Why I don’t like motivational quotes.

A quote copied from Brainyquotes.com or SUCCESS.com or some other cliched named site which makes it all the more captivating because I am too lazy or unintelligent enough to write something original of my own. After all, this is easier and requires less brainpower than coming up with something of my own. Besides they are great click bates for the masses. That would be you. Sorry to be so blunt, but I’m afraid it’s true.

A couple of feel great drugs which makes you feel you can achieve anything, merely by reading those stupid quotes.

Motivational Quotes.

These quotes fuel a raging beast inside me. But this doesn’t change the fact that I bought a 6 month gym pack on new year’s eve and struggled to went there for a week.

Here I am scrolling through my social media bullshit, reading bullshit quotes about how I can change my bullshit life and turn it to a let’s say a little less bullshit life. All these leads to some dopamine in my brain which makes me feel good about myself for a minute. I feel so good that I plan how I will live my life from now own. A different morning routine. No social media. Go to gym everyday. Read more books. Educate myself.

And the next day I proceed to do the same old stuff as I did before.

Reading some BS post on medium like “How to stay motivated and achieve my dreams?” by some random dude followed by thousands. Reading it irrespective of knowing it doesn’t change shit.

Every Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, Quora etc, every trendy office, every magazine, every form of public communication seems compelled to include as many motivational images and messages as possible. But do these have any effect on people? Or are they just one step up from wallpaper?

Real work or real artistry doesn’t happen by reading quotes on social media. It happens when you actually do the work (which requires social media to be turned off).

Note: I’m not even looking at motivational quotes on social while I write this, otherwise I wouldn’t have the focus to write — but I sure would be inspired to write an article about this… one day.

And yeah motivational quotes can be of great use sometimes , like when you have hit rock bottom and needs some words to tell you, you can do it. Yeah, I am not against that. I am not against that.

What actually irritates me a lot about motivational quotes is its short term effect on us. You know how you go through your Instagram news feed and I also know that you follow a lot of Motivational quotes pages, right? So when you see a quote, which let me guess, always feels highly relatable to you, makes you feel like it was posted just to show you that you are meant for more than this or that you can change your life just by thinking its yours. Guess what, motivational quotes makes all of us feel like that. It makes us feel invincible.

But you would say “,Woah! Why do you hate these quotes so much then, Abhed. Isn’t feeling invincible good?”

Me : Yeah, Feeling invincible is great. Makes you feel powerful. Yeah, that’s really cool. But what do you do after that? I mean after seeing that quote?

You: I scroll down.

Me: That’s the problem. Motivational quotes just give you a rush of dopamine leading you to feel invincible but just for a really small amount of time. That amounts to nothing.

I can also blame this on the internet( which actually consists of us, People like me who put some content on the internet which generates views which leads to a lot of feel good drugs) which produces millions of content everyday like this one directing you how to change your life. I am a hypocrite but so are you.

Thank you @bob for your insight in this post.

You know what actually motivates me? Actually doing the work.

I have been in the gym for two month, that’s the most I have ever done, considering I have only applied for gym two times including this one. The first time(which lasted for a week)the food stall outside my institute seemed more fascinating than the gym itself. But I want to go to gym everyday, I have made it a habit. Now, if I don’t go to a gym for a day, my whole day messes up, the day just doesn’t feel right. By noticing this and some previous similar scenarios I have recognized that if we want to try something new or leverage something, we have to ingrain it in our days.

If I went to gym the previous day it kinda rigs my brain to go that day too. Yeah sometimes there will be off days but I got to know about the strategy, for example, You have been procrastinating some important work for quite a while but the game of thrones latest season is too enthralling to not to binge watch so I count start backwards from ten to one. It is a psychology thing like some kind of pressure builds up inside me to get up and start doing my work. It has pretty much changed my everyday working.

I have observed in my seventeen years of life and mainly by reading James Clear( thumbs up to you)and Josh Spector (Cheers!)emails that if you want to incorporate something new in your life, You have to start little by little. A little pre-work ritual that will help you do the entire work with ease.

For example,

• If you want to start gym, put on your training shoes. So easy.
• If you want to write a book, Pick up a book and a pen.
• If you want to start making connections, talk to the first person you see. So easy yet so satisfying.

The most important part of any any task is starting. If you can’t get motivated in the beginning, then you’ll find that motivation often comes after starting.

Thanks for reading! :)

Check out my profile for more. @abhed447