Drive.
Thursday, February 17, 2011 at 2:13PM “To believe in yourself and to follow your dreams, to have goals in life and a drive to succeed, and to surround yourself with the things and the people that make you happy - this is success!” {Sasha Azevedo}
Today, I ask you.... What Drives You?
No, I'm not talking about the car you drive :) Your motivation? Your inner strength? Your reasons?
Whether by choice, or by fete or by luck, I'm surrounded by some pretty amazing, 'driven' people. People who work hard. People who have BIG dreams....and chase them. People who make a difference. People who care. People who make changes to 'be better'. People who achieve. People who prove they can do it!
And lately, whilst I surf the bloggy world & read some pretty inspirational stories & posts.....I've been thinking about motivation and what it is that drives each & every one of us.
I've recently received a few emails & comments, saying "Claire, how do you do it all?" And the answer is.... I don't. And I honestly don't know anyone who does DO it all.....and all perfectly! Like a lot of other women, yes, I do a lot. I juggle a hell of a lot of balls & I wear goodness-knows how many hats. But where I may be shining in one area....I'm probably lacking in another. On days when my work is up to date, I've blogged, I've played, baked & crafted with Ella, dinner is cooked & served & cleaned up all before 6pm and I've fit in a trip to the grocery store, post office & ballet lessons......is the same day where the housework maybe neglected or yesterday's washing is still hanging on the washing line getting rained on, or I hear the bin-truck driving off up the street & I haven't put the bin out for the 2nd week in a row! And vice-versa....on the days I clean & work & change bedding, my blog is neglected or my emails build up out of control, or I'm filled with guilt for not playing with Ella enough, or my started-projects are left gathering dust. And whilst I try to manage my time.....I blog instead of watching TV, I drink coffee instead of sleeping :) and I teach part-time instead of full-time so I can still have set days a week to just be MUM! You get my gist....we all just choose which areas need to be focussed on each day and our priorities & then we rely on whatever is driving us that day.
What drives me? Hmmmm......several things I guess!! And it all depends on what I'm trying to set out to do that day, to which 'drive factor' I'll draw upon! My main driving force is LIFE! I love life! And I want to make the most of this life of mine. I don't want to look back in 50 years time with regrets. Regrets that I didn't have a go, that I didn't love enough, that I didn't make more effort, that I didn't follow that dream!
So....I work to provide money for my family, so we can have a good life full of great adventures & opportunities. But, I also stay home part-time, so I can be a Mother. I'm a business owner, because I want control & I need a creative outlet. I dance because I need to have "ME" time & I need to express myself. I eat way too much chocolate....coz it tastes so damn good. I love BIG, because at the end of the day.....all that matters is PEOPLE! I'm driven to be good....to be better.....to do lots.....coz I'm a MUMMA....I'm a role-model and I want to show Ella that there's a big beautiful world out there & we're only given one chance to experience it! I'm driven by inspiration! Inspiration from quotes {hence my positive quote prints!}, and writers & artists & real-life stories of miracles & human spirit.
From the Mary Oliver poem which I studied in High School English {The Summer Day} "Tell me, what is it you plan to do, With your one wild and precious life?" Wow...just stop & think hard about that closing line of the poem!!!
THAT DRIVES ME!
So, again, I ask you {please leave a comment below or shoot me an email} What drives you? What's driving you today? Yesterday? Tomorrow?
top image from here
balance, blog, drive, driven, inspire, life, mary oliver, motivate, quote in {Inspiration}, {Real Life}
Reader Comments (7)
totally with you on that claire..
you only have one life and man i'm determined to do all the things i can before it goes..
and yes.. sometimes some areas suffer while i focus on others and that is something i am trying to figure out..
i wrote about it today on my blog..
so in a round about way my driving force is {to use this life the best way i know how}.. my motto: live the life you love.. love the life you live... thats the question i ask myself now when i am not sure whether my focus is in the right area.. when i'm unsure of the answer i look back further and analyse the {balance} and make sure nothing that is important to me is suffering.. family - my business - me..
xx
Mostly I feel more dragged than driven, to be honest. Right now, life is something I'm just living, not grabbing and making it my own.
My plan for this year is to surround myself with positives and inspiration :)
Claire you must be a mind reader! Fabulous post, I was thinking of doing one like this myself this morning.
Always an inspiration xo
So love this - it is honest, inspiring, motivating and just what women need a reminder of. Especially those who are mum's at home. Going to share this on my facebook page. What drives me is wanting to be better, wanting to be happier and wanting to provide a great life for my cherubs. I believe I am here on Earth to learn and grow and use the gifts and talents to bless the lives of others and I am trying to do that the best I can. Naomi x
Beautiful blog Claire ;o) Sometimes I find myself waiting.... just simply waiting... waiting until the kids are older....waiting until we have more free time to go on adventures.....waiting for a balance between money and bills, spending and saving. The problem with waiting is that while you are waiting life keeps moving forward and while you are standing by and waiting there is so much living to be done and that CAN be done. There will only ever be one Feb 17th 2011 and each day that follows there will only ever be one chance one day just like that one and there is no going back in life there are no dress rehearsals. I guess what I am trying to say is we can't live for tomorrow when we still have the gift of today....I guess that's why it's called the "present" as it really is a gift. With each passing day my children get older I will never get these days back I will never get these ages back they will grow and chance and mature and what drives me is to make the most of every moment with them at this time on this day. Not every day has to be an over the top adventure but we can find beauty and wonder and adventure in the little things and find when we are waiting for tomorrow but living for today we will have more moments that take our breath away as we are not holding our breath to see what will come next. My children drive me to be strong, to be a good role model to constantly work on myself to be the best I can be for them. My family matters most and everything I do day in and out I do for them and while I am driving forward they are the gas that keeps me going.
Excellent writing, sharing and stimulating questions. I think the KEY is to keep a clear idea of what DRIVES you, what is MOST important to YOU, to redirect your energy to these areas and keep believing and improving when you feel, or are told that you are NOT performing/living up to OR in line with your LIFE wishes.
Cheers, Carpe Diem!
Fabulous photos! Lovely blog! Glad I found it via Ashley Sisk's blog :) I will most certainly be back to learn a little more about you!
~Angel www.livinginaperrytale.com