Motivation - what the children refugees can teach us about motivation

I see the news reporting the illegal crossing of so many children crossing the Mexican border to the U.S. and it can be sad to see these children alone. Some as young as 7 years old. No food. No money. No shelter. And the saddest is to hear the reports of border border patrol guards finding many dead children in the deserts. But they have a dream - a better life in the U.S. and they want it!

I started to wonder what motivates them to "cross the border". Some "hope" to be adopted. Some already have family in the U.S. But they did not allow fear or even the thought of death to stop them.

But I don't want to discuss the political storm this is creating.

I just want to talk about what motivates them. I recently watched a documentary film that followed 3 young teenage boys traveling from Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico. Their goal - the U.S. They hopped on trains and rode on top of freight cars. Very scary when they actually faced the fear of death...and that didn't stop them. Some were raped. Some were robbed and beaten by Mexican smugglers. There were charity houses along the way that provided some food and shelter. The Mexican officials have a law against riding the trains, but there are thousands every day and it is hard for them to actually enforce this law.

These boys had no hope of a better life in their countries. No jobs. No education. One of these boys did not even know how to read or write - he was 13. They asked for his fingerprints when signing deportation documents.

None of these young men actually made it to the U.S. But they were motivated.

We all know motivation makes the world go around. Motivation is the force behind every action. The the point is that almost every single thing in this earth is ultimately the reflection of somebody's passion, drive and determination.

Finding motivation in our lives requires us focus on success and envision being successful in the future. Whenever you lose motivation, cling on to your goal and use it to drive you forward. These young boys had a goal - and nothing was going to stop them.

Do you sometimes struggle with motivation?

Take a look at the different aspects of your situation and answer these questions. See how this motivated these young boys.

What is your long term goal? These young boys wanted passage to the U.S.
Why did you make this goal? They had nothing at home.
Why is this goal important to you? They wanted to improve their life circumstances.
This simple exercise should give you a good idea where you are and where you need to be. It should help alleviate some of your stress and give you a starting platform to rebuild your motivation.

Motivation is that spark that allows you to accomplish your biggest goals and realize your greatest dreams. Your mind works best and is able to recharge itself to the fastest, if it knows where, what, how and why it's doing something. Try to plan so that your mind can make the right connections and help you remove the obstacles in your path: invigorating your motivation.

A little motivation - the spark. Motivation is that spark that allows you to accomplish your biggest goals and realize your greatest dreams. And only you can bring it out.

Judy D'Angelo RN MSN ANP

Wilson Shepard Education Associates