Motivation is a form of stress. If you feel too lazy, then perhaps you want to consciously add a dose of stress into your tranquil life.
Picture this: You're sitting on a comfortable couch, in a cozy room, with everything you need within arm's reach. Sounds perfect, right? But after a while, this comfort turns into a trap. You find yourself stuck in a loop of unproductivity, feeling sluggish and lazy. This is where our seemingly paradoxical truth comes into play: **Motivation is a form of stress**.
Now, don't get me wrong. When we talk about stress here, we're not referring to the hair-pulling, nail-biting kind that keeps you up at night. No, this is about the right kind of stress - the kind that nudges you out of your comfort zone, that tiny whisper in your ear saying, "Hey, let's make something happen today."
Let's dive into a real-life analogy to make this clearer. Imagine a greenhouse. Inside this greenhouse, plants are sheltered from harsh weather, pests are controlled, and conditions are just right for growth. However, if these plants are too pampered, never facing the wind or a drop in temperature, they grow weak. They need a bit of stress - a gentle breeze, a cool night - to become strong and resilient.
Applying this to our lives, think of motivation as that gentle breeze for us. Too much comfort, and we stagnate. Our brains, like those sheltered plants, need a bit of a challenge to grow stronger and more resilient. Adding a "dose of stress" by setting a challenging goal, trying something new, or stepping out of our comfort zones, acts as a catalyst for motivation. It's the difference between dreaming about writing a book and actually sitting down to write the first chapter. It's deciding to learn a new language and downloading an app to start lessons instead of scrolling through social media.
This form of stress is beneficial. It's a signal to our brain that it's time to wake up, to push a little harder, to grow. It's about finding that sweet spot where the stress is not overwhelming but stimulating enough to propel us forward.
So, if you find yourself feeling too comfortable, too settled in your routine, maybe it's time to introduce a bit of this motivational stress. Set a goal that makes you slightly uneasy because it's just out of reach. Take on a project that excites you but also scares you a little. This is not about making your life hard but about making it more fulfilling.
In essence, sprinkle a little bit of this 'good stress' into your tranquil life, and watch as it transforms into a life of purpose and achievement. Like watering a plant or airing out a room, it revitalizes and invigorates.
Now, here's a question for you to ponder: **What small step can you take today to introduce a healthy dose of stress into your life, sparking that fire of motivation?**
*To obtain more inspiration and motivation to achieve your goals, you definitely want to check out my extensive list of growth goals. This page contains SMART goal ideas that can help you establish new aspirations and attain greater heights in your personal growth journey. I utilized this page myself to create my own list of 100 life goals, which I dedicated a decade to pursuing.
Chief Editor
Tal Gur is an author, founder, and impact-driven entrepreneur at heart. After trading his daily grind for a life of his own daring design, he spent a decade pursuing 100 major life goals around the globe. His journey and most recent book, The Art of Fully Living, has led him to found Elevate Society.
