This week, I returned to the office, back to mentoring apprentices who want to learn software development as a career change. I love my job in that…
- No two days are the same.
- No two groups of apprentices are the same.
- Each group presents a different set of challenges for me to figure out and conquer.
- I get to help people who want to learn and watch them grow in this adventure.
One of the toughest parts that I see is that they get overwhelmed while writing code that they sometimes feel lost about who they are or where they are going. That’s when I ask the important question of…
What’s Your Motivation?
I love asking this question and watching the gears turn. For me, I have a constant reminder of my motivation – the background on my laptop is a picture of my family – my husband and me and our little geeklings. I wake up every morning not only to be the best me I can be for myself, but I want to be the best wife and Mom that I can be, the best role model that I can be, the best partner-in-crime that I can be. When I’m in a funk at work, I look at my background and my spirits perk up.
Something else that helps me – especially when my husband or I are on the road – is Skyping with my family. Since modern technology allows us to video chat very easily, we make good use of it when needed. While phone calls work in hearing each other, there’s something to be said about seeing each other.
When I know the day is purely hectic and that I’m away on travel, I make either “good morning” or “good night” videos for my family. That way they know that even though my schedule is chaotic, I’m still thinking of them.
So my question to you… what’s your motivation? What do you do when you feel like you’re losing steam? How do you stay in touch with your source(s) of motivation?