What Motivates You?

What motivates you to do the job you do everyday? For those that work at a bank or a store or in a warehouse, I suspect it takes a great deal of motivation to get up everyday and get to work on time.

I don't have that problem.

I never talk about my job here because this hobby of mine is a release at the end of the day or perhaps on the weekend. I try to avoid any political discussion, though I confess to the occasional dart thrown.

No, aside from mentioning that I have served and that both of my kids are following in my footsteps, and their grandfathers' (on both sides) footsteps, I simply choose to leave it at that and write of restaurants, and parades, and grocery stores and goofy people I spot throughout the day.

But I can't let this day pass without letting you know a little bit about what motivates me to go to work each day, and try. Try is really what I do. Try to make a difference.

I was still on active duty when the events of September 11th, 2001 unfolded. And make no mistake, it didn't take any effort to get the attention and motivation of anyone in the military on that day or the days, weeks and several months that would follow.

But I noticed a really interesting thing happen less than a year after. People around me started to go back to normal. As much as we were reminded every time we traveled that things had changed, we were getting back to normal.

Then one morning, I walked into my office and right at the entryway, I was greeted with a big poster of PFC Matthew Commons. At the age of 21, this young Army Ranger was killed in Operation Anaconda in Afghanistan.

This haunting picture taken of a young man looking solemnly at his Ranger Buddy's on a helicopter getting ready for battle in a far away land, caught my eye and suddenly, there was a renewed focus to "do"; to try to do, whatever I could to make things easier for Matthew Commons and warriors like him to make it back from places like Afghanistan and Iraq.

I'm no longer in the military, but I see Matthew Commons almost every Monday through Friday where I work. I'm not embarrassed to stop and read the caption on the picture that describes his age and his fate, even though I have read it hundreds of times before.

And just a week ago, I got another reason to be motivated. To try.

Between my two kids, we know several youngsters who serve and do so proudly in both Afghanistan and Iraq. As I mentioned earlier, one of our young friends was taken, all too soon while serving his country.

And you have some TSP reports due? Big deal.