Sometimes, I feel as though there is a fine line between motivating and micromanaging. After working in countless group projects, being the captain of club Field Hockey, and now being editor-in-chief of the Odyssey at William and Mary, I’ve been on both ends of the micromanaging and bossiness. However, I can’t decide which I hate more: being micromanaged or micromanaging. I do love motivating people -- it’s the best part of being a leader -- but, unfortunately, I lose motivation sometimes and then it seems hypocritical to motivate others. With finals approaching, William and Mary students are about to enter a week and a half of depleting motivation.

During the past field hockey season, we never had to beg people to come to games, but practice was a different story. On any given day, there could be five to 15 people at practice, which largely determines how productive our practice will be. I understand that having an hour and a half practice until 9 p.m. is not preferable, due to test schedules and other activities, but as a captain it was hard seeing my teammates leaving the gym instead of coming to practice that night.

The frustration of club Field Hockey stems from the fact that there are no coaches holding the teammates accountable. There is only the president, my co-captain, and myself and we are all college students who lack the intimidation factor, and don't possess any real power. I understand that not everyone has the same level of motivation as others and, sometimes, I forget to see it through their eyes. Lack of motivation is contagious and it weighs down on the leaders just as much as the other members.

Making sure that my writers stay focused and motivated is a weekly struggle. I love editing what my writers post, but because I go to a school where the Odyssey isn’t our only extracurricular activity, I have writers go weeks or months without posting, and the turnover rate of staff members is always increasing. I know a lot of the writers care, and they are the reason I took the job as editor-in-chief, however, I lose motivation too. Some weeks I question why I continue to take on this responsibility and if another staff member will quit. We have hit our stride in lots of areas, but we lack consistency and drive. I would love the writers to use this opportunity to build an amazing writing portfolio, or pursue a career in media or communications, but unfortunately not everyone utilizes it to the highest potential and submitting their articles just helps us stay afloat one more week.

We all lose motivation at some point, whether it’s the motivation to work out or the motivation to keep studying when all of your friends are relaxing. It feels wrong and hypocritical to motivate others when we do not feel motivated, but it’s necessary in order to boost morale and hold teammates, friends, and staff members accountable.

College is a test of our motivation every day. We can either succumb to the temptation of giving up, or we can rise to the challenge and continue fighting.