Having put quite a handful of time serving as a youth worker and as a gospelminister with interest in teens and young adult lives. I have interacted and I know, and I must say a great percentage of young people especially in this 21st century, be it millennials or generation Ziers are very intelligent, laden with amazing potentials, visions, goals and dreams and this I mean within and outside the church.

The big challenge I have discovered is; many of these young people sooner than expected gradually and in some cases suddenly goes cold and some absolutely let go of these things they had once believed would write their names on the sands of time. Having put careful thought and study to this, I realised there are many factors responsible for this switch or abandonment of dreams and key among many is low or lack of motivation.
Motivation is simply defined as a psychological feature that arouses one to action towards a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior. (Oxford advance learners’ dictionary). A review of key words from the definition:
Psychological: Of the mind
Arouses: Trigger, Cause to be alert
Goal: A plan intended to achieve
Direction: A course
Behavior: Action and reaction
Let’s go further from the definition above, I will like to discuss five (5) keys to living a motivated life, these are just the few among others because there is a lot that concerns motivation but if well adhered to can bring the right motivation in anyone:

1. Love: Love is termed the greatest need of man after air, water and food. It is arguably the greatest motivator. Directly or indirectly everyone does what they do for love viewed from acceptance, value and pleasure angle. Many parents would have given up at the pursuance of success in their careers but for the sake of the love for their kids, they desire that their kids do not go through hardships they went through because they love them. And most kids in reciprocation of the love for their parents are consistently motivated to keep pursuing academic success. Many young men because of the desire for acceptance and approval do a lot and keep doing. Any goal that connects to love, is a goal that triggers a lot of motivation. The scientific community says that “human attachment employs a push-pull mechanism which overcomes social distance deactivating networks used for negative emotions and critical social assessment. It also bonds individuals through reward circuitry, explaining the power of love as a source of motivation and enthusiasm.”
2. Vision: Simply defined as a vivid mental image, vision is a key motivator in all human endeavor. The ability to see the end point of an effort keeps one energised to keep pursuing. Why? Vision give clarity, direction and a sense of purpose. What keeps many students studying hard is they have a picture of the graduation day. How many students will want to remain in school if there is not a day called the graduation day? Vision of the outcome keeps anyone focused. One of the most demotivated people you meet in life is one with no clear and definite life vision.
3. Self discipline: The act of denying oneself or impulses is a vital ingredient to a motivated life. It requires self-discipline to stand against the many challenges that one faces in the pursuance of one’s vision or goals. Without self-discipline many success stories would not be worth celebrating. Many of the hallowed inventors of this world were people who kept pursuing when it was not making much sense any longer, they through pain birthed amazing things that the world is blessed today to have. A popular quote Apostle Joshua Selman says “the birth of anything valuable is painful” therefore it requires self-disciplined individual to go through that pain.
4. The right company or relationship: Humans are wired naturally to coexist, we find inspiration, encouragement and motivation from others. These can be most importantly people very close to us e.g our siblings, friends, neighbors and colleagues etc. These form the community that we need to thrive in our individual purpose. If you find yourself in a company of demotivated friends for instance, you are most likely going to be the additional one because a popular adage goes ‘show me your friend and I will tell you who you are’. The best kinds of company a man pursuing a vision needs are; people who have pursued a dream to achievement and people who are currently pursuing a vision, why? They both have experience and encouragement to share which are needed to keep motivation.
5. Purpose: The intention of the manufacturer for a product, the reason for an action, the essence of a product. Purpose always preceeds creation. Purpose determines design, purpose determines abilities or potentials that are given. Why most people live highly demotivated lives is because they are struggling to fit in into where or what they are not made to fit into. Most times these struggles to fit in are due to the ease which others carry out these actions. Myles Munroe said “The greatest tragedy in life is not death, but life without purpose”

• Hab Galadima

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