As spring comes upon us, the campus is blooming with a sense of fresh starts and renewed spirits. Students feel inspired to study on Bascom Hill, and pursue new causes on campus and in the community.

Meanwhile, students face challenges at school, work and in personal lives, which seem to set them up for failure. Therefore, it is important for students to ask themselves how to stay motivated and inspire motivation in others through it all.

There are three attributes that are essential in fostering a sense of motivation on a daily basis: failing up, risk taking and pursuing value with passion, planning and vision.

Failing up

What separates those who are successful from those who are not is the ability to overcome adversity with incredible resilience. When others say, “you have failed and you cannot accomplish this,” we must continue with stronger fervor and perseverance. We must maintain an optimistic mindset and show what we are capable of accomplishing. Failures and mistakes do not indicate we have failed nor do they reflect our maximum abilities. We must never lose hope and must keep trying to achieve our goals in different ways, while learning from previous errors.

When I fail, I turn to these quotes to lift me up:

• “Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” — Winston Churchill
• “A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.” — David Brinkley
• “Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortune; but great minds rise above it.” — Washington Irving
• “Just when the caterpillar thought the world was ending, he turned into a butterfly.” — Proverb

Risk taking

The greatest minds think big and change the ways in which the world works by bringing new possibilities. The only way they achieve such great feats is through willingness to take on the largest risks for the possibility of the greatest gains. But risk taking is not something that comes naturally to most people. It is human nature to avoid risk and to fear risk taking. But it is absolutely necessary to take risks in order to expand our boundaries and achieve more.  

Risk taking is an important skill that must be practiced to truly master. We must practice courageously facing the unknown and overcoming the fear of a potentially undesirable outcome. To fully embrace risk taking, we must be assertive in pursuing projects that may fail or toward which others are not receptive. We should not wait for others’ approval if we believe the risk is worth taking, and must go for it to achieve our vision.  

These quotes help me to push the boundary:

• “If you are not willing to risk the usual you will have to settle for the ordinary.” — Jim Rohn
• “Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.” — Les Brown

• “Two roads diverged in a wood and I took the one less traveled by, and that made all the difference.” — Robert Frost

Pursuing value with passion, planning and vision

It is important to be intentional about the activities in which we become involved. Unfortunately, some people pursue leadership roles simply for the title and to satisfy esteem needs. Ideally, we should pursue voluntary activities we are passionate about and which we find personally rewarding. If we engage in projects and activities we find worthwhile, we can make a meaningful difference and leave a lasting impact.

The greatest minds and innovators did not achieve extraordinary things for the money or recognition. When they had gained more money than they could dream of, they did not stop creating and doing because they did not believe they had achieved the maximum potential of their dreams. In contrast, people who only pursue their need for recognition are not motivated to make a significant change, as they are merely chasing the concept of success. Do things you are truly passionate about, and that passion will sustain a lifetime of achievements that can make a difference for one person, for a community or for the world.

To become impassioned, try these quotes:

• “Try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value.” — Albert Einstein
• “In my experience, there is only one motivation, and that is desire. No reasons or principle contain it or stand against it.” — Jane Smiley
• “Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them.” — Denis Waitley
• “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” — Eleanor Roosevelt

Paria Sanaty Zadeh ([email protected]) is a third-year health professions student.