Motivation issues

[Facetia]

I’m obviously not the only one who goes through this, but I’m going to speak as if I am for comfort purposes.

I have big ideas and realizations on an everyday basis, or at least they feel big in my head, but as soon as I say them out loud or try to explain them to someone, they lose their greatness. It’s like there’s an extra element to them that I can’t easily communicate, or as if they only seem great in my head, because of the way my brain works. The point is, they don’t translate well to tangible mediums, and that’s frustrating.

I’ve always been like this, and the only thing that’s changed over time is the complexity of these ideas. I’ve always had a feeling that I’m wasting my life away, because in comparison to what goes through brain my actual life is too simple, too insipid. People around me don’t realize that I spend a lot of time thinking of a bunch of stuff (I won’t go into the contents of these thoughts, simply because that’s not relevant to this post) because I don’t even know how to incorporate these thoughts, ideas and epiphanies into my daily life; sure, they affect the way I go about certain things and my decision making process, but people don’t get to see the gears turning in my head, they just see the results, which aren’t very remarkable at all.

It’s easy to go with the flow and get stuck in it, and that’s always been my fear. I never wanted to live the overly simplistic life I lead, but breaking the routine, getting out of my comfort zone and actually doing stuff worth living for takes motivation, which
I severely lack. It’s like I’m stuck between wanting to do great things with my life and wanting to live comfortably, which apparently don’t mix well and translate into wasting oxygen. One of the things that make me me is that I don’t shy away from my mortality: I have no religion, no illusion of an afterlife, and I’m hyper aware of the fact that I’m an organic being that will eventually wither, die and decompose. I live like this by choice, because I see no point in going through life as if I’m going to live forever, but this choice also makes me stupidly scared of not using wisely the little time I have. I’ve been like this since my very early teens, and if my teenage self saw me now, pushing 30 and having had achieved nothing, she would probably bitchslap me.

I never necessarily wanted traditional “success”. Career, family, stability... those are all things that I thought would come on their own (lol), so I never really cared about those, and to an extent I still don’t. What I did want, and still want to this day, is to produce something that translates at least one of my ideas successfully, to be able to share a little bit of the contents of my brain with the world, not out of vanity or anything similar, but to feel I have a chance at being understood and remembered.

I have no doubt at least some, if not most of you go through something similar, but I wonder how many of you found the motivation to achieve something. Doesn’t matter what, different people have different priorities, but something that made you feel like your life wasn’t a complete waste.

Now, for the real question: those of you that have actually achieved something, how did you do it?

 

[Lateral]

I relate to this a lot. I just made a post very much related to this where I talk about an epiphany that I had recently, I recommend you read that.

It sounds like, as far as putting your ideas into the world, you are seeing the switch that happens when we creative people go from the mood and mindset of being creative and go into the analytical mindset.

These are both necessary when birthing an idea into reality. Say you're writing a paper. First you have to write everything that comes to mind (without judging, because the moment you judge the creativity stops). Then, you come back to it later with an analytical mindset and turn it into something readable.

If you're overly critical of your ideas or judge them too early, they can seem like bad ideas even if they really aren't. In addition to that, INTPs aren't the best at communicating things to other people, so if other people judge your ideas harshly, of course take that into consideration, but also realize that they may not have the perspective that you have.

Also, understand that average people want to stay average, so if you tell them something that is great or above average, often times they will dismiss it, because for them to accept that it is a good idea is to accept that they are mediocre themselves.

I think it's a good idea to write down exactly what you want and then start actually taking actions everyday that bring you closer to that. It might take you a while to actually figure out what you want because it will change, but eventually you'll get a good idea.

Then you just start testing. Figure out routines that work for you. I've found that very strict routines are difficult to stick to consistently for me, but having a morning routine where I take small necessary steps to accomplish my goals everyday, before I start to do anything else, really works.

Hope that helps!

 

[baccheion]

Selegiline.

Iodine Protocol.

Fix any nutrient/hormone deficiencies/imbalances.

SEMAX + selank + alpha-GPC, AOR Ortho-Core, and Life Extension D + K.

Brainwave entrainment audio or meditation.

Automation.

Find others to do/sustain it.

 

[Ex-User (14663)]

I've seen the opposite side of that scenario – and I'm sort of in that situation nowadays – when motivation turns into obsession, and you become willing to sacrifice your own health and all kinds of things for the sake of your purpose. Sometimes it feels like the purpose itself has taken control over you, instead of vice versa.

I have never had any success whatsoever in forcing productivity on myself by means of routine and to-do lists. Obviously when you're doing complex projects you have to plan things and break things down into intermediate steps – but the motivation to execute the plan is something entirely different. Everyone is good at writing to-do lists. Generating the motivation to carry out the plan is a different thing.

