Recently, someone asked me this question, and I had to think about it. Not because I didn’t know the answer, but because I realized that what drives me has changed a few times. I never thought about it before, and I had to reflect on what drove me to do the things I did before and how and why it changed.

We are driven by many things. One of the greatest of them is fear, if it’s not the greatest motivator of all. I can’t remember when I decided that it would not be one of mine. That doesn’t mean fear and insecurity don’t creep in. It does. What doesn’t happen is me fading into a dark corner and wishing I would disappear altogether because of it. Not usually, anyway, but I still have my moments. Everyone is a work in progress.

I know people whose only motivation is to keep going. To keep moving. I’ve recently adopted something that has helped me. It’s so simple as to be laughable, but it’s working. It’s temporary because of the circumstances surrounding me at the moment, but as long as it continues to keep me from getting overwhelmed and stalling my progress, I’m going to keep doing it. I call it my “Don’t think, just do” method. My tendency is to overthink things. I get analysis paralysis and can’t function. I have a running list in my head that reminds me of everything I haven’t achieved yet still expect myself to get done. The solution was to make a physical list, actually write it down, and then start doing them without thinking about it first. I’m not talking about complicated things that require contemplation first. I’m talking about all the things I keep reminding myself I need to do that I never get around to because I dread doing it or I don’t want to but needs to be done.

It’s a way for me to clear the mental checklist that keeps taking up space in my head and makes me feel like I’m not accomplishing anything despite feeling like I’m running so fast that my feet hurt. Once I started just doing things on the list without thinking about how I felt about it first, things started getting done. It’s weird because it’s like putting myself on autopilot, but at the end of it, I’m not so stressed out, and I can tick things off the list and pat myself on the back for the many things I managed to get done.

What’s driving me is the need to feel the accomplishment of checking things off the list, things that might have been on the list for a while. I don’t think it’s something I can maintain forever as I tend to contemplate things, but I like that it’s become a way out of analysis paralysis and helps me not to drop any of the balls I’m currently juggling in my life.

It keeps driving me forward, and now I’m thinking about what used to drive me and what will drive me in the future. When I was a kid, what kept me motivated was staying out of trouble. As I got older, it was doing well in school. Then, it was doing well in my job. Then, it was thinking about what I wanted to accomplish. Did I have the drive to achieve my dream of becoming a published author? I did. Now I’m at the point where I have several published books and have done some really cool things. What drives me now? The answer to that became, how can I help someone else? People talk about being of service to others, and I think I am finally at the point where that can be the main driver of everything I do. Not that I didn’t have it before. I have always been a person who could be depended on if someone needed something. In the past, though, drama, bills, work, and other things often took precedence as temporary drivers for one thing or another. I’m at the point where most of those things no longer come into play. I’m not suddenly independently wealthy – bills still need to be paid, but it’s not the primary focus of my attention anymore. The underlying reason for creating, moving, or changing for me now is to be of service.

Being in service to others is a noble thing, but not everyone is cut out for it, and no one is cut out for it every minute of every day. I often remind people that even God had to rest on the seventh day. What it means is taking the time to think about what is important to you, why it’s important to you, and should it be important to you. Sometimes, our priority list gets out of order. Maybe now is a good time for you to think about what drives you. What motivates you to do what you do? Is that what you want it to be? We can choose the energy we embrace that serves as the catalyst for our actions. Do you do things out of fear or out of joy and hope? Do you do things that get you closer to your goals, or are you engaging in activities that sabotage your efforts? What drives you may also determine your destination. Make sure it’s where you want to go. If not, it’s time to reconsider what drives you.