MOTIVATION
Blog
by Phebe Ameh, Social Justice Practicum Student, Adler University
On a cold winter morning, Alex sat at his desk, staring at the blank page on his laptop. Deadlines loomed, his dreams felt distant, and his energy was gone. He whispered to himself, “Maybe I’m just not cut out for this.”
Have you ever felt that way? That sinking moment when your goals seem too big, too heavy, or too far away? Alex did, and his story shows us something powerful about motivation.
The Spark of Motivation
Psychologists say motivation is the invisible force that pushes us to act (Ryan & Deci, 2000). But for Alex, it felt like his flame had gone out. He remembered how he started this journey months ago full of excitement, determined to build a career he loved. Back then, his “why” was clear. Now, buried under stress, fear of failure, and the endless trap of “I’ll start tomorrow,” he couldn’t feel that fire anymore.
That’s the thing about motivation: it flickers. Some days it burns bright; other days it’s just a weak glow.
Learning to Tend the Fire
Alex didn’t give up, though. One evening, he called his older sister, Maria, and admitted, “I feel like a fraud. I keep comparing myself to others, and it’s killing me. I can’t seem to move forward.”
Maria smiled through the phone: “Listen, motivation isn’t magic. It’s like a fire. If you wait for it to burn on its own, it’ll go out. But if you feed it small sticks and a little air, it grows.”
That night, Alex wrote down three things:
- One small step he could take the next day (not ten, just one).
- The reason he started, his “why”.
- A reminder that progress matters more than perfection.
The Small Wins
The next morning, instead of promising himself that he would finish the whole project, Alex decided just to write one paragraph. That’s it.
When he finished, it wasn’t perfect, it was progress. And that little win gave him energy and encouragement. Day by day, Alex kept building. Some days he wrote a page, some days a sentence, but the fire grew. Slowly, he stopped comparing himself to others and started comparing himself to who he was yesterday.
Motivation, he realized, wasn’t about giant leaps. It was about feeding the flame one choice at a time.
What Alex Learned (and What We Can Too)
- Break it down: Big goals feel heavy, but small steps build momentum.
- Remember your “why”: It’s the fuel that keeps you going on the hardest days.
- Celebrate small wins: Each one is proof you’re moving forward.
- Motivation is daily: Like tending a fire, it needs attention, not perfection.
The Final Note
Weeks later, Alex looked back at the once-blank page. Now it was filled with paragraphs, ideas, and progress. He smiled.
The fire inside him wasn’t gone, what it needed was tending.
And maybe that’s the reminder we all need: motivation isn’t about waiting for the perfect spark. It’s about feeding the flame we already carry.
As Zig Ziglar once said:
“People often say motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing—that’s why we recommend it daily.”
So go feed your flame one small step at a time.
Takeaway: Motivation isn’t about sudden bursts of inspiration—it’s about steady, small actions that keep your inner fire alive.
