Is there any point in reading motivational stuff or success stories?

Davehut

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I just started my website a few days ago and while I'm taking action for the most part (keeping it at a 90% action 10% reading ratio), I keep seeing these posts, not just on here, where people who succeeded try to inspire people or try to ''hype'' them up to take action or work harder. The posts regarding changing your mentality are useful the first time, but then they seem redundant, since they all come down to a single point: Do it.

I'm expecting a horrific grind before I get successful at this, but I prefer relying to intrinsic motivation (my killer instinct and my desire to daily improvement) than external motivation. I don't know, I feel kind of insulted when someone tries to motivate me, it's like if they're saying I don't want it bad enough. I believe willpower is a muscle and relying on external motivation works on the short-term, but they're not working your willpower muscle, thus making you wanting to quit on the long term. I see all these abandoned case studies who started with people so hyped at the beginning, but quit.

Or am I wrong? Maybe external motivation can be used as a sort of a ''supplement'' to your willpower ? I know your psychology is a HUGE part of either or not you'll succeed, so I just wanted to know. This post seems a bit too like mental masturbation, I'll get back to working back on my shit lol.
 
Most of those folks are the same. They typically sound like they're on their 5th line of coke and they all say pretty much the same thing, most of the time as loud as possible. "Do it now", "Get started today", "Stop messing around", "Don't make excuses", etc. The bottom line is, inspiration/desperation is the first step on the road to action. Do what you have to do to get/stay on that road.
 
Sometimes hearing something from a certain angle, different tone, or at the right moment can get a person out of the rut they are in. We all get stuck in the mud at times and need a little push here and there. But no one can take the whole journey for you. You have to do 99% of the work, you and you alone.

The difference between what we do and others is we have no cheerleaders or home team crowd. Until you get an office with business partners, employees, and other people around you to be held accountable to, this game is pure lonely and about willpower. So even when you fail or succeeded there is no ”Congratz!” Or “Maybe next time.”

The mental strength needed gets more difficult the higher you rise.
 
I think you feel insulted when someone tries to motivate you because you're motivated now. The reason motivation posts don't go away and keep coming back up is because motivation is fleeting. Your intrinsic motivation will wax and wane.

The reason motivation posts always boil down to telling you to do something, anything, is because motivation is a transient thing. What's not transient is the doing if you keep doing and form a habit, and that becomes dedication, determination, and conviction. It becomes a framework you follow that ensures no matter how you feel motivation-wise, the work is getting done.

Those motivation posts are really just disguised tricks we toss at each other to keep us doing. Because in the end, you can do 1000 tasks without any motivation behind them and succeed. But you can't be motivated and do ZERO tasks and succeed.

Everyone I know has a dream. Every single person. The only person in this big circle locally that is actively doing anything about their dream is me. Whether I feel like shit or not, I'm making moves. Sometimes, when I'm really down in the dumps, a 5 minute motivational post or video gets me through the next couple of hours. Then I need a little motivational re-up again for the next couple of hours.

Other times, I'm like you and I'm riding a motivational high, maybe even manic to a degree. Motivational posts seem real cheesy at that point. But other times they're a god send because they add a little fuel to my tank that keeps me doing. It's all about the doing.
 
Someone said that inspiration/motivation is like a garden. If your leaves are wilting and your plants are dying, it's time to water.

But it's possible to over water (which would be spending all your time "getting motivated" but not progressing).

It sounds like you're in good shape for now, but it never hurts to have some hype videos or speeches or quotes in your back pocket for when there's a drought.

Edit: Here's one that struck me the other day, this guy runs a computer repair shop in NYC and his videos are a mix of rants, detailed repair guides, and earnest discussions about entrepreneurial struggles like this one.
 
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I liked to read https://boldanddetermined.com/ once in a while back in the day. I just never felt like any motivational effect lasted very long.
As much as I hate to say it, hitting rock bottom is a much superior motivator. That and being around really hot women. Both act as a primal motivator to me.
 
Ryuzaki said:
Whether I feel like shit or not, I'm making moves.
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That's kind of what I meant by intrinsic motivation. The ability to control your emotions and do what you have to do is what seems whatever you feel like to be the key to all of this. Maybe discipline, or, like you said, dedication is a better word. There is a SHIT TON of stuff I need to learn and apply, so getting ready mentally for the long journey ahead is key. I don't want to fucking quit and let my dreams be dreams.
 
