Help finding motivation.
I am Patrick and I am currently 19 years old. For most of my life I have wanted nothing more than to join the military and for most of that time I have aspired to be a Navy SEAL. I know the route I will have to follow to get where I need to go but the hardest thing in my life currently is finding the motivation to do anything. I played football and wrestled all throughout high school and (to be honest) just went with the flow so no motivation was really given and wound up as a starter for both sports I would have to say do to "natural talent" I guess. Help me figure out what I could do to find that inner motivation. This topic might be dumb but I'm interested in hearing what others have to say about this. Please give your full advice and do not hold back what you really think.
Maybe a little bit of advice
Hello Patrick,
I don't know if I can give you the right advice but you say that you want to become a navy seal. Why? Ask yourself why you want to and all the reasons why not. Or maybe you can write down want you want to achieve in your life. Let's say that you decide that you want to become a navy seal. Then write down all the things you have to do to become a seal ( in detail). After you have done that ask yourself again is this really want I want. If the answer is yes then just go fot it, no matter what!
When you are 19 years old it can be very difficult to decide want you want to do with the rest of your life. You have to make some decisions about college, jobs, finding a partner, your (probably) first house, living on your own... but quess what some of those questions come back to you when you 30, 40 of 60 years old ( the only difference then is that you already have faced them before).
I think you should start to ask yourself (and be honest, you are not weak if you decide not to become a navy seal) what's really important for you as a person. For example I like others to be proud of me, I like to help others, I like to work on my own, I like to meet different people or I feel better when I face the same people everyday. Do I want to work only at daytime or is it ok to work at night and weekends. Do I like to works with my hands or do I like to think more (or both). Find out if it's no problem to move to the other side of the country or the other side of the world. How close are you to your family and friends.
So Patrick, I hope all of this can help you to find your inner motivation.
Wish you all the best and hope to hear from you soon!
Francoise
Thanks Patrick for being brave
I really admire your reaching out Patrick. It's not an easy thing to do. I like that you are seeking out advice and support. I truly believe that Francoise has given you a ton of great stuff to think about here. First, I recommend reading Mack's book Unleash the Warrior Within. Use the tools inside such as the Carver Matrix and really be honest with yourself on what you truly want and on what is most important to you. At 19 it is very tough to really think about what you want to do in this life - but for right now if becoming a SEAL is truly what you want more than anything You can do it - But it will not come easy nor without a ton of prepearation and drive. Surely you know the statistics of how many make it through the training. You get this will be the most difficult thing you have ever done up until this point most likely, However it is doable if you refuse to quit no matter what! Give us some feedback. Best Wishes to you and thanks again for reaching out Patrick.
MandyMack
Seriously Appreciated
I am very greatful for both of your guyses input. Thank you kindly for not giving me the typical blog response of "Go f*** yourself, you suck at life." This is what I have dreamed of doing since I was a little kid and now I have been researching the heck out of this job and talking to not only recruiters, but also people who have served in the "basic" navy and friends who where in special forces and worked on the SEAL teams so I have put hours upon hours if not days of thought about what I will experience if I were to go through with this. I am 100% sure that this is what I want to do but for some reason its just increadibly challenging to stay motivated to a routine when, to be honest, I'm just not a very motivated person. Once again guys thank you for your input. I am very appreciative.
-Let Freedom Ring-
Truth
Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right.
Justin
Great Question
You might want to consider also whether the difficulty staying motivated is because of a deep fear. Sometimes just being afraid of going after a dream and the possibility of failure can undermine motvation. Especially if you worry about how you will feel about yourself or what others will think of you if you don't succeed. If thats the issue just recognizing it makes a big difference to moving past it. If its an all around general difficulty staying motivated, that can honestly be a function of your age! It can also be that you are a person who is motivated by external forces rather than inward forces. Take some time to consider what motivates you most, the external pressures or pressures from inside yourself. That can tell you a lot. Internal drive is better in some aspects because it keeps you going without having to depend on outside forces, however its also true that most of do a whole lot because we know there are people depending on us or consequences around us that won't be happy if we don't! Lol. Depression can also undermine motivation for things you would normally be driven to acheive so if its not an tendency you've always had, then you might want to get screened for a medical issue. Regardless, if its your dream, don't let it go, because you don't want to wake up someday truly regretting that you didn't go for it. Best Wishes for you, Deb
Deborah Roberts