We need new ways of finding motivation, and here’s 7 of them.
When it comes to motivating and pushing yourself, it’s usually filled with cliché advice. “Don’t give up”, “Get over it” or “Always look on the bright side of life”. These are a few examples.
While they’re all correct at the root, conventional thinking like this just doesn’t cut it anymore. In fact, they are so trite and used so often that the message is lost to most of us. Heck, it even pisses people off, which is the total opposite of what it’s supposed to do.
1. “Welcome the pain”
Yep! Welcome the pain. Accept it willingly.
There’s a saying, “Pain is weakness leaving the body”, which means to say, no matter how tough or how much pain you’re feeling, you’re going to emerge stronger after that. So don’t be afraid when things get tough. Push yourself to accept what is coming instead and know that you’re going to grow from it.
2. “Look forward to feeling good”
This is my main, personal method in motivating myself. I believe that when you work hard, the feeling you get after that is the reward. The sense of satisfaction and accomplishment is the backbone of it all.
The fitness mantra, “Do you want to be sore, or sorry later?” works the same way.
So only aim for the feeling. Ask yourself how you want to feel later only. Forget about how you’d feel in between.
3. “Stop moving forward, take a step back instead”
Stop progressing altogether for a second. Just stop.
Take a step back instead.
It may seem paradoxical, but you know what it can do for you? You’ll be able to gain more clarity.
Go back for a second, re-evaluate your goals and remember your why. This effectively gives you the motivation to move forward.
And you’ll make better progress.
4. “Quit”
Or better yet, quit. Give up altogether on what you’re doing.
This requires some reflection and evaluation though. Sometimes quitting is the best thing you can do. You just have to realize that what you’re doing isn’t helping you anymore.
And after you quit, you’re free to do whatever you want as you’re no longer trapped by whatever it is which held you down.
5. ”Have a really good break”
This kind of goes hand in hand with point (2): Look forward to feeling good.
I find that a lot of people have lousy breaks. They don’t do themselves the favour they deserve. E.g. Instead of recognizing that a break time is a time to recharge, they end up being completely idle by doing mindless things like surfing Facebook, Twitter or watching random YouTube videos they aren’t even interested in watching in the first place. That is dead time. It does not help you at all and before you know it, you’re back to work.
6. “Failure is your best friend”
Or, failure is your ally.
Embrace failure, for it will give you the best and most meaningful lessons you actually need to move forward. That being said, failure is not the end.
When you don’t get the results you want, it doesn’t mean it’s over. Instead, you’re given the opportunity to learn and grow the fastest way possible.
7. ”Have fun”
Whatever it is in life, just have fun. Make that your sole aim.
Don’t take life so seriously. Laugh at your mistakes. Never sweat the small stuff. Just have fun, and be thankful for what you have, and that everything is going to be okay anyway.
When it comes to motivating and pushing yourself, it’s usually filled with cliché advice. “Don’t give up”, “Get over it” or “Always look on the bright side of life”. These are a few examples.
While they’re all correct at the root, conventional thinking like this just doesn’t cut it anymore. In fact, they are so trite and used so often that the message is lost to most of us. Heck, it even pisses people off, which is the total opposite of what it’s supposed to do.
The 7 Unconventional Ways Of Thinking
1. “Welcome the pain”
Yep! Welcome the pain. Accept it willingly.
There’s a saying, “Pain is weakness leaving the body”, which means to say, no matter how tough or how much pain you’re feeling, you’re going to emerge stronger after that. So don’t be afraid when things get tough. Push yourself to accept what is coming instead and know that you’re going to grow from it.
2. “Look forward to feeling good”
This is my main, personal method in motivating myself. I believe that when you work hard, the feeling you get after that is the reward. The sense of satisfaction and accomplishment is the backbone of it all.
The fitness mantra, “Do you want to be sore, or sorry later?” works the same way.
So only aim for the feeling. Ask yourself how you want to feel later only. Forget about how you’d feel in between.
3. “Stop moving forward, take a step back instead”
Stop progressing altogether for a second. Just stop.
Take a step back instead.
It may seem paradoxical, but you know what it can do for you? You’ll be able to gain more clarity.
Go back for a second, re-evaluate your goals and remember your why. This effectively gives you the motivation to move forward.
And you’ll make better progress.
4. “Quit”
Or better yet, quit. Give up altogether on what you’re doing.
This requires some reflection and evaluation though. Sometimes quitting is the best thing you can do. You just have to realize that what you’re doing isn’t helping you anymore.
And after you quit, you’re free to do whatever you want as you’re no longer trapped by whatever it is which held you down.
5. ”Have a really good break”
This kind of goes hand in hand with point (2): Look forward to feeling good.
I find that a lot of people have lousy breaks. They don’t do themselves the favour they deserve. E.g. Instead of recognizing that a break time is a time to recharge, they end up being completely idle by doing mindless things like surfing Facebook, Twitter or watching random YouTube videos they aren’t even interested in watching in the first place. That is dead time. It does not help you at all and before you know it, you’re back to work.
6. “Failure is your best friend”
Or, failure is your ally.
Embrace failure, for it will give you the best and most meaningful lessons you actually need to move forward. That being said, failure is not the end.
When you don’t get the results you want, it doesn’t mean it’s over. Instead, you’re given the opportunity to learn and grow the fastest way possible.
7. ”Have fun”
Whatever it is in life, just have fun. Make that your sole aim.
Don’t take life so seriously. Laugh at your mistakes. Never sweat the small stuff. Just have fun, and be thankful for what you have, and that everything is going to be okay anyway.
