Ticket 2 Ride

Don’t say the alarm or a trip to the bathroom. Maybe you have a job that requires a certain start time, or the kids need to get up for school. Physically, we wake up and get out of bed to do something. Mentally, the answer may be quite different.

At my annual physical last week my doctor asked the question. He knows that I’m retired, and he asked me last year, so I should have been ready this time. I thought for a moment and answered: “Taking my dog to daycare.” While that’s true, it was a disappointing answer and I realized it right away, so I immediately followed up with additional comments.

I’ve heard the question asked in different ways, usually asking about motivation. What motivates us to embrace a new day? Of course, things we must do, people who depend on us, and other responsibilities. If we do not address those things, something bad or unfortunate, will happen. Motivation takes many forms.

I did a quick search and copied a variety of answers. I looked for proactive rather than reactive motivation. Here are some examples.

• The opportunity to work with a team of talented and diverse individuals.
• To affect the lives of others inspires me.
• My passion for helping others.
• The opportunity to learn something new every day.
• My desire to be a good role model for my children.
• I have a day of enjoyment ahead of me.
• I have a job and people are counting on me.
• I wake up to see how far I can take things.
• Learning new skills, listening to new ideas and exploring new things.
• Sense of responsibility for my team gets me up in the morning.
• A motivation to change something in the local community.
• The notion that every day is a brand new day to grow.
• I get great joy building something out of nothing.

These are great, focused on personal growth or helping others. Many other online answers were the reactive type, and that’s sad, even though it’s the reality for many.

Everyone has responsibilities and obligations, that’s a given. How I interpreted the question is the same as “What’s something you look forward to?” Everyone needs something that peaks an interest, stirs excitement, makes your heart beat a bit faster, and makes you pull on the proverbial leash of life. This is not the same as having a dream; looking forward to something is a doable, a reasonable certainty.

What gets you up in the morning should be reachable, even if it is more of a journey than a destination. You can accomplish something in stages, that is an ongoing goal. What gets me out of bed is a donut on the way to work. That’s a very low hanging pastry; why not set that goal a bit higher. A chocolate eclair? Nice thought, but try again.

I’m damn lucky, my life is very good. I conveyed that to my doctor, then went home and took a nap. I wasn’t dreaming of eclairs, long johns and Bismarcks, but I did have a smile on my face.