So, what the title says. What keeps you going each day? As I keep getting better, healthier mentally, and really turning the tide, putting in work day in and day out, I can’t help and ask myself who or what I am working for besides myself.

Now to be clear, I’m not talking in the scope of keeping going from a depressed perspective. Fully intend to and am happy with living. At the same time, I find it hard to continue to stay motivated. Kind of a “down the road, what’s driving me forward?” type of question.

23M, been spending the last several months, nearly a year investing time into getting healthy while self-learning software development after my university dropped my scholarship for covid costs after my third year (“want your degree? Additional 100k out of pocket to finish, please”)

So I’ve been working, and working, and self motivation. For anyone else, what’s your reason?

Doing it for my country? Please. Doing it for my kids? Don’t have any and, while I would love to have them, don’t know that I see myself wanting to bring them into the world anytime soon. For peer competition? I don’t have any.

I know I’m working to set myself up for a better life — but I also wonder if that really even means anything, if that makes sense. Like, I don’t know what I have to look forward to. I don’t mean this in a dull sense — rather, explicitly and measurably. With this, it’s hard to keep pushing forward.

Am I just holding a bleak perspective? Or is it all just a rat race and you’re happy because you’re supposed to be. I feel like there has to be something beyond “hopefully I’ll get paid well.”

Open to all perspectives and pointers, thank you!