If you know me well enough, you’re probably aware of some of the effects animals (specifically dogs) have on me; they're the reason I watch hours of cute animal videos, stop in the middle of a conversation to pet a stranger’s dog, and most importantly, they're why I'm so motivated to reach my goal of becoming a veterinarian. No matter how much stress is eating away at my vitality, spontaneously running into a little furry friend while walking around on campus never fails to make me happy.

But alas, the weather has gotten colder and my immune system is apparently a wussy. Being sick and being on my period (tough luck) have kept me indoors, depriving me of any chance to see some animals on campus. Unmotivated and extremely grumpy, I’ve been sulking in the library studying for midterms, hoping no one would come and smack me for coughing too much. But one day, I noticed a tiny scribble on the side of my desk:

“Hey, stranger! Good luck with whatever you need to get done!”

It surprisingly brought a smile to my face. I kept looking around for more and started reading what other students had scribbled on the sides of the carrel desks. And just as I had expected, some of them were pretty motivating or just simply brought a smile to my face.

“Imagine.”

“Nothing to live or die for.”

“When life gives you Lemonade, you listen to it on repeat #QueenB.”

“A world without hate
Decision stronger than fate.”
^ someone added to line one: “A world without hate would be a world without love.”

“I can’t do this anymore.”
^someone responded: “I know it’s hard but I believe in you!”

“But I’m not the only one.”

“What you can do when you put forth your full effort.”

“If you like guac but not avocados, you are Satan’s spawn.” (I guess I’m Satan’s spawn)

“Truth stands still here.”

“Make the future.”

“Don’t forget me.”

“Jocks eat Jocks.”

“If not now, when?”

“Gilmore Girls is on Netflix now, go take a break.”

“Conquer.“

“I may fall, but I’ll always get back up.”

“Literally what is IR and why am I majoring in i.t”

“Sit up straight and werk that homework.”
^someone responded: “Werk (x5), he see me do dirt (x5).”

“You’ll be okay.”

“Black lives matter.”

“I’m fortunate to have this education.”

“Vote yes on 4.”

"Brilliance happens here."

… and of course, many many drawings of penises.

While you may wonder if some of the really dark or deep ones actually motivated me or helped me feel better, they did. They made me realize that thousands of other students had probably sat in the seat I was at, studying and working hard in order to reach a goal or dream. They reminded me that I’m constantly surrounded by great minds and passionate individuals — how could I not be motivated by that?

I never thought some little scribbles on the side of a library desk would motivate me … so maybe something really arbitrary and weird may inspire you too. You never know, sometimes the little things are what bring about the greatest motivation.

(Or … I dunno, eat some Korean food, that always works).