Motivation in life is a struggle. But I have a lot of it. Getting motivated is easy, but you have to go about doing it in a fairly roundabout way, as far as I’m concerned. Brute force doesn’t work in thus case. Here’s what worked for me.
Realize that you only get one life
This should scare you. You only get one chance, and absolutely no do overs. This means that whatever your parents, friends, or society as whole thinks doesn’t matter.
Start thinking long term
Think about the future whenever you have a free moment. What does it look like? Will you be doing what you want to do, in the places you want to be, around the right people? If not, you need to start thinking about how you’re going to make a change.
Do what you feel like doing
If you do exactly what you feel like doing, you will either fall into degeneracy, or stumble upon some long term goal. Even in total stagnation, humans need entertainment. The point of life is to make it a beautiful story. If you start working to fulfill your desires, you will soon know yourself very well.
Suffer the consequences
This might seem like a strange thing for a self improvement blog to be telling you to do. But if you’re able to edure the consequences of doing whatever you want to do, you’re going to know what you’re willing to endure and what you’re willing to compromise on. At the extreme end, you might end up in jail. Try not to do this. Learn consequences, so that you have a fire under your ass telling you what kind of life you want to avoid.
Write, meditate, or engage in some other form of spirituality or art
You want to engage in as much introspective activity as possible. It’s impossible to be motivated without knowing yourself. Know yourself to the point of narcissism, just don’t treat others badly.
Date
Make sure you get to know the opposite gender as much as you possibly can. Dating might be hard at first, depending on how introverted you are. But knowing how you want to relate to the opposite gender. The best times to date as a man are when you’re under the age of 22 and after the age of 29 or so. Those who miss the first window often have a harder time finding an overall life direction during the second.
Consult a doctor and ask for blood tests relating to vitamin and hormone levels
You might need to push hard for this, depending on where you are. But it’s imperative that you do this. You are a slave to your own biochemistry. If you don’t have the right nutrients running through your viens, you will never be motivated. Oftentimes you can fix your hormonal issues with over the counter vitamins.
Exercise
This is the last thing you should be doing on the list, but it works in the moment. Exercise is really good for people. The more we do it, the better we feel. Make sure to get all the exercise you need in general, not just to stay motivated.
Motivation is a tricky thing. A lot of people have hacks. I don’t. I think that healthy people who know themselves tend to produce stuff. Our ancestors did, and those who are healthy in today’s age also do today. Most people who are lucky enough to get rich don’t retire early. If you’re not motivated by the modern world, something’s wrong. Don’t panic, but start the work of knowing yourself better.
