Whenever I ride in a taxi in Bangkok I try to practice my Thai language skills. Typically, I ask the taxi drivers where they are from, where do they live, how long they work already as a taxi driver etc.
During a taxi ride last month I asked the taxi driver what time he started to work that day and what time he will finish. He told me that he had worked already for eight hours that day and that I am his last customer for today. To my surprise, he added that he also has a second job as a police officer and that after he has dropped me off, he will start his night shift work at the police station.
Since he noticed a kind of surprise and disbelief on my face, he pointed out to me that the jacket of his police uniform is hanging right across his seat.
After complementing him for working so hard, I asked him what motivates him to work 18 hours a day? He put down the sun visor under the roof of the driver’s side of the car. There, under the vanity mirror, he had clipped a picture of his two children.
He told me proudly: “That’s my motivation! My son is five years old and my daughter is three. I want to make sure that they will have a better life than me. I want to send them to a good school where they will get a proper education enabling them to get a good job later in their life.”
This taxi driver has found his “why?”. He is very clear about his motivation.
What about you? What gets you out of bed in the morning? If you cannot answer that question immediately, take some time to reflect. When you have found the answer, your life will become much more meaningful.
