Creating a new thread so the ZP thread doesn’t get too off-topic.
Having motivation for taking massive action is something we all need to deal with, and sometimes we need some help.
What do you do? What are your strategies to get stuff done?
Motivation is overrated. I like when I have it, but I spent far too long looking for it. Now I imagine the desired end state, a la Neville Goddard.
The right actions will usually flow from that if I can imagine the desired end state with enough depth of clarity.
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Motivation is hard when there is no play or excitement in it for me. It is pretty easy when I have to do things that I like. However, whenever I have to do things I do not feel motivated to do, I surrender to it. I will explain with an example.
So whenever I have i.e craving for fast food and I need to lose weight. Instead of fighting the urge and eventually caving I feed the demon and eat it in my imagination until I hit my sweet spot. The resistance to getting that fast food is gone and it is very easy to stay away from it,. It is so much better and it doesn’t carry the guilt or fed up feeling that I get after indulging myself
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Through my life I’ve come to realize the idea of motivation is less about pushing yourself to something and more about finding what holds you back. As someone that has dealt with pretty severe depression in my life, when motivation isn’t there it’s pretty tough. You can’t really just will yourself to do things.
So first thing to look at is stress in life. Too much stress can easily leave you feeling drained and unmotivated. This is important to acknowledge because if you start whipping yourself to be more motivated you’re only going to make things worse. Unfortunately that’s how most of us have been conditioned to respond to low motivation. It’s seen as a character flaw rather than a symptom of a larger issue.
The next one is something I’ve been trying to be better with, especially with ADHD. Remove barriers to your end goal. Have everything as streamlined as possible. Sometimes motivation is more easily obtainable if your mind understands it has less hoops to jump through for action. Or even setting up cues for yourself. So if you’re a writer leave something out on the table so it’s there in front of you vs hidden in a desk somewhere. Having constant cues can help the subconscious focus in on the goal more.
This one works for me sometimes. If you’re not feeling motivated to do something, just tell yourself you’ll give it 15 minutes and if it doesn’t work out you can call it a day. Sometimes just giving yourself that small window to getting started can be enough to get things in motion.
Final one, stop trying to be motivated. Seems counterintuitive but sometimes you just need to create space for that motivation to regenerate. Rest. So often in life people don’t actually get rest. Even when they think they are, their mind is pushing them to do things.
Motivation can be tough. But I do believe it’s an incredibly misunderstood thing. I hope in the future the tired old tropes thrown around all the time will die and people can actually explore the lack of motivation in depth more.
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Western cultures and societies are generally recognized as leaning more towards Individualism. This orientation has many benefits that we appreciate but also leads to some very predictable oversights.
In short, people who subscribe to strongly individualist perspectives on life and phenomena tend to be ignorant about the role of environmental factors in their lives. They’ll try to emphasize Individual Factors as long as they possibly can, because their internal comfort zones value a sense of Autonomy. When environmental factors are acknowledged, such people often acutely feel the threat of a loss of freedom.
On a political level, this orientation can make sense. But people like this have a tendency to apply the same autonomy-oriented framework even to natural and technological phenomena. And they also often over-apply it to psychological phenomena.
Western individualism leads to a great valuing of Individual Freedoms and that’s beautiful; but it also leads to a blindness regarding Ecological Factors.
Westerners—-and due to the global dominance of Westernization, this, paradoxically, includes most of the world—have great difficulty thinking ecologically. The ecological, systemic, perspective is experienced almost as a personal insult or as an oppressor to be defied and thrown off.
This point of view also influences how we think of Motivation.
There will be a tendency to emphasize individual and decisional influences on motivation. In fact, motivation has a significant environmental component.
Where you choose to be and what you surround yourself with and expose yourself to strongly influences your motivation.
It’s not just about you.
I know highly self-disciplined people who tried everything they could to lose weight, and it was always very difficult. Then they moved to a new geographical location, and the weight came off effortlessly.
So my contribution to this discussion is:
Learn how environmental factors affect your motivation.
Pay attention to these factors with curiosity, not blame.
And the more you learn about how the external and internal environments shape and feed your motivation, the more you can make intentional, INDIVIDUALLY skillful use of those environmental forces. It requires humility. You don’t get to keep pretending that you’re in control of every damn thing. But eventually, the humility leads to even greater power.
