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