They were good friends, he was probably in his 60s, and the other was approaching his 30s – they had one thing in common – they were both enamored with the idea of living in nature and spending their time creating and cultivating their passion while providing their families with all the necessary and enough to have a comfortable life.
The older had realized his dream already. He was living on the shores of Anse Lazio, on the northwest tip of Praslin Island, on the western coast of Africa.
I tried many times, but I can’t seem to make this work. I feel tired, and I have lost my fire, the young man told his older friend while walking by the ocean of such an amazing island.
How hard do you want to succeed? – Albert asked, – how hard do you believe that you can make your dreams come true?
What do you mean? – replied the young and confused Timothy. I try hard, but I feel as if there is no time to make my dream come true. I work long hours, take care of my family, and the few hours left, I am exhausted and just want to go to sleep.
A deep and long silence followed the conversation; only the waves’ soothing sound could be noticed. As they were getting closer to the water, Albert stopped and stared at the forgiving waves’ wonderful and pristine blue.
Tim, he said, as he walked in the water. I want you to take a good look at this ocean. It is calm and beautiful; it is an ocean that promises nothing but serene and warm waters to its visitors and swimmers. However, it has a scary secret that only the few who have experienced it; know well. Although it is not really deadly, it can bring an intense experience.
Many years ago, when I decided it was time for me to follow my dream, I decided that I would not be on my own way, that I would find methods and techniques for me to be successful in my own world.
Come with me, Tim – he asked and gently grabbed him by the shoulder, as they both began to walk deeper in the water.
It is a nice beach, Al, you are lucky to live here.
Come on! Follow me, Tim. Let’s swim for a while.
They both started swimming towards a small sandbank. On the way to it, Albert decided to suddenly stop just to ask Tim one more time – Tim, how much do you want your dream to come true?
I want it very much, Al – he said. At this point, the water was up to their chests.
Tim, how much do you want your dream to come true?
I said I want it very much; why?
Keep walking towards the sandbank and tell me how much you want your dream to come true.
I want it bad, really bad! – responded Tim, almost screaming as a result of the constant questioning of his friend.
Timothy, imagine the sandbank is your dream, and it is the place you long to be at; therefore, keep walking and reach to it; and when you are on top, I want you to scream out loud how bad you want your dream to come true.
As Tim began to walk towards the sandbank, suddenly, he found himself in turbulent waters, not knowing how to react. The strong current began to tumble him, and while gasping for air, he was also screaming for help.
Only a few seconds later, seconds that felt like hours, Tim found himself at the sandbank, where his old friend Albert was already waiting for him and laughing hysterically.
Are you ok, Tim? – he asked.
..yeah, I am alright… wow! That was very scary!
I know – Albert replied while helping his friend to stand up.
This is the secret I was telling you about, a secret that only those who have experienced it know about.
These are relatively shallow waters but under them run the reminisce of the East Australian current, a flow of water that runs south along the east coast of Australia. This current allows thousands of marine turtles to get a “free ride” to get from one place to another. It is pretty beautiful and wild.
Yeah, and intense! – Tim said while abruptly shaking his hair.
As Tim recovered from this rough experience, Albert began to walk to the other side of the bank and said to his friend – Remember when I asked you how bad do you want your dream to come true?
Yes! – replied Tim as he was trying to catch up with his friend’s fast pace.
You were telling me that you wanted it really bad, right?
Yeah, I did!
Let me tell you, dear friend, you did not want them really bad because you were on safe grounds, and you knew you were safe.
Tim, for you to be sure of what you want, you need to want your dream so bad that it feels like those moments you were desperately gasping for air. In those moments, you did the impossible for you to survive. The same primal need for survival you had while being hit by the hidden current, you must-have for your dreams to come true. You need to want them so bad that without them is like an eternity underwater. You must, my dear friend, be hungry for success.
The Message – Keep Yourself Motivated
The story above is simple but carries a true message. While there are millions of people living a so-called normal life – most of them are likely living within their own comfort zone (and nothing is wrong with it, as long as their lives are meaningful for them); others are simply trying to figure out what to do with theirs. Motivation is a key factor in the complex equation of success. I am still trapped in between the zone of motivation and action. On top, procrastination can add a serious complication.
In his classic The Now Habit book, author Neil Fiore explains: “Procrastination is not the cause of our problems with accomplishing tasks; it is an attempt to resolve a variety of underlying issues, including low self-esteem, perfectionism, fear of failure and of success, indecisiveness, an imbalance between work and play, ineffective goal-setting, and negative concepts about work and yourself.”
There is also the other side of the spectrum – the reached goal – once the person has reached their goal, there is no further motivation. The individual becomes comfortable, and the drive is lost. There is no more motivation. This is perhaps because the promise of the reward is gone, or the threat of punishment is no longer valid.
Although we all want to be rewarded for our good deeds and actions, the key to maintaining a driving force is to merely focus on the pleasure and the thrill of getting work done. In other words, the trick to motivation is to find the intrinsic reward in our work to enjoy it and not focus on the final reward or the effects of the self-mental punishment for not fulfilling such work.
To keep yourself motivated, the first thing you want to focus on is happiness, which comes with progress. There is initiative and direction when there is motivation, you develop courage, your energy improves, and therefore your persistence to follow your goals.
If you want to strengthen your motivation, I recommend the following:
- Set a goal. The best way to manage your goals is to split them into smaller tasks and enjoy the progress of reaching them. This will bring you happiness and feed your drive to keep moving forward.
- Constantly affirm to yourself that you can and will succeed. Keep repeating this fact throughout your day.
- Avoid procrastination. Meditate upon the things that keep you stuck and work on them one by one. Procrastination leads to laziness, and laziness leads to a lack of motivation.
- Measure improvement. Analyze yourself and witness your personal growth. This is a thermometer that will contribute to helping you see how healthy is your progress. Be honest with yourself, and do not hesitate to make small changes in your approach if necessary.
- Exercise regularly. I recommend the practice of asana yoga. Studies have shown that practicing light yet deep core body movement as done in the asana yoga practice, a protein referred to as a BDNF which travels in the bloodstream, stimulates both the nervous system and cognitive systems, developing an increase in memory and focus, which are also fundamental for motivation.
- Last but not least, study, read, or exercise your brain with puzzles. Being human is an exceptional experience. We are the only animals that know that we know. We have a higher state of awareness, and we can train our muscle brain by providing it more information to work on more functions. The more we exercise our brains, the stronger they function.
The amount of motivation is equivalent to the amount of happiness you can bring to its results to finalize. Remain focused and understand yourself, figure out what moves you, and develop the primal need for survival when it comes to accomplishing your goals and turning your dreams into reality.