Happy New Year everyone! I must admit that the New Year is not a holiday I usually celebrate a whole lot, but I do like that is seen as a time of new beginnings and bettering yourself. I am always trying to be a better person, so New Years Day is not so special to me personally. However, it does make me happy that other people find meaning and motivation in the start of the new year.
Speaking of motivation, I recently realized that it is almost impossible to motivate myself to do something I really don't want to do. I wanted to write about this not because I feel like it is something I can change, but because I wonder how common it is. Is it like tickling yourself - other people can do it to you but you can't do it to yourself?
Take exercise for example. If I had planned on a regular exercise schedule, if the time comes for me to actually do it and I don't feel like it, no amount of persuasion from myself will make me change my mind. I can't bribe myself with rewards or tell myself, "You need to do this if you don't want to get fat." or "It will only take a short time and then you will feel accomplished." I just won't listen to myself!
It's a different story if other people try to influence me, though. I won't say it always works, but I am way more likely to do something for someone I care about than I am for myself. I wonder why that is? Am I more influenced by external factors than internal factors? Is that a bad thing?
I'm not saying I never set goals or try to get myself to do hard things. I do a lot of things that I am not too keen on doing. But I always know I can never fool myself into changing my mind, or bribe myself into doing something, or argue with myself over something I am already dead-set on. I suppose I just know my limits.
No comments:
Post a Comment