Question: A lot of motivation is like a wave passing by. It's a 'let's do this' kind of wave. And you have the option of catching it or letting it go by. When you do this and sort of 'swim with the waves' you are motivated by the waves. Some days I just float and feel the waves going by me. Sometimes there are so many waves at once, that the waters seem 'choppy'. Other days, there are just no waves, no matter how much I want to move. Most people are like this, but they most of those have the regular, stabilizing force of having some kind of externally imposed regularity to keep them going. Usually this sort of thing is a motivation by a negative outcome sort of situation. "If you don't do this, something bad will happen" as opposed to "If you do this, something wonderful will happen". Healthy people who 'work' (in the traditional sense) have found a comfortable balance between those two propositions. Work and play. It has been said 'All work and no play make Jack a dull boy' but what does 'all play and no work' make Jack? One might be inclined to say 'happy' or 'interesting'. But perhaps all play and no work is just the opposite extreme, and therefore as pathological as the extreme of all work and no play. It seems like the best way is in the middle. But if the middle keeps changing around, or at least one's own sense of it, what is one to do?
Answer: I guess you have to become a surfer. In other words, you have chosen a very challenging game. That not only does your landscape constantly change, but so does your sense of it, your relation to it. In this sort of situation all your faculties are challenged and you might have to take yourself out of the regular 'game' of those whose senses are not so challenged in order to have time, but also space in which to regroup from the very challenging environment you've found yourself in. And so, here you are. But if these faculties are so challenged, and if you accept that challenge, so are they exercised. This can be tiring, this can be invigorating, this can be painful, this can be wonderful. You may have to go through a lot of suffering in order to truly know and master yourself. And there may be many forces against you along th eway. But if you think about it, you'll see that there is something deep inside of you that is heroic and strong and courageous and feels 'up to the challenge' and, above all, very curious about what you are made of. So, if that's the case, do not be afraid to find out these things! And welcome the difficulties you face. Be grateful for your 'home base' and maintain it! You find yourself, whether rain or shine, in the midst of a grand and mysterious and very rich experience. And since it is so rich, it is magnified and therefore magnificent. This might put you outside the realm of the 'regulars' who may not relate to such a magnification of experience, and you might face loneliness, even madness. But this is part of it. Above all, enjoy your experience. Embrace it. And accept whatever it is. Appreciate it like a hungry man tastes every bit of that cheeseburger he finally gets to eat. All of it. Every crumb.