I would say my main driver is a vision – for what I want myself and my life to look like in the end. If you don't have any vision, but instead a bunch of to-do lists and routines, that might work in the short term but will not result in a sustained high-intensity effort over many years. Ultimately, the whole exercise – i.e. sculpting a vision for oneself and living up to it – is almost like writing a novel or something, where the main character is yourself. How do you create this vision? That's fairly simple: take all your experience so far in life, identify some key elements, some stuff you think you're good at and things you enjoy, some people you admire, and using those things as the basis, come up with a unified vision for yourself that you consider beautiful. Then recall that vision on a daily basis.

 

[RaBind]

Whatever mediocre achievements I've made I've done so by engrossing myself/being obsessed with what it is I am trying to do.

It's a lot easier to continue reading a book once you're already hooked on the plot. The same thing applies to making art or any other activity. Once I have a problem at hand and I've already begun to wrestle it, continuing down the path to solving it is much easier.

The hardest hurdles I face with motivation is at the start. I dread the act of starting to work/becoming productive for some reason, possibly because it means I am trying myself to a commitment and giving up my freedom. This isn't so much an issue if my mind was already engaged in the activity, or with the problem, to start with.

The other issue I can have with an activity like making art, although I wouldn't even pass as a hobbyist artist, is that once the problem solving/idea part is done I will find continuing on very dull.

 

[sushi]

you dont have a life plan or plan for succcess, that is why.

you don't have to follow the plan by exact, having one written down is enough.
that is why you are aimless and feel like you are wasting your days.

 

[Cognisant]

Ditto what Serac said.

What do you want to achieve?

 

[Rolling Cattle]

I have big ideas and realizations on an everyday basis, or at least they feel big in my head, but as soon as I say them out loud or try to explain them to someone, they lose their greatness. It’s like there’s an extra element to them that I can’t easily communicate, or as if they only seem great in my head, because of the way my brain works. The point is, they don’t translate well to tangible mediums, and that’s frustrating.

It's good to get constructive critique for the ideas. Even if you're right, it'll help to clarify why.

I think I understand your situation. It's like trying to demonstrate a piece of a puzzle, but only you have seen the picture where it came from. My bizarre ideas spark from a compilation of input that I've been exposed to. It helps by explaining how the idea was created. Sometimes that's even good for yourself to cite the sources for your thoughts.

I’ve always been like this, and the only thing that’s changed over time is the complexity of these ideas. I’ve always had a feeling that I’m wasting my life away, because in comparison to what goes through brain my actual life is too simple, too insipid. People around me don’t realize that I spend a lot of time thinking of a bunch of stuff (I won’t go into the contents of these thoughts, simply because that’s not relevant to this post) because I don’t even know how to incorporate these thoughts, ideas and epiphanies into my daily life; sure, they affect the way I go about certain things and my decision making process, but people don’t get to see the gears turning in my head, they just see the results, which aren’t very remarkable at all.

You want your peers to realize that you are complex and intelligent, and full of great thoughts. But they make that choice. You have less control over their opinions than you may think.

Most people think that glasses, book-reading, and chin-stroking are indicators of intelligence. Those people don't get deeper than scratching the surface. Lots of others are bustling with revelations and wild theories. But there's a chasm between the way they see themselves, and the others. There's some people with higher intelligence, but are they even spotted or noticed? What's the difference between a perfect brain which concludes something is perfect, versus an erroneous brain which concludes something is perfect?

Now, for the real question: those of you that have actually achieved something, how did you do it?

If you're doing okay by not doing it, then how could you be motivated?

Let's say I achieved at creating a very useful software program. My motivation for creating it would depend on how much I really needed or wanted it's function, and that there was nothing else ever created that I could just use instead. Don't invent something to make yourself an inventor. Invent something that makes your life simpler and better. There's a good chance that everyone could benefit from that.

t's better to have a motivation like this, than to dwell on the quantity of motivation you lack. If you have no motivation, then why even bother doing it?

 

[Gyppo]

I definitely think that you should write, paint, make music, anything along those lines...
If you can communicate your ideas or feelings, even if not the grandest of them in an indirect way such as that, and even if you only do it sporadically, you'll probably be appreciated by someone and you'll probably feel you've done something. Most of us won't do anything "important" or "useful" with our lives and I am absolutely burnt out but I certainly feel better after creating art. You don't even need to show anyone, you can become a legend posthumously lol

 

[Gyppo]

Generally there's that extra mystique you feel about your own ideas in people's heads when they observe something as a work of art. And, you can plan and revise it, ya know?

 

[Pyropyro]

I'm a gamer so I write my "Things to do today" on a list and my mind subconsciously wants to finish the "daily quests" that I wrote. It makes motivation almost automatic.

 

[Hadoblado]

I write lists. They are antithetical to everything I stand for, but in being so they also address my biggest weaknesses. Whatever, I get fucking tons done when I write a to-do list compared to when I don't. It keeps my thoughts goal oriented which is important if you want results.

