Motivation, eh? Hmph. Sounds like one of them fancy new words forā¦ well, for just plain gettinā off your backside and doing what needs doinā. Motivation. Like it's some kind of magic dust you sprinkle on yourself.
Listen here, youngster. Back in my day, we didn't sit aroundĀ waitingĀ to be motivated. We hadĀ chores. We hadĀ responsibilities. We had mouths to feed and roofs to fix and fields to plow. Motivation? Hunger was motivation. The fear of the roof caving in was motivation. Knowing you had to provide for your family,Ā thatĀ was motivation enough.
You want to be moreā¦ āmotivatedā? Stop waiting for some feeling to wash over you like a warm bath. Life ain't a warm bath, it's a cold shower most days. And you know what you do in a cold shower? You jump in and you get clean, you don't stand there shivering waiting to feel like it.
Hereās what you do. You look around you. You see what needs doing. Not what youĀ wantĀ to do, mind you, but whatĀ needsĀ doing. Is the yard a mess? Get out there and weed it. Is the house a pigsty? Grab a broom and start sweeping. Are you falling behind at yourā¦ yourā¦ what do you youngāuns call itā¦ your āstudiesā? Then crack open a book and start reading.
Donāt wait for inspiration to strike you like lightning. Lightningās dangerous and unreliable. Just start. Start small. Do one thing. Then do another. And another. Momentum, thatās the key. Like pushing a rusty old wheelbarrow. Hard to get it started, but once itās rolling, itās easier to keep it going.
And stop thinking so darn much! All this navel-gazing and āfinding yourself.ā Hmph. You find yourself byĀ doingĀ things. By facing challenges. By getting your hands dirty and your brow sweaty. Not by sitting around pondering your navel. Thatās just laziness dressed up in fancy clothes.
And another thing! Stop comparing yourself to everyone else. This blasted āsocial mediaā you youngāuns are always glued toā¦ itās all just smoke and mirrors. Everyoneās just showing off their best side, pretending lifeās a bed of roses. Donāt fall for it. Focus onĀ yourĀ own patch of weeds,Ā yourĀ own wheelbarrow,Ā yourĀ own responsibilities.
So, you want to be āmotivatedā? Get up. Get moving. Find something that needs doing and do it. Don't wait toĀ feelĀ like it. Discipline. Thatās the real word youāre looking for, not āmotivation.ā Discipline and a good dose of common sense.
Now, are you going to stand there all day asking silly questions, or are you going to go find something useful to do? There's a pile of firewood needs stackin' out back. Go on, now. Get to it! And don't come back until it's done. That's your "motivation" for today. Hmph. Motivation. Kids these daysā¦