Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Motivation.
STORY OF MY LIFE
My book is a life-long work in progress as is that of every person. I hope it will be long. Some are so short. I know that the last chapter will only be finished at my last breath whenever that takes place. Because my book is still being written, I do not know where it will take me or who I will meet along the way. I do however, know where it has been, though I may not understand why the plot has often twisted so much, why some of the characters have been removed from the plot or why some of them have been villains rather than heroes. I suppose that without a few villains a story would be boring, so I can easily say that my story is and will continue to be a very fascinating tale.
By Amber M Martell6 years ago in Motivation
Perspective
As we all know, life has changed drastically around the world. Things that seemed run of the mill and “normal” are no longer in existence and seem a distant memory of the past; sitting inside a restaurant with friends, traveling internationally, and finding toilet paper for example are all things many of us took for granted and could never imagine having challenges surrounding them. While some restrictions have either been lifted, or aspects have been modified in order to adhere to the new normal, life seems to have somewhat resumed in some parts of the world. Unfortunately for me, currently living in the United States, many restrictions still apply and for good reason. Traveling internationally, and photographing different countries and landscapes is my biggest joy. Having been born in the Canary Islands to Chilean parents, and raised in New York, I am no stranger to traveling around the world. I had been to four different continents by the time I was nine years old, so sitting at home has never quite appealed to me. My mother says I have an adventurous spirit whose sole sustenance is seeing far and distant lands. While I would argue and say that pasta is actually what truly feeds my soul, she is in fact incredibly correct. Not being able to travel internationally feels inherently wrong, not to mention stifling to say the least. I have been very lucky the past couple of years and have been traveling often internationally three to four times a year. Quite the luxury I know, in several different ways; economically, responsibility or lack thereof, and paid leave from work to name a few. I have been lucky enough to see the aurora lights twice, spent a week in a tiny North Atlantic archipelago (Faroe Islands), seen the real-life castle that inspired Disney’s iconic logo (Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany), climbed to the top of a mountain via cable car that oversees six different countries (Hoher Kasten, Switzerland), have walked through ancient Roman ruins from Spain to Turkey, been denied entry to Russia and Malta (COVID-19 border closings), taken a train cross country in Morocco, and seen more Game of Thrones shooting locations than I can count spanning from Ireland to Croatia. However, in recent months that has not been an option, and there is much uncertainty as to when that option will once again become a tangible reality. In the meantime, I’ve resigned myself to going on hikes, reading books, editing the last 5 years of my life in pictures, and even taken up exploring my own backyard for a different perspective. This resonates with all of us on some level: a different point of view, a different angle if you will. Going to a supermarket, receiving mail, going for a drive, getting take out - all these concepts have changed immensely and irrevocably, and were viewed so incredibly differently during this pandemic than they have ever been, and may still be depending on what part of the world you live in. We also became more widely aware of this world, what we do to it (see green gas emissions, pollution, climate change), and how we relate to each other and treat each other (see black lives movement). Some of us are out of work, some of us are working through a global pandemic, and some of us are still trying to figure out what route we want to take with our lives. Regardless, this has been a great time for reflection, perspective, and growth. My time certainly has been; I don’t always have to get on a plane and travel thousands of miles across an ocean to find beauty. Sometimes beauty sits right in my backyard.
By Andrea6 years ago in Motivation
For the Sake of Having an Independent Voice
Despite being somewhat stuck in a dead end job where my opinions are undervalued or ignored altogether, I’ve yet continued to write journalistic pieces of my own, aspiring to journal about my adventures in photography or the ideas I have for projects soon to be published and enacted out into action. There’s other things I’d rather do to be honest.
By Guije Sanchez6 years ago in Motivation
Don't Judge!
I walked by Sunday, happy in the sunshine, showing off my new, New Jersey hair thrown up in a butterfly clip. My Louis Vuitton tote bag stuffed full of Pedialyte, Saltine crackers, Sprite and Gatorade. My 19-year-old son was home genuinely sick for the first time in his life. He needed his mama, and that made me happy, along with the sunny day and my new New Jersey messy hair style. I know it sounds a little twisted and Munchhausen Syndrome-ish, but if you knew the hell him and I went through during his teenage years of 15–17 it makes a little more codependent sense why I would be happy he was home and wanted me to take care of him.
