Motivation

I was recently invited to become a permablogger on an exciting new blog (details forthcoming soon). In some communication with the other writers, I was asked to share a short biographical sketch of myself. Most of the other writers were complete strangers to me and here I was being asked to condense my life into two short paragraphs that would capture the essence of me.

I found myself in a quandary. What information was pertinent? What information would be superfluous? Which life experiences from the last 30 some odd years should I share? It felt much more important than a simple "25 Random Things" list on my Facebook page. It seemed to me an exercise beyond a mere resume or listing of job qualifications. I had already been invited to participate, so what aspects of my life would I choose to define myself as a person? Who am I? Really?

I've heard the expression 'wearing many hats' before, but as an actress I like to think of my life in terms of the roles I play. Maybe it seems a bit more dramatic and exciting that way, especially on the days when the roles merely change from laundress to housekeeper to cook. But in acting, the portrayal of the roles are always an extension of the character's motivation. Why would that character make that choice? What drives that person to behave or interact in that certain way? So behind all the various roles we have in life there is what drives us, our character motivation.

Think about what you would say if asked to encapsulate your life for perfect strangers in a matter of a few words. Consider not only what you would say, but ask yourself the soul searching question of, "Why?"

I love the song by Julie de Azevedo entitled, "A Window to His Love." There is a line in the song that says, "I want to be a window to His love, so when you look through me you will find Him." After a lifetime of self-evaluation, perhaps I will have reached this point of purely charitable character motivation. That is my hope - to one day be motivated purely by a Christ like desire to reach out to others, to help them find Him. I hope to someday reach the point where my all roles can be driven by that true character motivation and my life can be encapsulated in three mere words. Woman of God.