As some of you may know, I was on a sabbatical from writing. As a result, my writing has gotten a bit rusty. In order to get back into it, I asked around for topics to write on. One of the most common themes I noticed is the topic of motivation. Half of my feed is full of motivational posts, even then a lot of people asked me to write motivational pieces. I, however, have a different take on the subject.
I feel that these motivational posts, self help books, podcasts and ted talks et al only tackle the tip of the iceberg. The thing is, everyone has a different identity. Every person in this world has had experiences unique only to them. Even identical twins lead vastly different lives. As such, what works for one person’s psyche may not work for another. All these motivational quotes like “No one is you and that is your power” or “You can do whatever you want” or “Everything will get better” are extremely generic and do not add any real value.
I’m not being harsh here, though. These quotes are fine as long as one needs a slight boost in confidence, but the problem is they don’t go below the surface. This is also the reason why I don’t write motivational posts or quotes. I consider myself to be a pretty good motivator. Quite a number of friends and cousins have said that they have benefited from my positive words.
The key is communication. There needs to be two way communication as far as motivation is concerned. You need to talk to the person, understand their problem, try and come up with solutions. Even when there is no apparent solution in sight, don’t just say that everything will magically work out, that never works. Instead, just be there for them, talk to them. It’s therapeutic and will help way more than any self help book or popular blogger ever could.
That being said, there is nothing wrong with looking at the bright side of things in general. Even if you don’t know the entire situation of the person in front of you, it is better to say something encouraging than to say “You won’t be able to make it.” I too do that and some of my work may represent that. The thing is, I try to be upbeat and optimistic as much as I can, but I don’t go overboard with it conjuring up cheesy one liners on the way.
Despite my dislike of all this motivational stuff floating on the internet, I’d love to help you get motivated, dear reader, if need be. Please contact me if you ever need a friend to talk to. You can even contact me anonymously and pour all your heart out. I’d be glad to be of help. If you don’t like to play e-mail e-mail, coannect with me here on Twitter.
Much love,
–SG
Lolz ! Thats the reason I commented on your post wherein you asked for suggestion for topics.And yes every situation and personality is different so a common solution may not be valid .
PS
The easiest thing one can give is advise… Ha Ha ….
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Haha, that’s true.
Do you have any other suggestions?
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You seem to write on general topics .Maybe you can write on education system its lapses / social security /fiction /hobbies
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Too much motivation these days..
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So you agree with me.
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Yes.
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Hey S.G. nice one..I cent percent agree with you. Your positive post has always induced me to read you, I love to read your outlook.
I don’t know how much motivation write ups help. My posts revolves around to be that one frnd to someone to whom one can pour out hearts out to and it’s very important to be one.
Again that’s really nice of you to say they can reach you personally, but how many do that?
Infact I have something like this titled ‘you are your inspiration’
No one but only you can be your own help, guide and that makes you NO ONE IS YOU AND THAT IS YOUR POWER
Lots of love and hugs
Jay:)
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Hahaha. As I said, different people have different mindets, some people can help themselves, some can’t. Some will reach out to others, some won’t. I can’t really critique their choices.
Your posts are good for a certain type of audience, in fact, I can bet you’re the best blogger in your genre, but then again, it is not for everyone.
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Thats really sweet of you, thank you:) again everything is not for everyone.
We must do what we are best at and leave a legacy to be cherished:)
Words are indeed powerful that’s all I know.
Btw I don’t term myself as any kind of blogger:) I just write my mind😊
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Your mind seems to always revolve around Self-help. 😛
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Hahaha oh yessss yessss yessss, and I’m loving it😍
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Beautiful take and I totally agree with your perspective on motivational posts. People can only motivate you if they know you on a deep, personal level and have seen you grow. They are the best sources to help you in judging your potential.
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Reblogged this on One Day at a Time and commented:
An interesting take on motivation posts
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Hey thanks for the reblog Cheryl. 🙂
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Good post. There are many ways to look at motivation, while realizing motivational is totally different. And you’re not rusty…you still are a captivating writer….worry less, write more
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Thanks for the kind words LA. 🙂
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I totally see where you’re coming from. I’d have to agree. However, there is time and place for everything. And it seems like “those” posts are doing well in terms of numbers.
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Of course they’re doing well in terms of numbers. They tell you exactly what you want to hear and pander to the lowest common denominator. But remember, Quality > Quantity.
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we are all free to choose what becomes us…that’s the beauty of thoughts, nest-ce pas?
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I agree about the generic motivational posts. Just like taste in music, motivation is also a subjective thing. Look at Youtubers like Casey Neistat. They are successful because they love doing what they do and in the process they also inspire other people. But their style of motivation is different, in that, they explain how to find what motivates you. Looking at it from the other side, i.e.., I feel, people need to put some effort in finding what motivates them.
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Yes… motivational books do fine for a moment, then vanish, but yes, talking to someone (therapy in case of severe issues) allows the specific problems to find vent, even if the other person is not able to provide solutions.
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Exactly my point. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
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I accept, positivity can’t come by reading books. Very realistic love this post
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Thanks. 🙂
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Nice sharing.
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What you pointed out is right that specific solutions had to be given for each problem that a person faces and not a general one, but it’s not easy for a person to pour out his/her heart unless he/she finds out that the other one is reliable and truly wanted to help him out , right?
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Right. But that’s not the point. The point is, such posts only touch the tip of the iceberg while a conversation with a loved one (or in some cases a complete stranger) are much more helpful.
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❤ ❤ Loved this post and you are doing a great job at motivating already. Such pieces requires a lot more marketing and stuff. But, you, my friend, is here to inspire the world with very thought of yours. Thanks for being there for everybody.
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I enjoy bloggers sharing their personal experiences that might shape/enhance our lives but am bored with self-help blogs on how to make our lives fantastic. Good post.
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Thank you Kerry.
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https://http248447595.wordpress.com/
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It’s eye opening post..really going to help in future. Great thoughts.
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Hello, may I use your picture “What motivates you?” to a bachelor project, in my teaching degree? It fits perfectly to my topic about, how to motivate children in gym class.
Hope to hear from you soon!
Louise Beate Berthelsen
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Do you want to use the text I wrote or do you want to use the cover picture I used?
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Just the cover picture 🙂
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Yeah use it. No worries mate.
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Thank you very much!
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yeah i agree with you on that. our brains are so differently wired however i gotta admit, motivational stuff is the only thing that got be studying my ass off …for years and now. Motivational stuff is why i have dreams. But yet again if i want to DO SOMETHING then i will have to do it myself, foe example if i want to be more empathetic then i tell myself be kind because everyone is hurting, but that doesn’t mean this will work on someone as well.
on some level motivation does work but on others, you gotta do it urself ye know
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