By Emily N. DeFalla6 years ago in Motivation
Discovering ME
My favorite emojis are purple hearts and upside-down happy faces. I like gangster rap and classical literature. I like to sew but I never finish any projects. You need something hemmed or a button sewn on? I’m you girl. I rearrange furniture, compulsively, even in hotels, especially hotels. I clean when I’m trying not to cry, and I have been known to organize the same drawer 3 times when I'm worried. I like using things for different things than the were supposed to be used for, yet find great peace and comfort in honoring traditions. I have been searching my whole life for simple, steady, and good. Yet my life is perpetual, complex, chaos and drastic shifts. I’ve learned to be my own simple, steady and good.
By Emily N. DeFalla6 years ago in Motivation
The love of creating
I have always been naturally slow to wake up in the morning. Always struggling to get out of bed, and I have always seen this as time wasted. So instead of just lying in bed fighting myself to get up, what I do is I write. I write, songs, poems, short stories, book reviews. Just as long as I am writing. This is a good way to start the day for me, so I don’t feel like I am wasting time. I just love to write. I have always wanted to be an author, and what better time than right now with this pandemic going on to practice it (Since we all have the extra time now days). I find writing so calming and easy. Writing just seems so naturally to me, the words just flow out and it is such a magical feeling. Writing in the morning also wakes up my brain in the morning and gets me motivated to do something productive. It definitely does set the tone for the rest of the day.
By Maria Kalafatis6 years ago in Motivation
Open Letter to Readers
Hi! That seems like a good enough way to start. And while I'm at it, happy Non-Binary Visibility Day! Just to give some idea of who I am right away; I'm a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, I fully support Black Lives Matter and I am educating myself daily on how to remain anti-racist, and I wear a mask out in public. I'm also a Sagittarius, a dog-lover and a vegetarian. I'm learning Gaelic on Duolingo and I love to read. And I hope you are staying safe in these chaotic times. We are all trying our best aren't we? I am fresh out of college and about as confused about my next steps as I could possibly be. I feel like the two roads diverging in the wood for me are currently shrouded in fog--or maybe smoke, because the woods are currently on fire. It was different when I graduated high school. I didn't have a clue what I was going to do then either, but there didn't feel like there was as much of an urgency. I had picked out a college, so I could satisfy any family member hungering to know what my 'next steps' were. I even knew what I would be studying, and had visited Iowa City, so I could talk a little bit about the campus area over dessert. I still have theoretical 'next steps' now. I would like more than anything to become an actual writer; a screenwriter with several passable films to my name. I'd like to move out to Los Angeles and establish myself. I'd like to own a dog (the cute pup in my profile picture is Tucker, my parents' Maltese). I'd like to meet a beautiful, passionate woman to spend my life with. But currently, I am in an intermission in my life; or a filler episode on the "Addy" TV show. I'm sure viewers at home would be quite bored to watch this episode as it aired, but as the titular character, I can assure you this is all quite stressful. In the writers' room, I'm staring at a blank page on Microsoft Word, the cursor blinking mockingly. Where does the story go from here, big authoress? Well, I suppose the story should at first exist. My writing has suffered as I have anxiously tried to anticipate my future. I've avoided the blank page like a horse avoids a snake; like I was expecting my laptop to slam itself shut on my unsuspecting fingers the instant I started to type. Turns out...that's not the case! I've almost finished this introduction, and there has not even been a momentary lapse of stability. All this to say, I don't know. This is a moment of immense flux for our whole world, and my own personal life is only a microcosm of the cultural shift to come. And I guess I'm here. I'm here and I see it all happening and I'm watching it with you. And I express myself best in writing. So keep tuning in, and hopefully you have some fun along the way!
By Adeleine Grubb6 years ago in Motivation
It won't always be easy
We have to remind ourselves of why we are doing what we are doing and not always expect the Universe to show us the way. Since the last time I wrote anything, I would say it has been a little over a year, the more and more “woke” I became, the more and more I started to realize that I was going have to start to remind myself of why I am doing what I am doing instead of always expecting the answers to my question as easily as the Universe makes them at times. Going through trials and tribulations are going to be part of that reminder to yourself, in a sense it’s the way the Universe is going to see if you really are trusting and believing in the process of where your journey is headed and where you are truly meant to be.
By BuBz6 years ago in Motivation
