Finding Motivation through Travel and Exploration
There are so many things to explore in a person's lifetime. There are countless opportunities for us to learn about, experience, and understand each other and the world around us. These experiences can impact our lives in such a positive way that it becomes difficult to think of life without them. But sometimes these types of self-discovery endeavors become difficult for one reason or another — like when we find ourselves struggling with our motivation or just feeling unmotivated in general.
"Lack of motivation", can be due to several different factors: lack of knowledge, lack of enjoyment, not being informed about something, or even a lack of interest in the subject. I'm sure there are more reasons why someone wouldn't be motivated, but ultimately, it's about having an understanding of why we are doing something AND some type of personal investment or connection with what we're doing.
When going on an adventure , you must have a purpose or goal that inspires you in some way. In my case, I find myself motivated by going somewhere that inspires me creatively; whether it's writing a story while there or just experiencing something that puts me into another world where I can write it all down without distraction.
I've always been the type of person to find it difficult to understand how people could stay motivated by just going to work every day, especially when they don't enjoy their job. For me, the day-to-day drudgery of a 9-5 job has become more and more difficult over time and I've pretty much lost all motivation for it, but that's not what this article is about.
You see, going on an adventure with no purpose isn't really an adventure — it's just a simple trip or vacation. The idea behind "discovering my purpose" was something I personally needed to do for my own sake but also in order to feel like I had a "purpose" when traveling.
For some people, they like having a purpose when they travel because it helps them define where they are going and why. For example, what if I had a purpose behind every destination I went to? What if the reason for my travels was to "reconnect with my community"? I think this would be an interesting way to travel — as long as you're focused on why you're doing it in the first place, of course.
This objective is not always easy to find or answer. One thing that could really help is something called a " traveler's notebook ". A traveler's notebook basically records all of your experiences and thoughts while you are traveling and can be used as an inspiration in your next trip.
What's a travelers notebook? A traveler's notebook is a small, personal journal where you can jot down your thoughts and memories as you travel. It helps with gaining inspiration for your next destination, so that the trip turns out even better than last time. You can write memories from the trip about good times or what it was like to be there; maybe even how similar or different it was from home, etc. I've always found this to be very helpful when traveling because it helps me remember the places I visited and what made them so special (or not).
It's best to start a travelers notebook before your adventure so you have already filled up most of its pages when you go on your trip. This will keep you motivated because you'll have something to write down before you even go, or at least jot down ideas for your next trip. Then when you get back, it's already in your journal and right there waiting for those great memories to be written!
After I wrote my first travelers notebook , I was inspired and renewed my motivation to keep it up while traveling. Writing things down is another way of not wanting to leave the places you visit; it helps with the feeling of loss that sometimes comes with leaving a place behind. The idea for this idea came from reading an article on Lifehacker about how journaling helps increase motivation .
Traveler's notebooks are really just like journals but they are smaller and less intimidating. They're also easier to carry around and serve as a notepad of sorts for writing down things more quickly than if you were using a regular notebook or journal. I personally prefer leather because it looks nice and is durable.
If you're still having trouble finding your purpose, there are other ways to discover what inspires you such as visiting local museums, science centers, or maybe even attending classes in your area. Whatever it is, you need to find something that inspires you to keep moving forward and helps you find your motivation.
A great way to know what inspires you and why it inspires you is by talking to people around you who know how to do what it is that interests you. For example, if I wanted to learn about my community, meeting with community leaders or people who are known for being charitable in their town would help me figure out what "my purpose" would be.
Of course, there are going to be days when motivation simply evades us and we can't seem to find the inspiration we are looking for. But we can't start to have these types of days when we are on our adventures, because they are supposed to be a positive and rewarding experience. If motivation is lacking, I recommend trying out a travelers notebook to help you find your inspiration.
So what's YOUR purpose? What inspires you and why? Share it with us in the comments section below! Or better yet, tell us about your travel experiences!
Passionate is an understatement when it comes to life; for me, it's everything: the air I breathe, the food that I eat--it even defines my purpose for living. It's so easy for me to get lost in my passion that sometimes it becomes difficult to find focus or balance in my daily life. But with a purpose, life can be more than just something to survive but something that you would never want to live without.
When I was younger, I used to constantly imagine and dream of what my life could be like. Now that I've lived out many of those dreams and adventures, I'm even more passionate about the future as well as the possibilities it holds.
I recently read an article on Huffington Post about Jamie Oliver , which said " For a chance at change , one must be terrifyingly passionate ". At first, this sounded like something that merely applied to sports or music but it also applies equally well to everything in life: your work, your relationships, where you live...even why you are alive.
It's easy to get lost in the trivial or mundane tasks of life because sometimes they are just what keeps us going. But if we don't have a purpose, we start to lose sight of what is important and it is only by constantly reminding ourselves what life is supposed to be about that we can keep our passion alive and take action.
If you're stuck in a rut or don't know what your purpose is, here are ways that inspire me:
1) Have goals and plans for your life — without goals and plans, there's no way of knowing where you're going. In fact, without knowing the destination of your journey, there would be no sense of purpose in driving anywhere at all.
Conclusion There are endless ways that you can discover your purpose. There is no wrong or right way to find out what inspires you in life but as long as you keep moving forward towards something, you will never be disappointed. I personally believe that when we constantly remind ourselves of why we are living, it's easier to face certain challenges or the hardships of life and then overcome them. So whatever your purpose is, hold onto it and don't let go!
I've always been a person who thrives on action, or rather, what they call "taking the bull by its horns" — but maybe this isn't as amazing an idea as I originally thought.