Motivation comes as a result of having a clearly defined goal to achieve something that you are passionate about. I meet people week in and week out here in Oxford that are thousands of miles away from home studying at the university. Oxford is world famous for turning out some really successful people, such as presidents, prime ministers and CEOs of large international companies. In fact there are probably students studying there now that will be responsible for massive changes and impacts to the world in their lifetimes. One problem that I hear of from the academics that I help in my clinic is one of a lack of motivation and plenty of procrastination.
A massive number of students that do come and see me have arrived at Oxford with no clear definition of what they want from even being there. When asked what they will do with their degree they say that they are not sure and when I ask then why they are studying they tell me that it is what their parents want. This makes me a little concerned as how can we expect motivation and passion to be there when we are trying to achieve something that is someone elses dreams and goals for us? I really detest the parental war cry...