Motivation - Not Quite Our Tempo

Preface if you haven't watched Whiplash movie(if watched, you can skip this):

Whiplash is a movie where a drummer is mentored and pushed very aggressively by Terrence Fletcher. All that abuse ultimately leads to the best drum solo performance at the end of the movie.

"Not my tempo" is what Terrence Fletcher repeatedly says through out the movie when the drummer doesn't perform well.

The circle of motivation

When I watched Whiplash, all I could think was - I need a mentor like Terrence Fletcher, only then I will be able to do something with my life. The thing is -  in reality, as you may have already realized, the moment you become an official adult, all such mentors who may have pushed you when you were a kid disappear. You are no more a kid. The entire part of being an adult is to steer your life in the direction you need to - all by yourself. But we are fickle. Sure, on a best day, you will wake up early, go for a run, eat clean & healthy, work on your goals and spend time with family & friends-you get it, all that glorious things that makes a human an adult. But an average day is something where you feel demotivated, you sulk, whine and complain and get only the bare minimal done after avoiding the work like a plague. That awesome motivation which you get in the middle of the night after stalking people on Facebook Living The Life-running marathons, solo backpacking across Europe, ticking off their bucket list items, starting a business, or getting funds for their startup seem very very distant and insignificant when your early morning alarm rings. So you snooze it away and go through another guilt trip. Another average day.

I really wish someone would uberize Whiplash mentors - an app where you can book an abusive and psycho mentor. The moment you passively browse through memes for two hours, he would yell in your face "Not my <beep> tempo".  But until then, who will sell us motivation? Who will push us? We can't push ourselves all the time, remember - we are fickle. 

When you have been too long in your cozy comfort zone, you become almost apathetic to everything. This is when your mind is on auto-pilot. You have accepted the shitty situation you are in. You are so used to it that even though it's bad, you are indifferent about it. Because it's your own familiar every day life now. Why would you leave it for some unknown and uncomfortable stuff, even if it's good. It's just too much effort to shift your identity - from being an average Joe to someone awesome you are not yet.

For a ball to roll, there needs to be some leverage, right? How can you get the leverage that will get the ball rolling without any external factors?

Sure, last minute deadlines pressurize us enough to get some work done. But not everything has deadlines. There is no official deadline for you to switch job, to travel, to run a marathon, to learn something new and create something. In fact, most of the important things in our life don't come with an official deadline. But soon after some years, when we look back, we see missed opportunities and closed doors. Sometimes, it's too late to do something.

 We are fickle. Motivation is fickle. Why do we still chase it?
 Well, what else can we chase then? Something certain, something that is not fickle.
 Action.

 Ok, wait, let me explain.
 Let me summarize established facts:

1.  Motivation is...wait for it...fickle.
2. We get extra ultra comfy in our everyday life.
3.  Even though our lives can be better, we prefer to stick to our existing identity, because we dread this new person and the new responsibilities & changes that come from becoming this new person. Also, it's way more easier to swim in familiar territories.
4. We NEED to become this new person. This new person is goals. This new person is love. This new person is pizza. This new person is unicorn.
5. To become this new person, we can't wait all our life for the magical motivation to hit us and turn us into Elon Musk. 

To become this new person, we need to define this new person.

 What makes this new person better than you?
 Jim wants to be a rockstar. Rockstar is the new person.
  

What is the first teeny tiny step you can take to become this new person?
What Jim needs to do is not fret over the humongous feat of becoming a rockstar, calculate the number of years it will take for him to become one & get all demotivated. He simply needs to ask what's the first step to become a rockstar.

 Action/Inertia: Do this. Just Do It.
 Jim learns the seven notes in music.

 Motivation:
 Jim gets all excited about the seven notes and the way they sound on guitar. He gets all curious about all the fabulous tunes he can play over guitar.

 More action:
 Jim learns how to play "Happy Birthday" on guitar.

 More motivation:
 Jim's all crazy now and is dreaming when he can perform a guitar solo like "Hotel California".

 Flow:
Actions and motivation roll the ball all the way and soon your life has changed. The uncomfortable zone you dreaded has become your new comfy zone. You go with the flow. You enjoy learning and doing things.

 A worst day of de-motivation:
 You start over - you take an action. You bring the leverage to get the ball rolling. You take that tiny step.

 *Like Rancho from 3 idiots*
 Motivation ke peeche mat bhagho, Action ke peeche bhago, motivation jhak maarke piche aayegi.

Initial Action--> Motivation --> More Actions --> More motivation --> New person.

 Next time you find yourself demotivated or just waiting for motivation, be your own sadist and tell all the passive cells in your body - "Not my <beep> tempo" and kick start that action.

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