By Leo BabautaWe all have times when we’re not sticking to our plans, not feeling psyched about what we’re supposed to be doing, and when we know we just need to get some motivation to get moving. The usual motivational tips aren’t always very helpful. But there are three motivations that I’ve found to be truly powerful.
If you can bring in a combination of all three, you’ll be unstoppable. You’ll walk through walls. Let’s dig into how to bring these tools to bear. Remember That Your Days Are LimitedThe Buddhists, the Stoics and the samurai all meditated on death, and it is a powerful thing to meditate on. It reminds you that time is fleeting, that ultimately we have a limited number of days, and that we must let go of the unimportant and get our butts moving!
Now, meditation on death might sound gruesome and depressing, but in truth, it’s liberating and incredibly motivating. If you knew that you only had a month to live, you’d cut out all the distractions and time-wasting crap, and get down to what’s truly important to you. What if you only had a year to live? What if you had five years? What would change for you? It could also just be as simple as remembering that this night, our days are diminished by one. An evening Zen chant goes as follows:
Imagine reminding yourself of this every evening. Some Buddhists meditate on death, imagining what their death would be like and visualizing their decaying corpses, five times a day. For me, it’s as simple as remembering:
It helps me to be better to others, because that’s how I want to live. And it helps me to focus on the meaningful work I care most deeply about, because I know that’s more important than my own comfort and distractions. Meditation on Loved OnesThere are lots of possible motivations for doing our work — from money to living the life you want to making yourself more comfortable or happy to serving the world in some bigger way. And many more possibilities. In fact, each act you do might have multiple motivations. But I’ve found that doing it for people you care deeply about is incredibly powerful. And meditating on those people can really get you moving. Why do I do any of the work I do? For money or praise? No, I do my work for a couple important reasons:
Meditate on those you care deeply about. Find a place in your heart where you feel a deep love for them. Find a devotion in your heart that is more powerful than your inertia, or feelings of being stuck, or not wanting to do anything right now. They deserve for you to rise up, and meditating on their hearts regularly will be an incredible motivator. Play & ExplorationMeditating on death can sound incredibly serious. Meditating on the hearts of your loved ones can feel moving but still pretty serious. It’s important to lighten it up with a little play and adventure! I’ve found that most things are impossible to sustain for very long if they’re only serious, if they’re boring, if they feel like a chore. You might be stuck right now in a project that feels like a chore. What transforms that activity is turning it into something filled with some mix of:
Now, not everything is going to be fun and exciting. But you can bring play and curiosity and exploration to most tasks. For example:
As you can see, bringing a sense of playfulness and exploration, curiosity and adventure, to anything you do can transform that activity. It makes it into something more fun, more about learning and stomping around in the woods. That’s something you’re much more likely to want to wake up to do each day than boring chores. Four Additional Powerful TipsThe three powerful motivations above are life-changing, in my experience. But there are a few additional tips that really help:
If you implement these motivations and additional tips, I have no doubt in the world that you can move mountains and walk through walls. If it all feels like too much, just start small, and take the tiniest first step. It’s a beautiful one. via Tumblr The Three Most Powerful Motivations
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