Slow and Steady…
One hurdle that everyone has had in life is trying to do something according to your own free will. We all wish to accomplish something that others aren’t achieving without the assignment of a teacher nor order from parents. It is a supremely difficult thing and the main reason most people just work, eat, and watch the tube.
And for every successful personal goal like climbing a mountain or slimming off 10lbs, there are thousands of failed attempts that succumb to laziness and demotivation. We really so much on external pressure like a scale or app that we forget to nurture an internal sense of motivation.
There are a couple of salient ways I try to keep myself motivated (the prospect of revenge being one of them, muahahahaha….) and today, I’ll share one that has always kept me chugging along. Hopefully it helps you out too.
Don’t Tell Anyone
That’s it. Just don’t tell anyone your goals. Not your parents, your friends, maybe not even your spouse. Feel the urge to get advice and some external motivation? Don’t do it! Don’t tell anyone and go out of your way to hide it. Don’t post about it, don’t Tweet the world, and definitely don’t put it up on the Steem blockchain until it’s done and past.
There are some really compelling reasons for this.
1- Getting motivation from others actually takes away momentum.
One of the major consequences of telling someone your goals is that they (usually) congratulate you on embarking on such a worthy journey. Studies have found that this instills a level of accomplishment even before any real work has begun. This is one of the main dangers of “virtue signaling” and receiving debilitating praise before any major headway has been made. The last thing you want to do as an aspiring ‘marathon runner’ is to feel as if you’ve already run it before you begin training.
2- The look of surprise and reaction from your friends and family will be even stronger.
This is one of the most satisfactory aspects of keeping it a secret. Most people are fairly open about their resolutions and goals, mostly to receive the exact praise I outlined above. If you stay hush hush about your long-term ambitions, others will be doubly shocked that you actually did something for you own sake. That quality is rare in people today and will serve as an even higher feeling of fulfillment and uniqueness.
3- Bootstrap your confidence.
One of the most incredible sensations for anyone in this world is knowing that you did everything with your own two hands (or in this case, own two feet). In a world of interlocking social media madness, we’ve seem to forgo this deep satisfaction of bootstrapping by oneself. Try it out, even if its a small goal like fixing an old machine or making your own frames. I promise that the sensation is unrivaled.
I even found this gem on Youtube -
Not-so-humble runners aside, I’m curious to hear your thoughts on all this. What are your strategies for following through with your goals? As always, let me know in the comments below and Steem on!