Motivation

And the importance interpersonal engagement.

Recently I've had the pleasure of being a guest on a show hosted by the Linux Community's Rocco (AKA BigDaddyLinux). I learned a lot during this experience that has not only helped motivate me, but has encouraged me to try and motivate others. While participating in this interview with Rocco, I had to set aside some of my personal conceptions that I wasn't really worth talking to, at least not in that capacity. I had to set aside my personal doubts and just sit down with an awesome guy that I consider a friend and have a chat. I'm not only incredibly grateful to Rocco for giving me the opportunity to join him, but also very glad that I ended up doing this as it's changed my view on things somewhat. I was given the chance to talk about myself and the things that interest me in a way that allows me to share it with anyone and everyone who takes the time to lend an ear or an eye. I've gotten a lot of feedback from a fairly large set of people in different sections of the community and it's been a very refreshing experience.

Why is this so important? Well, I have struggled with, and still do struggle with, motivation in many capacities. I have a lot of energy, I can be incredibly enthusiastic, and in my moments I can effect a lot of change. That's not to say it doesn't come with its downsides. In my stretches of rampant productivity and interaction, I forget to pace myself and take care of myself. This hurts me in the long run, but it's been nearly impossible for me to avoid. My excitement is always genuine, and it's not something I can just stifle. When it tapers off though, I find myself feeling very unhappy. I find myself wondering if I had done the right thing or what my next step should be. I question my judgement after the fact, though I tend to be confident in my decisions. I've received bountiful amounts of support from so many community members on various topics and activities I've saturated myself with. Even the criticisms help, because it shows me that what I'm doing isn't worthless, and it gives me a chance to improve on what I may be doing wrong. I don't consider myself a saint or saviour, but I consider myself a mouthpiece, and this means I need to be much more careful with my words and actions, and of course, I'm trying. There have been hundreds of people I've had the pleasure of talking to in the few communities I've settled into and every single one of them has been some sign off encouragement to me.

It's a bit strange for me to bring up in this light; an awkward personal spout that I've just thrown onto the page, but to me it's my way of just explaining why it means so much to me when people share things they're working on. When people are tweeting and liking and posting all the wacky things they're doing. The engagement I see in the community is something that's encouraged me to continue doing what I do, even when I'm starting to doubt myself. I'm given the opportunity to help others despite these downfalls of quickly-burned enthusiasm. People do incredible things in this community every single day and I'm grateful to be a part of it. The value of people just talking to each other, in a world where it's so easy to just ignore and avoid each other, it's immeasurable. Thank you to everyone who's encouraged me in my journey, shared or liked a post, or just taken the time to talk with me and give me feedback. I love tech, and I gravitate towards it because it's something I can understand. It's all so... logical. But along the way I've been more exposed to people in a way that has helped me develop as a person, who has learned more about caring for other people. I better appreciate human enagement because of the wonderful people I've spoken to, listened to, and watched in this community. Thank you guys.