I thought of starting with “In light of the current year and the worldwide changes, you might be struggling with your motivation levels”. But if you are in any way like myself and an overwhelming majority of my friends and close acquaintances, this is not the first time you have struggled to get motivated.

Remember that deadline that is due in a few days? You most likely have known about it for weeks, or even months, nonetheless it hasn’t been easy to accommodate in your schedule. How about that minimal exercise that you have been wanting to stick to? Or perhaps visiting a remote location of the world that you have always dreamed of. Or better yet, owning your own place, writing a book, visiting the inside of a submarine, or having your very own flight simulator in the basement?

Inspired by Steve Kamb’s Epic Quest of Awesome, several members of the Data Community have started their own lists of Epic Life Quests, including Brent Ozar, Chris Bell and George Stocker to mention just a few. An Epic Life Quest is a list of your most desired goals (both big and small) that you write down to keep track of. The interesting part is that you use a Level Up mechanism to break the challenge down into more manageable pieces. You can adjust the Quest with your own flavour by making it public or keeping it private, building different sizes for the levels, and deciding for yourself when it’s time to unlock the next one.

To begin, you’ll have to look at the already achieved items, as you need to make an inventory of what’s done and what you are currently working on. That makes it a great moment to celebrate how far you have come and be inspired by your own motivated self.

Author:

Ionela Chereja is a PhD student, Neuro-linguistic Programming trainer and data professional. She is fascinated by human development, education, and balance.