When Life Kicks in Your Butt!

What to do when you lack motivation or energy?

Everyone will come to a point where there shall be a situation during which we may not have any energy or motivation. We must have been firing on all cylinders all year, giving our best to get what we want in life, yet the puzzle remains unsolved. That’s when we get tired and lack motivation.

Like a Moon, your emotions wane and grow through different phases of life!

May it be your job, health, relationships, or financial status, you are not alone when you hit a brick wall and cannot find a way out to reach what you want to. Everyone goes through these phases (like different phases of a moon). But many of us get stuck in these phases, which is dangerous.

Be a moon that wanes through different phases and grows to a full moon that shines a silver light all over.

This week, I was in the same situation; I lacked energy and motivation, feeling drained.

What can you do to overcome such a phase of life?

What can you do to get motivated again?

Every time I lose motivation or energy, I naturally return to the pursuit of spiritual or psychological knowledge by reading books. I love authors who wrote books out on their personal experiences or those trying to decipher the meaning of life by investing their best efforts.

Reading a book is one of the best ways to quench your thirst for knowledge. An author put his best efforts and life lessons into writing a book. What you read is the best perspective or his life work in exchange for a few dollars.

When I am lost or lack motivation, I grab a book about a topic I am interested in. You need not do the same, but you can browse the web for anything you are curious about — except don’t waste your time by stalking or mindless scrolling on social media. When I lacked motivation and energy, I landed on ‘Tirukkural’ written by a legendary Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar some two thousand years ago.

Let’s see what the legendary Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar has said about Motivation (or) Energy?

குறள் 595: Couplets 595 — ஊக்கமுடைமை

வெள்ளத் தனைய மலர்நீட்டம் மாந்தர்தம்

உள்ளத் தனையது உயர்வு

What the Couplet has to say about Motivation (or) Energy?

Thiruvalluvar was sitting on a wooden bench as he observed the lotus in the pond. He started liking the wooden bench and the lotus pond, and he visited every day as he was etching his thoughts over the palm leaf. He observed that when it rains and when the water level rises in the pond, the lotus rises along with the water. After the rains, as days pass by, the water level falls as it evaporates; thereby, the lotus floats low along with the water level.

What a fantabulous analogy by the legendary poet Thiruvalluvar who has written thousands of such couplets (just seven words) about two thousand years ago! There are no words to praise this great saint’s impeccable divinity and brilliance; he came up with the couplet. Let me take this analogy and explain it a bit more.

As long as the water level remains high, the stem grows more extended, and thus, it can hold the weight of a giant lotus flower. If the water level recedes, the branch doesn’t produce more prolonged or strong enough to withstand the weight of the flower, and thus, the lotus grows smaller.

Here,

Lotus — Man’s Intellectual Growth and Wealth

Stem height (or) Water Level — Motivation (or) Energy

In simple terms, as long as a man’s motivation and energy remains high (like water level and thus the stem growth), his growth or wealth or ability to overcome challenges are higher (the lotus will blossom as a bright, big, and beautiful flower).

Another way one can interpret the couplet is:

How do you want the Lotus to be? A Big, bright, and a beautiful one (or) a small, dull, and petty one?

Everyone wants a big, bright, and beautiful lotus.

If that’s the case, one has to be ready to grow as a stronger, thicker, and longer stem → meaning if one has to achieve something massive, he shall stay motivated to grow stronger, longer such that he can overcome the enormous challenge.

The heights of personal growth of a person depend on how deep & positive his thoughts are!

Reading this awe-spiring couplet inspired me to keep pursuing knowledge regardless of external circumstances. If you are not getting any direction in life, create one! Create one with the support of legendary books where the authors have given their best life efforts, and that shall guide you as you continue to read over time.

When I made an effort to acquire knowledge, it nourished my spirit and gave me a new perspective on my life’s challenges. So, when you’re stuck, always return to pursuing knowledge.

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