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i agree with @Trader in that i think that motivation is overrated
i can only talk about the gym department of things, most of the time on this gym journey i am tired, scared, unmotivated
but i made a habit out of this lifestyle and i cant imagine going back, so i constantly reprove myself on the daily because i want to look like a greek sex god
sometimes when im starving and tired and reconned and sitting there in my room acknowledging that i am NOT on a beach, im mostly at home and im the only one looking properly at my body and its progress, i question if its worth it
the answer to that question doesnt really matter because its become a habit and i honestly cant imagine myself going back to being a lazy little sad asshole
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So first thing to look at is stress in life. Too little stress can easily leave you feeling drained and unmotivated.
Eastern cultures and societies are generally recognized as leaning more towards the group. This orientation has many benefits that we appreciate but also leads to some very predictable oversights.
Motivation is for losers.
The reason being that you can’t motivate someone if they haven’t already got it in them.
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My input right now is … i have no clue lol. My mind has so many thoughts and things going on i can’t concentrate on this subject lol.
So here is a great question for everyone how can someone build a spark or fire in them for a certain goal or desired outcome? Let’s say they were once great at what they did but something happened and they lost that spark. How would they go about reigniting that flame in them?
You’re right i think motivation is crap honestly… it is great when you have it but when you don’t it really works against you.
I think that this is super important and makes a shit ton of sense.
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It’s summed up by the old expression about leading a horse to water… (Mr. Norris excepted, of course). Goals are truly achieved by intrinsic desire, not extrinsic force.
If the “spark isn’t there anymore”, then is the goal still a goal, or is it now merely a habit?
Many years ago I wanted to start a webcomic. At the time I was in my early 20s and was just finishing school… I worked part-time for the school IT department and we all hung out in the campus coffee shop next to the bookstore. Every conversation was full of puns, movie quotes, and nerd references. And the epic pranks we pulled on each other… damn, I miss those days. Anyways, I thought “hey, this stuff is hilarious… I should make a webcomic based on us!”
15+ years later I never did the webcomic, and I have no desire to do so now, yet I still catch myself occasionally noticing specific drawing/3d modeling/etc YT videos etc and thinking “that would be great for the comic…”. It’s not a spark that needs to be relit, it’s a ghost of something that never was but the habits still linger.
Is it a lack of motivation, or are you just trying to finish something your past self wanted to do?
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holy cow
i have the same issue, i struggle with the opening,.
once i open my DAW i go into flow, and everything is ok
its just the beginning of the thought of action itself evokes so much discomfort
but once its in motion its flowing and it doesn’t feel as bad
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i tend to face this discomfort of action once a thought pops about what i want to do
idk if its Patterns of adhd or just regular comfort zone fear
but what i do is this
and this sometimes work sometimes it doesnt, and when it doesnt i go to external ways to push myself (which is something not very good to depend on)
something that really works for me, is to be present in the moment and leave that mind be scared and be uncomfortable, once you settle in for a bit everything feels fine and i can open my DAW and work
one thing that i also do is
ask myself for every action that i do daily. to not lose focus on important things in life and waste time unconsciously
is to Ask myself, whenever i do something without me being aware like grabbing my phone
“does this action or motive of picking up my phone and scrolling over social media serve my goal and purpose?”
if it does not, i do what does and my priorities
asking this on a daily basis on every action will build an awareness on the things that don’t serve you but you got drawn into because it became your comfort thing to do
i have lots of knowledge on how to overcome those obstacles and how to work it out,
but i really fail like a lot and i mean a lot most of the time sadly . but everyday im trying to do a better job find new ways and stuff
also i tend to think as this comfort zone to me, is a curse made for me
its like when everyone has a challenge in their life and a test for them specifically for them
mine is this Comfort zone, and its my curse, and i have to deal with it, its my thing
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also its crazy that he only thing thats stopping you from greatness is just your mind hahhahahah
like your strongest enemy is your mind and thoughts and your comfort zone
no one is blocking you but you, 
damn thats huge
Yup. The hardest thing to get past. It becomes even more difficult if the willpower is drained from the day. I don’t have that small reserve of energy needed to get me past that hurdle. Ran into that tonight actually. It’s Friday, no work tomorrow, but I can’t bring myself to sit down and make music.
What our friend @Trader said. Motivation stems from desire… having enough passion and ambition. Doing what you do with love because of your desire for it.
This begins in our imagination and the feeling of having achieved that which we desire.
Become addicted to your dream.
Soul. Soul. Soul. Feel, be, and Do.
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I don’t have a reference handy, but studies have shown that we each have a fixed reserve of willpower (very much an analogy there, as opposed to a literal thing, of course) and when that is depleted each day it’s much more difficult to make decisions that go against our cravings/instincts.
