Motivation is freaking overrated

Motivation is freaking overrated.

Had it worked the way it is hyped, I would have become a Millionaire, A Rockstar, A Newyork Times Best Selling Author by now.

Sadly enough, I am not any of them.

Do I not get motivated?

Yes, I do, in fact, maybe more than needed.

I get motivated now and then.

When I am motivated, I get surged with energy, I feel high and someday even cry out of excitement that I will conquer the World.

The following day life returns to normal, and life is on a daily treadmill again.

I have been asking myself if those emotions which I experience during my high motivation are authentic?

If so, why I have not been to channelize and leverage that to my success.

The problem with motivation is that it is transient when it is externally induced.

Very rarely we experience undying self-motivation.

We attend seminars, watch TED talks, listen to Gurus, and get charged, and then it dies down.

Most of the time, that burst of motivation may not be truly aligned with our inner authentic self.

We may have only presumed that to be a true motivation.

External motivations are like addictions.

We need a constant supply of them to keep ourselves going.

It gives a rush of adrenalin but is never sustained.

If we depend on external motivation to live our purpose, there is a great deal of danger because you can not constantly supply external motivations.

Then what do we do?

In his Best Selling Book, Simon Sinek tells us why we should start with a “Why” in whatever we do in our life.

In conventional wisdom, people will start first with “What” and then “How” if at all some juice is left, then think about “Why.”

When I tried my hands in Entrepreneurship, almost everybody asked what I am going to do.

Nobody asked why I want to do it.

I had hard times telling that I will have to find out that “ What.”

My journey was like, okay, I know why I want to embark on that journey, I probably know the destination even, but I am yet to figure out how to go.

They say if your Why is strong, eventually the What and How will show up.

When we know the “why” of what we are doing that resonates with our true self and purpose, then magic happens.

That is when people get into the Flow State of Mind and produce their best.

Then our actions are inspired and are not limited to mere daily rituals.

When we are truly inspired, not merely motivated, we are ready to go any distance till our goals are achieved.

Now, the question is that how do you find out Your Why, which is probably rooted in your passions.

No easy answers.

Some are fortunate to find their passions in early life.

Some need to dive deep to find it out.

If you ask yourself the incidents in your life that made you most happy, that might give you some cues.

I loved writing, and when I got first prize in my college for writing, I was delighted.

So the cue was writing is one of my passions.

Another way of seeking cues is to observe yourself keenly.

If you can get engrossed in an activity and really not bothered about time, do not care for food or water, and you want to keep doing whatever you are doing, then that could be your passion.

If we are ready to do things without even getting adequate compensation, that might be your passion as well.

The Japanese concept of Ikigai has helped many to find out their Passion and Purpose.

Ikigai means “a reason for being.”

It refers to having a direction or purpose in life that makes one’s life worthwhile.

When you can find your Ikigai, you will take spontaneous and willing actions, and it will give you satisfaction and a sense of meaning to your life.

Ikigai is that sweet spot, where the four circles of 1) what we love doing 2) what we are good at doing, 3)what the world needs, and 4) what we can be paid intersects.

If we thought that we have not achieved what we intend to achieve, lack of motivation might not be the real reason.

The crux is to find out that Inner Calling, Passion, and true Purpose.

Once we find the real purpose, it will inspire you every day.

You will be ready to live that purpose every day.

This is the true state of inspired living, and life doesn't have to bank on external motivation to keep moving forward.

You can resort to short-time motivation only for tactical reasons, like after a pep talk by your coach, you can feel charged up to go to the field with high energy for a game of soccer, you put your best, and maybe even win.

But if you want to be a legendary soccer player, you can wait for a coach to motivate you every day.

You have to be truly inspired and all the time.

Be inspired rather than being motivated.