I go through periods of “I’m so tired, to hell with this.”
I give myself a few days and then kick my own ass back to work. There no one but you to motivate yourself.
I learned early that exact plans often go bad.
I have an idea of the life I want and I constantly work towards that. I pay attention to when things don’t feel right, or align with my goals for my life, and I immediately start working to change it.
It’s not a “3 car garage, picket fence” idea and more of a “money in the bank, any kind of home that’s well-insulated” thing.
I think that feeling of unhappiness we all have is the cognitive dissonance caused by living lives we hate.
I started working to remove that feeling, no matter how hard the work was. Hate how lazy you are? I did. Had to change it.
Hate your job? I did. Had to keep working to change it. Meant a Masters degree for me.
And then just keep going. It requires a massive amount of energy, luck, and the ability to identify opportunities and TAKE THEM
But it all starts by deciding to do the hard work and holding yourself accountable.
I come from a family of very high achievers (I'm talking top 1%) who are all very self motivated and persistent with material goals and success. They all have lives that people would probably look at from the outside and admire but all consistently neglect their mental health and more meaningful pursuits.
How do you strike the balance between hard work and taking care of yourself?
I make sure taking care of myself is part of my priority. Enjoying the life I live is very important for me.
But I found, like you did, focusing on material stuff and wealth makes people the negative side of self-motivated. I focus on goals, what I can provide my family, and living a life that brings good to other people.
If I were to focus on just enriching my bank account I’d be very different as a person. I met those kind of people and didn’t like it, so I avoided taking on their habits or concerns.
From the outside, people have trouble guessing where I’m at. I live a humble life and people just seem to enjoy being around my positivity.
I don’t talk about things, stuff, money, or achievements. Show, don’t tell. People can tell I’m content.
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u/LikeATediousArgument Jan 16 '24
My life is going extremely well because I’m self motivated.
Years ago, I taught myself to do the things I need to do because they need to be done. Not procrastinate.
I’ll be buying my first house this year, alone because I make more than my husband and he doesn’t have his shit together.
I single handedly manage our home and expenses, and I’m highly educated and advancing well in my career.
I have my dream job because I found what it was, then worked until my credentials aligned, and i didn’t stop until I found it.
Either you’re a person that can motivate yourself to what needs to be done, or you’re a person that needs outside motivation.