by Joe Shoup

Created on: May 26, 2009   Last Updated: May 30, 2009

Staying motivated....it is the "Big Daddy" guilt trip of all guilt trips students usually beat themselves up with regarding further education. The doubt, fear, and mostly lack of desire inevitably come into play during the journey going back to school. Whether it happened to be a bad day of work that leads to just not feeling like going to class, or illness, depression, kids, spouse, or just simply growing weary and bogged down by the grind of continuing on towards that goal of a Degree or Diploma, staying motivated was essentially the key to reaching that place I wanted to be.

While it sound simple enough, there are steps that can be taken to avoid the pitfall of lacking motivation. As I experienced myself as a 39 year old student going back to High School for my Diploma, The biggest key was to simply recognize when I felt this way. That seems so elementary, but plenty of times I found that I was lost in the "internal dialogue " of my mind. I often times found myself making excuses for taking a day off. Such thoughts as " I have been doing this for 3 months straight, I deserve a day off" or, " This subject is easy, I don't need to apply myself as hard" were trappings that I created within myself. However, I found that just dragging my butt out the door was the biggest hurdle to overcome. 99 out of 100 times, just getting to school was what got me over the hump. For once I got to class it was much easier, no matter what kind of mood I was in, to engage in my work. I will venture to say, such will be the same for you.

More profoundly, I discovered along the way just why it was so important for me to go to class everyday. Or essentially, kept in focus exactly why I decided to go back to school in the first place. There was a myriad of reasons, but most importantly, I wanted it. The sense of accomplishment. The paper in a frame with my name on it that read "High School Graduate."

Bringing that realization into focus everyday that I stepped foot out the door after a long day of work was the biggest motivator in the world for me. I began to visualize what I would look like in my cap and gown. I pictured my Diploma on my wall in my house. I anticipated filling out future job applications and being able to write on them that, yes, I completed and graduated high school. Can you see yourself here as well?

One of the biggest "rewards" for me was anticipating my Father being able to watch me graduate. He signed me out of school when I was 16 years old, and I not only robbed myself of a complete education, I robbed my Dad of seeing me accomplish it. Your goals and reasons may be different, but I'm sure just as important.

Motivation, or staying motivated, really and most importantly comes down to how badly you want it. This is true not only for an education, but for anything in life as well. Visualization and awareness of why you are doing what you are doing, not just everyday but every moment, is the key to staying motivated while going to school. If you can figure out why you want it, you can certainly figure out how, if you stay with the reasons for your actions.

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