Xandine.

Obligation kills motivation. I know I seem a bit ominous here, but hear this through.  So often am I motivated to take action on my own, only for that inspiration to be shattered the moment I’m told the task is obligatory.  For instance, often I would be bothered enough by the dishes after dinner to do them out of my own accord, but the moment I’m TOLD to wash them, I almost instantly lose my motivation. In fact, I’ve not been cleaning my room for years, simply because I keep being told to git’r’done.  I lose the inspiration the moment I’m told it’s a necessity.

I find the same issue with schoolwork as well, I’m sure you understand. You might have a million ideas to write about but the moment you’re told you must write for an assignment, that inspiration gets crushed. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that the obligation of the assignment can kill your inspiration to learn almost as efficiently as Raid Kills Bugs. Fast. All advertising aside though, I have actually experienced this effect. I can’t tell you how often I’ve taken a class and almost immediately lost my interest in the subjects at hand.

Now many people may argue that the lack of motivation towards the subject can be attributed to the quality of the teacher, and maybe for some that’s true. In this case, however, we have to go deeper.  I’ve had some magnanimous teachers, teaching me courses that I was more than eager to learn.  Furthermore, I’ve written countless reports, taken notes, and even done my own research on the Topics! Yet the moment I was told I was to do the very same process for marks, I lost all motivation. I simply couldn’t be bothered with any of the work.  In fact, I’d say that if I were never threatened with marks during school, I probably would have passed every course I took.

This issue shows up everywhere in life. Perhaps you noticed that we were lacking and article for Star Search in last year’s paper? Oops… Yeah, that was my fault. I had placed this ominous obligation over my head to cover Star Search, and as a result, I simply couldn’t convince myself to write a single word on the event. 

In truth, the only reason you’re reading this right now, the only reason I was able to put fingertips to keystrokes his year, is because I’ve realized one simple fact:Nothing in life is an Obligation.  That’s right, nothing. There are a few things that are highly recommended, such as getting a proper education and, later in life, paying the Mortgage. Yet at the end of the line, the things you were obligated to mean nothing, and thus, there is no obligation.  Obligation is something we do to ourselves, it’s purely psychological. 

So next time you’re given a big assignment, step back convince yourself that youWANT to do it. Tell yourself that the marks don’t matter, and that it doesn’t have to be worth 100%. Just make sure that when you start it, you make it worth your time. All in all, have fun with what you’re learning, because in a few years’ time you’ll be looking out at a world full to the brim with “obligations” and no one wants to be stuck in a rut because they’ve lost their motivation to bring about their inspirations.