Don’t Fell Into The Motivation Trap

It is not worth waiting for the motivation beam to hit us, why different popular strategies for getting motivated do not work, and finally, what works.

When we see people creating good content, getting their bodies in shape, and achieving extraordinary things in life, we are impressed; we admire these people. These people are our inspirations.

Even though we feel tiny in front of these giants, we do not envy them. We are grown-ups! Clearly, they have enough motivation to pursue their goals, and one day we will too. What is the rush!

It is just a matter of time.

We also know that these things are not easy. We understand that any impressive feat takes days of continuous work to shine. We are aware of the process, and we are not ignorant. We know how the universe works!

We keep waiting for that day when the beam of motivation will shine from above and transform us like Buddha achieved enlightenment by meditating under the banyan tree. And hence, we wait.

The endless pursuit of motivation continues in disbelief.

The problem with the motivation stories on the internet is that it makes our disbelief even stronger. The web is not to blame; we pay attention to what we want to believe.

When we see success, often, we are not able to see through it. Our mind builds up this motivation theory to shield us from the enormous efforts and persistence we have to put in to achieve it. Consider it as a defense mechanism enacted by your brain.

This defense mechanism is related to animal instincts that are not entirely extinct in humans. Our brain does not like hard work, sweat, and tears. All it wants is the necessities of life to be fulfilled which does not include grinding ourselves for years to achieve a thing in life.

The lot of us are fine as-is.

The motivation theory is a lie that our brain tells us, and we repeat it over and over in our head as an escape mechanism.

Another set of people who have aggravated this Motivation scam is those who sell hopes that we will be able to switch on our Motivation faucet from their tips, tools, and techniques.

I have tried a couple of them and failed (disclaimer: these may have worked for you!):

Affirmation and Visualization: I have tried affirmations, i.e., positive thinking and positive mental attribute, and the power of visualization — to visualize yourself actually doing things that can significantly improve your outcome of achieving that thing! For instance — to become a CEO, visualize yourself as a CEO, imagine yourself in that position, making big decisions, leading your company from the front, etc.

And so I did (embarrassingly enough).

I started waking up early, started my daily affirmations (I was not suffering from negativity anyway, to begin with), and then closed my eyes and visualized myself as a CEO.

Did. Not. Worked. Maybe, I did it all wrong, but clearly, this has not worked for me.

Meditation: People have been practicing this for generations. Its benefits and effects are paramount. I think it is the most important exercise that everyone should do. But riding on Meditation to find your Motivation stream may not work. True, meditation can bring clarity and inner peace, and you feel you are more in control, but it still can not help you ignite your motivation.

When I practiced meditation briefly, I started to get its noticeable effects but not in the direction I was hoping for.

Reading Books: I read 20 books on Motivation and Mindfulness. I became good at reading such titles! That’s it.

Reading is beautiful; I enjoyed reading. Reading people's experiences through books is the cheapest and fastest way of learning, but that's about it. Still, not an inch closer to the motivation source.

What has worked for me is the “Do Something Principle.”

I learned about this principle from Mark Manson’s Newsletter, and it was an eye-opener for me.

The principal says that.

Action isn’t just the effect of motivation, but also the cause of it.

Contrary to our thinking that we first feel inspired, then we need to have enough motivation that will eventually transform into action. The principle says that it is an endless loop; action can trigger an inspiration that can further motivate you to take further action. Hence the cycle continues.

Now, we can see the source of the Motivation. It is the inspiration that we already know, but inspiration can itself come from the small actions we take.

This solves the missing piece of the puzzle.

The essence of the principle is to commit to a ritual and do something towards your inspiration. Do not wait for your motivation flask to be filled up to the brim to start with.

The Do Something Principle relies heavily on the concept of showing up. Show up for your inspiration and do something towards that inspiration whatever you can, and this should trigger a cycle of continuous action, inspiration, and motivation.