good stuff yokoke, that quote's a keeper.

I guess for me it's success and self improvement (at this time in my life) but i think that like most things, these are better when shared with people you care about.

When I was younger I thought money was the key to happiness and that was my main motivation. I did the college thing and spent seven years in a cubicle crunching numbers. I made decent money but was incredibly jaded with life. I grew to hate myself as well as the world around me. It took me hitting rock bottom emotionally before I had a moment of clarity or an “epiphany” as some like to call it. I could either continue fighting the world or learn acceptance and take what comes my way and make it a learning experience and be grateful for the moments of true joy.

I took six months off after leaving my last job (had money saved) and just searched for something that could bring meaning into my life. Towards the end I finally found my answer. A week later an ad was posted on craigslist looking for a kennel attendant. I knew right after the interview that was what I was going to be doing with my life, working with dogs. I make absolute **** wages right now but I have never been happier in my entire life.

What gets me out of bed in the morning? This does:

http://www.baringvet.net/oshoto.htm

Left for dead and weighing only 20 pounds when taken to the vet. They were going to put her down but she lifted her head when the vet tech turned on the water faucet.

The wolf-hybrid you see as my main profile picture is the same dog, two months later.

The other attendants have a hard time getting her back down from the exercise area. On Friday, I took her up and when it was time to come down I called her name and she came running to me. My coworker asked me, “How in the world did you do that?” My answer? “I give her love everyday that I am here.”

I don't know why we are here or what created us. All I know is that getting up every morning and getting a kiss from this dog and a look of unconditional love in her eyes, is more than I could ever ask for. I wake each morning and take care of dogs as my way of thanking whatever created us.

What is nice too is when your friends and family know your goals, dreams, etc and also hold you accountable to a certain extent...

Self improvement is good. I think it is important in an area of self-growth, helps you understand yourself better. Plus there are several mediums out there for a variety of different experiences.

Don't forget though success can be measured in many ways...not just the wallet...

"Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom" George Patton

"Success often comes to those who have the aptitude to see way down the road." JL Burns

"Put you heart, mind, intellect and soul even into your smallest acts. This is the secret of success." Swami Sivananda

My motovation is, adventure. Every day promises to be a new adventure, be it good bad or indifferent, it will be interesting.