It’s official reality has hit. We are moved in and settled back at school. Class work has begun, homework is already beginning to bury us, and pretty soon we will have to think about adding extracurricular activities onto our schedules.

Although we are settled in that does not mean we are ready, especially first years. Earlier in our academic careers most of us had some kind of outside motivation, but now it is time to step it up and learn to be self-motivated. External motivators are no longer as influential, we don’t get grounded for a bad report card, no one has to sign our failed exams, and there is no prom to stop you from attending due to academics.

I know you all know this and have to be self-motivated to be here but I’d just like to remind you how valuable of a skill it is not only in your academic life, but social, financial, and personal.

College is all about starting your life, becoming responsible for yourself, determining the type of life style you want to live, and developing into the person you want to be.

All of these developments involve making life changes. You need to be your only motivation to make these life changes. Don’t let any outside influence motivate you more than you can motivate yourself. From here on out you need to do things for you, not for anyone else -- including your parents.

It is time to start living your life. If you don’t start now who knows how you will figure out who you are, what you want, and where you want to go from here. Don’t worry too much about what everyone else thinks.

Being self-motivated is being driven, ready to learn and grow and a person. It is more than a skill you need to hone; it is a state of mind you need to put yourself in. Not everyone is as driven as everyone else, but those who are driven are those that make it places sooner and know where they want to go.

If you can’t figure out why you just can’t find the time to do all your homework on time, why you can’t stick to a healthy diet, or get yourself to the gym to get in shape, then you need to get yourself into a better state of mind to be motivated. Okay I know that sounds so easy. Yea right it sounds impossible. But trust me it is not. You just need to step back and prioritize.

Remember the big picture; you want a career; you want to be financially stable. So every time you decide how to do your time remember these things and choose to do the thing that will get you there at least twice before you choose to do something else. Your motivation is the big picture and the limit. Once you do two responsible things you can do one irresponsible thing. The balance and the idea that you are actually taking steps toward your future is your motivation. You just need to remind yourself, but for now I hope my reminder helps you find your motivation again now that reality has hit and the semester has begun.