Some mornings are more challenging than others. Sometimes it takes me a few snoozes, but after a bit of bargaining I will eventually find a reason to get out of bed.

It always intrigues me to find out what motivates others to wake up and start their day each morning. What drives you out of bed is key–it’s easy to remember why you work when you are faced with bills and a wish list when you are awake, but it takes a really good reason to want to give up your comfortable state of unconsciousness to join the rush hour crowds on a working day. For me, I quickly learned that sunlight was a big one. Working in Toronto made me realize how much I hated waking up in complete darkness, and arriving at work two hours later still under winter’s dim light. Naturally, it makes me really appreciate the birds chirping and the sun in the sky when I wake up every morning now.

Even when I had to wake up before 6AM to start a 3-hour bus trip to my boyfriend’s for breakfast, I was driven to wake up when I did things I love. And that’s why I choose to be a designer… because my job makes me happy to sacrifice sleep both in the morning and late at night. A lot of the time, I wake up thinking there’s nothing else I would like to be doing. Money and responsibility are good motivators too, but in the end, it’s the most valuable things like close family and friends, animal companions, special events and passion for a career that really give us the positive energy we need to power through the day.