Motivation is a Trap, Trigger, and Anti-Logic

So this is what happened when someone from work shared an article on Daruma Doll.

Daruma Doll: It is a centuries-old tradition from Japan that is positive, motivational, and fun (it works). This is similar to sticky notes that remind us to do things. The doll embodies this popular Japanese proverb: Nanakorobi Yaoki. "Fall down seven times, stand up eight."

The story: Bodhidharma monk, Bodhidharma is said to have traveled to the Shaolin Monastery. After either being refused entry or being ejected after a short time, he lived in a nearby cave, where he faced a wall for nine years, not speaking for the entire time. In one of the versions of the story, he is said to have fallen asleep 7 years into his 9 years of wall-gazing. Becoming angry with himself, he cut off his eyelids to prevent from falling asleep again.

When I read it for the first time, the story really impressed me. I almost had this compulsive urge to buy one for myself for New Year’s Eve. But when I thought it over, and asked myself the question, “what motivates me?” Within a split second, I realized and concluded that "The work/goal both are an end and means in themselves." Bodhidharma motivated himself in trying to achieve that goal.

And here we are contemplating using a doll for motivation. I felt really silly for having that thought to depend on external tools for motivation. What claptrap!

Motivation is a trap:

Common People: "Oh, come on, boy! You can do it!"

Me: "Oh, please! I know I can. If you know any other alternate ways of doing this, enlighten me."

Common people know that they can’t succeed in their attempts. They’d want you to be their scapegoat, and they’d follow that path only if you succeed in your attempt. You are their lab rat. They encourage you to pursue a goal and want you to attempt it, not because they care, but they want to leverage your success/failure ratio for their own personal agendas. Instead of all that torment, can't I just say it to myself, "Oh, boy, that's the target."

Motivation is a trigger:

Above example triggers us to attempt and accomplish something that we know we can! Be wary of common people encouraging you to pursue/attempt something, and read their underlying agendas. You got to be street-smart, have a voracious appetite to improve yourself through constant learning, and practice, and wise enough to distinguish right from the wrong. The time you think to yourself that you’re cool, I got this, that's the trigger they use against you. So be self-sufficient.

Motivation is anti-logic:

Anti-logic whether it be self-triggered or through other people always takes us down the maze of forming an opinion (good or bad) which will latently influence us to think from the other’s perspective. That should be the last thing that you should do. Self anti-logic would be something on the lines of: "Always think through the pros and cons, brace yourself for the worst outcome, and give your best shot. That way, you’re covering all your bases, and you’d be happy and content with the final product whatever it might be."

"You don’t need external influences whether it is people, desire or objects to motivate you. You’ve got to own the fact that you yourself are a great motivator."

"You don’t need someone else or objects to motivate you as you yourself are motivation."