Motivation

Books have had a profound effect on my life. Viktor Frankl’s “Man’s Search for Meaning” ranks in the top ten.

Frankl was a Jewish psychiatrist who lived through the holocaust during the Second World War.

While he was in the Theresienstadt concentration camp, he found that as long as prisoners had the hope of being reunited with their loved ones, they had the determination to stay alive. Many died, though, just hours after receiving information that the reason for living – their family – had died.

One of Viktor’s motivations for pushing on from day to day was a book that he wanted to write.

As long as people have a reason to live, the fire will burn brightly in their heart. When that flame goes out, so does the will to continue life.

From this starting point, Frankl built up a practice in which his goal in treating patients was to find a significant reason for living, even if it was something as simple as feeding a budgie.

As an occasional teacher, I have a difficult task. I have to enter a classroom and find some way to motivate students. Sometimes I succeed; sometimes I don’t. It all comes down to whether I can find a reason for the class to perform well.

I have experimented with this a lot. Something as simple as putting a coloured piece of paper on their desk when they do well and taking it off when they are not on task has worked effectively. The purpose is to get as many as you can by the end of the day.

With kindergarten students, I have taken a cue from the movie “Life is Beautiful”. The father in the film awards meaningless points to his son to keep him quiet and obedient in a concentration camp. Guess what? It works for kindergarten, too. I award points for smiling, standing straight, keeping quiet and almost anything else. By giving the kids a reason for doing as I wish – earning points – they are motivated to behave well.

So what is your motivation for living? Hopefully it is something that helps you climb great mountains and hang in there when others would give up. If you lack this drive, let me know and I will start sending you points.