Unfortunately, motivation is not a solution. The new generation relies on motivation and considers it a prerequisite for achieving success and excellence in life, personally and professionally. But can motivation by ‘motivational speakers’ be sufficient for young individuals to succeed in life?
Let me exemplify the criticality of this notion. We have young and dynamic individuals that watch a video of a certain speaker and listen to them for motivation to do whatever it is they desire, professionally or academically. They are listening to a particular individual, to the extent of addiction, believing in the fact that their success or efforts have a certain sense of proportionate or even disproportionate equation with how much they listen to that speaker. They will be energetic and motivated after listening to their favorite so-called motivational speaker.
There’s no potential problem so far. If a person derives their positivity and motivation from an individual by listening to them, what’s wrong with that? In such times of distress and notable surges in depression cases, it is a blessing that someone receives a sense of positivity from any source at all. The problem lies in the perception that it is the key to success and it is all you need to be successful in life.
There should be a natural drive and inclination towards work at such a young stage and age for an individual. A sense of urgency and work ethic must be present from having a vision for the future and an action plan and mission to achieve it. If all we’re motivated by is listening to someone speak to us through a YouTube video – that model of motivation is not sustainable.
You cannot possibly watch motivational videos every single day of your life. What happens when the circumstances do not permit sitting and watching a motivational video in your room but actually stepping out and taking action to work towards that dream or ambition of yours? Individuals addicted to motivational speakers suffer when, for any reason, they are unable to get that free adrenaline rush of hearing their favorite speaker talking about how important it is to work hard in life.
The day you don’t listen to *insert favorite motivational speaker* – It’s automatically a bad day. You have what they term as bad vibes. The energy is lacking. The passion isn’t there. There’s a lack of focus, lack of charisma. You don’t have that boost or hit. This is the problem. In order to do what’s required and in order for us to be on our A-game, we are relying on motivational speakers to the extent of fanaticism. While there is no harm in listening to such speakers share their experiences and letting that motivate you – But isn’t life so shallow if that is all that motivates you to wake up and go to work?
The passion, energy, charisma, and focus should come from within. It should come from a central vision in your life to achieve something and be greater than what you currently are in your life. It should come from an overriding ambition or goal, which can cut through any impediments such as laziness or nervousness, or lack of self-belief. Now, it is imperative to mention here, that most of the motivational speakers are people I highly respect. We should learn from them and attempt to apply our learning to our lives vs. being addicted to what they are saying with zero practical application. We should be more inclined towards inspiration, not motivation. Let the greats inspire you. Learn from them.
So far we have understood that motivation is not the solution because in order for something to qualify as a solution it must be sustainable. If you cannot sustain it, it will continuously bring you back to where you started from – not being motivated at all. It’s a temporary solution to a long term crisis that our youngsters are facing: a lack of central vision in lives.
Whenever I have heard a successful person answer why and how they have been successful in life, seldom have motivational videos been the answer or anywhere near that. The answer is work.
As cliché as it sounds, it is the ultimate solution. When we look at the 2nd richest actor in the world and ask him what makes him so successful, Shahrukh answers “I just come to work every day, do my work, and go back”. This consistency doesn’t come from watching videos. We watch videos; we show up to work and do great work.
Tomorrow, we need to watch videos again to get ‘fired up’ and do great work. Successful people get that fire from doing what they want to do, not talking about it. We look at Bill Gates and we come to learn that he never ever believed in weekends. Working every day. This consistency is what makes a person successful. It’s lacking in all of us because we cannot sustain our efforts naturally.
We rely on artificial means to do something that should naturally come to us. This manipulation is not too far-fetched; it becomes evident as soon as the motivational power fades off. And, mind you, it doesn’t take that long for it to fade off. Sounds so old-school and out of fashion these days, but here’s the only sustainable solution: Work.
