Motivation 2.0

This is a second writing on motivation this year. You can read the first one here.

Lots of people out there are frustrated with motivation. People fall though the cracks, they complain about losing momentum, they say motivation fails them, then complain about not having enough energy before they can make use of it.

They blame Tony Robbins and they say he’s a moron.

Here’s the draw-down on motivation:

1. The law of diminishing returns applies to motivation: if you get too much of it, you puke, or surely get no extra benefit; too little, it’s not effective.

To be effective motivation has to be the right “dose”, pumped at regular intervals, like a medicine: pill or injection. Motivation, like knowledge, after hundreds of hours of learning, adding more is counter-productive. Learning without applying is counterproductive. Constantly adding knowledge without the requisite digestion through application lends itself to dumbing down.

2. All the achievers are motivators, there’s a substrata of motivation in all the authors and their writings. 

They may not call themselves motivators, but they all do it. But I’ll walk on hot coals with Tony anytime (if he holds my hand).

Why we need motivation

3. The default of the human mind is sloth and torpor. 

Laziness is everybody’s DNA.

4. Hope = Fear

You read that right. Hope, the cherished human feeling defined as “an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one’s life or the world at large” in Wikipedia is really fear. The smartest people eliminate hope from their vocabulary. Hope becomes a no-no. There are a few words you need to eliminate from your vocabulary, hope is one of them. Once again, hope is fear.

5. Peace means not caring. 
Once you care for something, guess what ? Peace goes out the door. I don’t mean not caring for other people, especially those close to you. It means not caring about outcomes. Outcomes are generally speaking outside of your control. If you beat yourself on the head for everything that goes wrong (something always will), you’re setting yourself up for defeat. Peace and caring are antonyms, just like hope and fear are synonyms.

6. You can’t expect to get results simply by attending a seminar or support group. 

Motivation ensues from good habits, not from a good read or talk. It’s all about the habits, with special attention to pay to your start of the day and end of the day routine. Habits build up change.

Suppose today is Monday, Christmas Day, Bob’s birthday also (assuming it’s somebody’s b-day)
If you say: it’s Monday, and I do what I always do on Mondays at 5:30 AM I exercise, you got your priorities straight. Every Monday. You didn’t set up Christmas Day or somebody’s b-day, or whatever happens to fall on that day. You set it exercise day.

7. The goal of motivation is change. 

If you are the same person you were 5, 10…x years ago, you’re not evolving. Have you ever met one of those people ? You’re seeing them again for first time in 7 years, whether it is a friendly or unfriendly occasion. You notice something. He’s still the same. No evolution. This is sad human being.

8. The easiest and fastest way to get up and moving and change your state is through breathing and posture. 

Breathing is the only function which connects the parasympathetic nervous system( the “brake” of the body) with the sympathetic nervous system (the “gas” pedal) –The Science of Slow Deep Breathing at Psychology Today by Dr. Matthew MacKinnon MD

Suggestion: Do the Box breathing technique SEALs do:

9. We were taught to be good before we wanted to be good.

The concept of radical transparency, championed by Ray Dalio and others is meaningless until you apply it to yourself.  Suppose you have two kids and did this experiment: on Christmas Day you have only two presents, one for each. There are no names (who gets what) on these unwrapped gifts. One present is a fancy toy while the other is a lackluster one, one that everybody has, maybe a ball. If the first kid picks up the fancy one and the other kid picks up the ball and starts crying, what do most parents do ? They say: wait now, kiddo, give it to your brother, be a good boy. So the first kid learns the lesson “to be good” by giving up what was his first by virtue of happenstance. Was that a good lesson you taught him ? If you say yes, you’re wrong. You’ve taught them “to be good” before they wanted to be good.

10. Is this a good one for Christmas or what ? Raw eggnog recipe. 
Note: Raw eggs carry a risk of bacteria, it is advisable to skip the raw eggs and cook the same ingredients, 15 mins simmering time. Refrigerate overnight. Recipe: ThePrairieHomestead.com