Have you found your answer to this question?

I am an avid traveler and I consider myself blessed that I have been able to travel to several countries especially in the last 10 years. Other than leisure and taking a break from busy schedules, travel gives me an opportunity to pursue my interests of travel photography, and to meet & interact with people from diverse cultural backgrounds and with diverse perspectives.

During one such recent leisure trip of mine, I happened to interact with an elderly but vibrant lady who also happened to be a mountain hiker. She was one of my co-passengers in a train to one of the mountain bases from where one could either hike up to the mountains or take a gondola (cable car) to the top for beautiful views and photography. Obviously i was there to take the gondola as i am not a hiker however this lady was all geared up in her hiking shoes, stick and the entire gear with all the essentials to support her for her hike. She looked frail however there was a beautiful gleam in her eyes and a child-like enthusiasm in her tone of voice. I was curious to have a short interaction with her to find out what she was upto. Upon asking her she mentioned that she was from US Colorado and was here with her nephew and other bunch of kids for hiking. She seemed to be mountain hiking for years. I curiously asked her about the hike that was most memorable for her, to which she immediately quipped stating that its mount Kilimanjaro in Africa (over 5700 meters above sea level) which was the highest summit she has ever climbed in her lifetime. She also said that the one that she was now heading for was much smaller but she was looking forward to it. She added how much she loved the Himalayas and found it to be most fascinating and challenging ranges to climb. Wow ! I was speechless as well as inspired. This mountain in Switzerland which she was about to hike was way smaller (about 2500 meters above sea level) however her enthusiasm was no less. Before i could ask her another question our train arrived at the station where she wanted to disembark to start her hiking journey.

This left me with a question about what is it that keeps people motivated? What makes people take up things/activities and successfully complete them?

Is it scaling newer heights each time or is it just to keep moving forward consistently?

Is it the experience of the journey or the sense of achievement after reaching the milestone?

Is it the appreciation and accolades that one would receive after achieving the milestone?

In my limited knowledge our core values play a vital role in defining our motivators. Each of us have different motivators and knowing what really motivates us would be the 1st step towards experiencing true sense of direction in life. Our motivators may keep shifting from time to time depending on our immediate environment and may evolve based on our experiences. However having knowledge of one's motivators is extremely important.

My mentor once said "no one is lazy, its just the intensity in one's dreams/ motivation that is dim". Remember, its not your alarm clock that gets you off your bed every morning, its your internal motivation (once you know what it is) that gets you off it and get going.

A mentor or a coach can assist you navigate through some of these intrinsic questions and tap into your value system and motivation through reflective inquiry that expands one's thinking and beliefs.

Go ahead and talk to your mentor/ coach on your motivators and take a step closer to leading a more meaningful life.

Feel free to comment with your thoughts or DM me.

Best Regards,

Monica Arora

Independent HR Consultant, Mentor and Performance Coach