My skin crawls when I read motivational Pinterest quotes. I can’t stand hearing one more “you can do it” Instagram video.
The cult of motivational speaking is like nails on a chalkboard to me.
There are basically two varieties:
- Those who have already “made it,” so it’s seemingly much easier for them to talk about the path to success.
- Those who are a complete mess, and are somehow trying to show you how to live a more fulfilling life because they can repeat something they heard Gary V or Tony Robbins say.
You may be quick to point out, that many of the things I write have a flavor of motivation and inspiration. The retelling of my daily discoveries are often about overcoming obstacles, and confronting my own limitations.
And this brings me to the central thesis of this post: motivational content is fundamentally all the same, and virtually all of it lacks depth.
Wading in the shallows
When I think about what motivates me, it doesn’t sound difficult in my mind. There are no caveats or conditions. “Just do it” works because to be motivated requires action. Action is most easily spurred by simple statements and objectives.
The reason why all motivational content sounds the same, is because it is all the same.
- There is nothing profound about moving forward.
- There is nothing overly complex about choosing to believe you can overcome.
- There is nothing logical, rational, deep, or enlightening about someone who doesn’t know you, telling you that something is possible.
That is, in fact, the secret to it.
The core of motivation is actually quite simple. Simply put: just keep getting up, and moving forward. When confronted with obstacles, overcome them. When you feel the fear, look it in the eye, and do it anyway. When motivational people talk about it, they are sharing from the same source.
The hard part in all of this is not in explaining it. There are hundreds of thousands of people on the internet right now, trying to inspire you…and they are all saying the same thing.
The real work is YOU deciding to do it. That’s when you will understand that it’s really quite simple. And then, maybe you too, will become overwhelmingly irritated by motivational gurus spouting off simple, practical advice under the guise of inspirational mysticism.
You don’t need them, you don’t need me. You already have everything you need.
