Dear Motivation,

Long time, no see. Where have you been lately?

I know I have been a nuisance, but are you sure you want to give up on me? Look, I know it’s all my fault. I cheated on you. I bailed out when things were not working out. But can’t you give me just one more chance?

It’s been ages I have created anything worth mentioning. I keep reminding myself that I’m capable, that I can accomplish whatever I wish for. But the truth is, I can’t. Not without you.

I tried to find you in different places. I signed up for different courses and podcasts that gave the slightest hint of accidentally bumping into you. I tried watching movies, TED talks, reading books, meeting successful people and involved myself in all that jibber-jabber which people usually do. All in vain!

Instead, I met your covert friend Inspiration. She’s great, especially to break the monotony. But you know what, she isn’t very reliable. I mean, she is nice and sweet, but she just keeps on disappearing! It’s kinda hard to keep up with her!

I know what you are thinking- the problem is not with her, the problem is with YOU! You have commitment issues.

You’re right.

I was the one who made grandeur action plans but I didn’t stick to most of them. I faltered when it was time to make things better. I was the one who volunteered to take the plunge but developed cold feet when it came to setting a timeline to get things done.

In fact, I should thank you for teaching me what life looks like without you- meaningless, unfocused and full of procrastination.

That makes me realize, I’m not mad at you anymore. I’m just hugely disappointed with myself. Am I worthy of your forgiveness?

I don’t know if I’ll ever see you again. But if I do, I promise, I’ll never let you go!

Yours
Slacker

Thanks for eavesdropping on my age-old love letter. It was intentional, don’t worry!

I wanted to share that we all have been there. Motivation keeps eluding us. But here’s the thing which I have learned over a period of time.

Motivation is not a black or white abyss; it does not work on a binary logic. There is an entire spectrum of motivation which spans from what’s your purpose to what you want to achieve. And, with the ridiculous number of distractions in the world, it is important that you nurture your ‘purpose’ and keep that fire burning within you.

How motivation works

The realm of motivation is a sacred space. No TED talk, no inspirational quote, no motivational speaker can keep you motivated for your entire life. You can learn to obtain it, to keep it, to fuel it. But, only those who understand the ‘why’ behind their motivation are able to keep their relationship with motivation healthy.

And once you know your ‘why’, there are just two most important things that you need to do in order to sustain motivation- set incremental goals and have a disciplined approach to accomplish them.

Get into the habit of Deliberate Practice. Commit a time in your day when you sit down and get work done within that micro-deadline. Having a schedule puts you on an auto-pilot mode by giving your tasks a time to materialize.

Of course, it’s easier said than done. There will be days when nothing will inspire you, when the black hole of negativity will choke all your motivation. Well, on such days, go back to your ‘why’. Tell yourself why you signed up for this and why accomplishing this is more important than everything else in the world.

And if you don’t get a satisfactory answer, probably it’s time to rethink what’s holding you back. Probably, all along you’ve been with the wrong goal and now it’s time to date a new, ahem, goal.

Hugs,
Tarun