I’d like to talk a little bit about motivation and adult life, two things that no doubt, have been problematic for me.
It’s not that I’m lazy or I don’t care about anything, I never really wanted like motivated people want.
I have, however been more motivated and driven in the past 2 or 3 months.
And I’m no longer comfortable wasting away my days, it’s quite annoying really, the days where I was comfortable wasting away were some of the best I ever had.
I feel the drive to do something, anything, Anything I can be proud of having done, write a book, all but master a musical instrument (like the cello, I’m a ways off that) I don’t know. Do … something.
So, adult life is described pretty damn well by one of my favorite people. John Green:
And motivation, well this was something that really helped me, because honestly, before watching and listening to this, I don’t think I even understood motivation.
So I don’t know what I’m going to do with my life, I just hope it won’t be spent in this uncomfortable state of being half motivated, enough motivated to care that you’re not doing anything, but not enough to actually do what you want to do.
It’s pathetic really. I really hope that if I decide I want to become a world famous guy who sings a cappella polka songs I’ll be a world-famous a ceppella polka singer.
Now is the time not only for optimism, but action. I’ll move towards something, even if I’m hobbling and I have no idea what it is I’m trying to reach
In all honesty I think it’s pretty hard to be motivated as a teenager in the current global situation. The average teen can’t get a house without massive debt, if they can get a house at all; the job market is shrinking and our minimum wage is half the wage of a 21 year old; and even university drives us into massive debt that we’ll be repaying for the rest of our lives.
Then you look at the ones who have made no effort with their lives – the drug addicts, the stereotypical teenage parent, the criminals – they get priority on the housing list, they get free money that they never have to pay back, they get a free bus pass (at least in Edinburgh) and they can rest easy knowing that they earn a decent wage without having to lift a finger just because they fucked up in life.
So where’s the motivation to not be a fuck up? The only thing that’s kept me on the straight and narrow – working for every penny I’ve earned, juggling university with work so I can give my parents a bit of money for supporting me – is pride. Life right now is destroying my body and mind, my wages are so terrible that it’s barely even worth working and I struggle to concentrate at university because 10-12 hour shifts until 9pm the night before makes it pretty difficult to be alert at 9am. But at the end of the day I’m content because I still have my pride.
I don’t know what the benefits are like in Scotland, but they sound really cushey and that’s coming from an English person and our benefit and wellfare society is sort of world renowned. I would say that drug addicts and the unemployed here are looked after so far as they can still get medical attention and not starve to death.
Just trying to lead a financially comfortable life is really damn tricky. And in all honesty, I think you’re right, there’s not a whole lot of incentive to try leading a financially secure, independant life.