Why does motivation feel like a bubble*? It can get real big sometimes, but also pops up very easily. What could be a helper to keep this motivation bubble un popped? If I am building it with my own neurons and neural networks in my brain and also popping it up the same way, does that mean I am being dishonest with myself?
I have been imagining different versions of motivation bubbles: one that is made of a regular soap bubble, one that is like a balloon and maybe one that is like a hot air balloon. There you have it. The strength of the motivation lies on the thickness of the surrounding material. How can I better protect my motivations that are more fragile?
We would have to admit that we have been voluntarily dressing our bubbles with different outfits per “changing conditions”. One day motivation to eat healthy and exercise more could be the balloon, on another day when the stress of writing the paragraph for work dominates, we pop the balloon intentionally. So, is it okay to cry, once the priorities reshaped the goals we have in mind? Yes, but it will not help with the -smushed- already popped dreams on the floor. We would need to inhale big and blow new bubbles to have another chance.
I finished reading Think Again. It touches upon many other aspects, teaching kids to rethink, college students to rethink careers, and making a weekly habit of sparing some time to unlearn and have a rethinking session. This could also involve rethinking big things in life, but then if the stakes are high, it should be done with caution. I really liked how he included a chapter that also involved the track changes version, and how he hilariously ended with the work “mayonnaise”.
We are going to have a 4th day of snow day tomorrow, because the city of Richmond is still having water disruptions. This additional surprise “kind of working from home” environment gave me the chance to read more and also study more. I noticed that during this time, I saw Rafael Irizzary’s face more than I saw my husband’s face. :)
Maybe another practical way to rethink of life is by doing "seasonal recalibrations". Since I cannot throw away the 40 years I have already lived and all the learnings from it, how can I recalibrate, redirect my ship towards a place I want to get? The emphasis was again enjoying the ride, not necessarily waiting for the “day of success” to arrive and then be happy. If people chased happiness and gave it conditional existence, they were more likely to live unhappy lives.
My happiness does not depend on my career and being so called “successful” one day. [It sure does depend on if I took my Vitamin D pill for the day, though]. Even though I want to lose weight and become more athletic, I cannot allow this goal to make me unhappy as I am. Let us blow more motivation bubbles, knowing that many of them will get smushed. Having bubbles on the way is the only way towards progress. Rather than being sad for the bubbles to be smushed, let us focus and enjoy the process of blowing bubbles!
*I should properly acknowledge that I was inspired by my dietician for this concept.
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