I think motivational content can be good to get you on the path, but if you're relying on it as your main source of motivation -- something's wrong. Use it to get started, then make your own motivation from receiving money, being able to take time off, learning new things, "beating the competition" etc.

Be motivated by where you are now compared to 2 years ago, and where you'll be in 2 years ... and not where someone else was 2 years ago and where they are now ...
 
"People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily." - Zig Ziglar
 
Motivation is good from time to time. But I rely more on discipline. I know my goal and what needs to be done - and I do it.

It's not nice doing those last reps at the gym or writing that boring article about screwdrivers, but it needs to be done. It takes disciplin to walk through the mud every day. I think relying on motivation is dangerous. All I need is steele firm disciplin. If I see a motivating event on TV, hear a motivating song or whatever - it's just a bonus to me.
 
Thinking about the way my life has developed, I would say that incremental steps have had the most practical success - which should make motivation easier since they are more achievable.

For example, say I wanted to emigrate to Australia, live on Bondi Beach and go surfing when I wanted....
Firstly, I need to work out a way to get to Australia by one means or another.
Now I am there, it is easier to find a way to stay there permanently.
Once I have found a way to stay there permanently, I need to look at a means of staying at Bondi Beach.
Now I am at Bondi Beach I need to work out a way to allow me to go surfing when I want.

Breaking it down into those steps and concentrating on one at a time is easier than looking at 1000 motivational videos saying 'Just Do It (Sign Up to a Subscription for my 40 Video Package Showing You How To Do It)'. And then giving up because there is no way I can conceive of going directly from small-town Alberta or Alabama or Ayrshire to my dream of surfing in the sunshine of Bondi no matter how motivated I might be for that moment.
 
Olov said:
It's not nice doing those last reps at the gym or writing that boring article about screwdrivers, but it needs to be done. It takes disciplin to walk through the mud every day. I think relying on motivation is dangerous.
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Exactly. You have to be willing to continue to work through and past boredom, which motivation will not help you do. Discipline and good processes, however, will. And you know what? That article about screwdrivers might be boring for you at your current level to write, but it might be the best fucking thing someone's read all day. What's boring for you is exciting for beginners. The more experienced you are, the more stuff you'll consider boring while it looks like god-mode to cavemen.
 
I don't need motivation to work, I need motivation to finish 1 hour on a treadmill. I recommend Rammstein. Rage is a very potent motivator.
 
As others have said, motivational content is a tool and you should use it as such. Its purpose is to get you back on track when you most need it. And sooner or later, we all need it. Everyone has bad days.

In fact, I have my own collection titled "Stress, Anxiety, Frustration, Anger". It's a single Word file with around 50 quotes that resonate with me. Whenever I feel frustrated, anxious, afraid, or otherwise stressed - I open the file and read through the quotes.

It's no magic, but 100% of the time enough to break the feedback loop from hell and give my mind some overall perspective. It's a trick I learned from Awaken The Giant Within (archive.org link) by Robbins.
 
Janiform said:
What's boring for you is exciting for beginners.
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Actually it can be the total opposite. When you've been around many years you often end up inside the square.
Reading and seeing others do things in a different way can inspire you to do something entirely unrelated in a different way.
Add some efficiencies to your processes, or just inspire a whole new business venture.

And with all respect the OP is a beginner and not the category of "bored".
Yes it is mental masturbation, it's supposed to make feel good about what you're doing.

For me atm I'm enjoying reading the Lab section of the forum.
I really like the ground up build. The "got 100 last month and this month is 160!" type posts.
 
Potatoe said:
Someone said that inspiration/motivation is like a garden. If your leaves are wilting and your plants are dying, it's time to water.
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Best way to put it that I've seen.

i find music, that's written in the form of poetry , that has motiviational words, really increases my overall productivity by a serious margin.

If you study how we absorb information on a daily basis.... aka 'programming' or 'training' the mind and our nervous system. I dont think you could disagree that it's effective in helping you because just like food, you become what you digest over time.
 
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