite
subjects to the end, and start with the others. It's like leaving the best part of a meal
to the end: to eat that last delicious bit, you have to finish everything else first. It's
the same thing, and thinking this way motivates you.
Speaking of food, another question concerning our daily routine is what to cook: it should
be healthy, so stay away from fast foods, and it should be tasty, so follow your own
family recipes. The dishes will be delightful and won't take a lot of time to prepare,
since they're the result of years of practical experience, and someone else will have
already thought of the best and easiest way to do things.
As everything in your daily routine becomes easier, it starts to take less time, and you
become more comfortable in your competition with the clock. But in addition to the things
I've mentioned, there's still a lot to think about, like paying the bills, cleaning the
house, washing the dishes and washing and ironing your clothes--the list just gets longer
and longer. By around ten o'clock at night, you take a look at what you've done, and see
that more tasks are still waiting for you.
The solution lies in self-motivation. If you can make yourself realize that you have
another day to live, and that whatever hasn't been done yet can wait until tomorrow, it's
reassuring. Those are all the thoughts I have to share for now--I hope you have a highly
motivated week.
Sıla Türkü Kural (EE/III)
turku@ug.bilkent.edu.tr
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