What If...it really isn't knowledge that makes us grow?
A significant driver in our development is what causes us to learn, to grow.
For a long time, we probably assume that driver is the knowledge we need. But, what it is that creates and fosters the desire for that knowledge, that may be even more important?
When we are motivated, a lot of things happen. So, a question might be, what catalyzes our motivation?
It seems easy to observe that whatever it is that creates our attention to something is what motivates us. Many times, for example, pain in our lives gets our attention and that attention becomes our motivation to get rid of the pain.
In a previous post, I mentioned a recent circumstance in our son's life. I watched him have to increasingly engage in what he needed to do because of what he wanted (to get out of the hospital). It was a familiar phenomenon; years ago pain from kidney stones got my undivided attention, too. Pain in my knees led me to surgery. Other kinds of pain, like that from lost jobs and relationships pushed me into new depths of self-awareness. I think pain often works like this for many people
Another example of where desire creates our attention might be when we fall in love. There is someone who captures our imagination in a way that we give our undivided attention to them. We are motivated to focus on what it takes to participate in that love.
So, it seems that more often than not, motivation comes from something that we desire — something we want to get out of or away from, something that we desire to move towards. When these dynamics are in play, we appear to be motivated. And, it is when we are motivated that we expend effort, energy, and intention to secure what we desire.
And, it is the combination of these forces, that create the context for our growth. In other words, if you want something bad enough, you often begin to do things towards that end which actually have another affect, what we gain because we apply ourselves.
When we are in a position to look back on portions of our lives, we often remember the circumstances that got our attention, that catalyzed our activity, and that we grew from.
I pray for myself, and what I am paying attention to, to the things that are asking for my attention — like places of pain, places of love, etc.
This week, I pray for son, Conner, as he reflects on what happened and anticipates what is yet coming (brain surgery on Monday). May he not only survive it (God, I pray he does...), but also grow from it (in whatever form time allows for that to occur).