Probably why the junk food and garbage magazines are placed at the grocery store checkouts, as after making so many decisions while shopping it’s almost easier to get the chocolate bar or gossip tabloid than to exercise the willpower to not get it.
Just an example, I don’t bother with either… my grocery store has fresh organic fruit and other healthy snacks at the checkouts. lol.
This comes back to a concept called turbulence and flow. I first read about it in regards to a fitness program, but I’ve applied the concept to everything in life.
If you want to make something a habit, make it flow… set up your day to make doing that habit easier than not doing it. If you want to avoid something, make it turbulent… increase the difficulty, so it’s easier to say “f*ck it, I just won’t bother”.
There’s a particular brand of cheese puffs that I am crazy about. I could eat an entire bag in a matter of minutes and still be looking for more. They’re organic and quinoa-based, so not too bad… but healthier junk food is still junk food. To make it turbulent, I store them at Whole Foods and getting some requires traveling there and giving them some $. Much harder than if they were in my kitchen…
On the other hand, mornings run a lot smoother when I don’t have to fuss with making coffee - everything is right on the counter, laid out in the order I need it. A canister of beans, the grinder, box of filters, pour-over thing, and mugs in the cupboard right above it.
I also don’t think about what to wear… ever… except when it’s temperature-based, which just means sweater or no sweater. My jeans are all the same, my t-shirts are all the same (plain black or dark grey), my dress shirts are all grey or dark blue, my sweaters are all black or dark grey. Everything matches, so I just grab whatever and it always works.
By setting up things to reduce decisions I have to make for things I want to do, and by making it more difficult to do things I don’t want to do, it leaves a ton more mental energy for willpower. Does this always help me crank out some work on a project if I’m feeling blah? Not always, some days I just need to rest. Mostly works though.
Edit: fixed a mistake
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Yes, we all have a fixed amount of willpower, stamina, and health. But none is withholding us from increasing our statistics.
Remember fixed does not mean it is constant.
I invite you to think beyond some of these studies.
Did they provide techniques to alchemically increase willpower?
Think about it…
Science experiments. Mhmm. Very restricted thinking.
If you do not do what needs to be done at the beginning of the day, you will deplete yourself thinking about it BUT NOT acting upon it. Thoughts are living things they are energy and when we think we order something for the universe, every thought not acted upon is a waste.
This is why living in the Now is SO POWERFUL.
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What’s more powerful than motivation is learning to keep promises to yourself
and being some one actually cares, has a stake in, and honors your own word-especially to yourself not just to others
If there were keys to motivation I’d say they be
- finding what is worth pursuing for you and getting started
2 Hold the big picture-to paraphrase Nietzsche- " he with the right ‘why’ can bear any how’. Are you laying bricks or building a cathedral? - Find/discover your deepest values and orient/frame what there is to be done in a way that aligns with those.
- Perfectionism is the biggest motivation killer in my experience-find ways to let it go
- As mentioned before-the right amount of stress and environmental factors are huge
- A lot of energy is tied up in hiding things, maintaining self image/ self important, regrets, grudges etc…healing-letting go of these things frees up an enormous amount of energy that is naturally motivating.
As far as subs goes they should naturally increase motivation, drive, interest and desire around the target areas of there goals. Work for AM and Emperor, financial interests and markets HOM, dating PS/Khan, lifting/exercise EF and Spartan etc… at least that’s been my experience.
Even with crazy recon I always find a strong pull/ desire towards the goals of the subs.
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I learned about this from a book on habits that was super useful for me.
Just do the first thing, so for gym just put on your gym shoes. For music just open up the laptop program (or however you do it). You can put it away after if you want. Just do the first 10 seconds day after day. Each time you can continue or stop as you see fit.
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I think willpower is like lung capacity. If your lungs hold less air, you can still achieve many of the same goals, you just need to break those goals into smaller steps and take more breaths.
And I think that motivation arises from (Perceived) Proximity to Motivating Factors.
Motivating Factors include things like: Competition, Opportunities to Receive Praise, Working with a Preferred Medium, Building Something New, Helping the World, and so on. Each person has a unique set. (But some, like Basic Survival, are common to us all.)
When a person perceives that a motivating factor is close and accessible, then the person will feel motivated.
The problem is that sometimes the factors that motivate us seem to be very far away or impossible to reach. When this happens, we feel that our motivation ‘has dried up’.
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