Just keep trying until you find something that works.

 

[QuickTwist]

I've seen the opposite side of that scenario – and I'm sort of in that situation nowadays – when motivation turns into obsession, and you become willing to sacrifice your own health and all kinds of things for the sake of your purpose. Sometimes it feels like the purpose itself has taken control over you, instead of vice versa.

I have never had any success whatsoever in forcing productivity on myself by means of routine and to-do lists. Obviously when you're doing complex projects you have to plan things and break things down into intermediate steps – but the motivation to execute the plan is something entirely different. Everyone is good at writing to-do lists. Generating the motivation to carry out the plan is a different thing.

I would say my main driver is a vision – for what I want myself and my life to look like in the end. If you don't have any vision, but instead a bunch of to-do lists and routines, that might work in the short term but will not result in a sustained high-intensity effort over many years. Ultimately, the whole exercise – i.e. sculpting a vision for oneself and living up to it – is almost like writing a novel or something, where the main character is yourself. How do you create this vision? That's fairly simple: take all your experience so far in life, identify some key elements, some stuff you think you're good at and things you enjoy, some people you admire, and using those things as the basis, come up with a unified vision for yourself that you consider beautiful. Then recall that vision on a daily basis.

OMG, I think you are an INTJ.

 

[Ex-User (13503)]

Perhaps a bit late, but maybe the issue isn't a lack of motivation so much as a lack of accountability. Who would you disappoint if you failed, other than yourself? If an answer doesn't pop up quickly and you have Fe in your stack, lack of accountability is probably the culprit. It's the same reason a lot of people find it more productive to workout at the gym with a partner.

Alternatively, it’s not bad to just enjoy life. I used to have the same desire until I realized that everything I could ever dream of would ultimately be sisyphean.

 

[TheAdditional1]

Read the OP and half the replies. Need to write my piece and maybe return to read the rest.

First of all, definitely relate. While I’m still not great at getting started on things, I can wax poetic about all the big visioned multifaceted holistic ideas and social systems I constantly create and think and dream and about. And I’m really fluid at dreaming creatively and then applying it pragmatically.

(At least on paper, execution is tougher. Probably because I have both so many ideas, and so many given things to do that it’s hard to focus on just one.)

Anyway. Tying the vague thoughts and aspirations to more concrete actions that can be executed is the first goal. Sometimes we’ll dream so much and so abstractly that as a whole it doesn’t seem like it can be applied in any given action. So get that down to earth - primarily by mapping out all the precursory prerequisites. Keep doing that - incorporated with lead times - until you come down with “bite sized” tasks. Like serious nibbles - stuff you could do absently or in the middle of more general surges of productivity.

This whole process thus far is actually the best part - you’re just dreaming and building a whole system,spawned straight from your imagination, and you get to mentally explore all the possible ways things can happen, purely from your internal rationale. Doing all the heavy thinking all at once.

Once you have all this - a master plan of sorts, set on paper derived from your very expansive intellect - lined up, leave it alone for a while. Wait for a wave of productivity to come by (for me this usually comes when I’m frustrated with something else.)

Then - or whenever you get to it - just review your shit. Review your plan, review some research pages you bookmarked. Look up how to do a certain thing and get that out of the way as it’s own task.

Sometimes having to do this research /review on your way to doing the thing can be frustrating; but getting it done as it’s own intrinsic task does WONDERS as an unmotivated INTP. It’s passive progress, helps get you re-engaged into a ready-to-roll plan, and ultimately helps motivate you right at the point where you can see the whole picture of your plans and can pick and choose any mechanism of the system to work on, and from that point on consistently rewards you for making progress on SOMETHING.


Yes this does seem to all amount to “making a list and following it,” but it’s specifically set up to bypass the things that usually block us as INTP’s.

1. Map out the systen
2. Tie the schedule to present day, and start with relatively passive tasks
3. Ride waves of motivation or intrigue (from passive progress) into the rest of the progress plan, whose mapped out system you can pick and chooses y given task to make progress on.



Does this make sense?

 

[baccheion]

Read the OP and half the replies. Need to write my piece and maybe return to read the rest.

First of all, definitely relate. While I’m still not great at getting started on things, I can wax poetic about all the big visioned multifaceted holistic ideas and social systems I constantly create and think and dream and about. And I’m really fluid at dreaming creatively and then applying it pragmatically.

(At least on paper, execution is tougher. Probably because I have both so many ideas, and so many given things to do that it’s hard to focus on just one.)

Anyway. Tying the vague thoughts and aspirations to more concrete actions that can be executed is the first goal. Sometimes we’ll dream so much and so abstractly that as a whole it doesn’t seem like it can be applied in any given action. So get that down to earth - primarily by mapping out all the precursory prerequisites. Keep doing that - incorporated with lead times - until you come down with “bite sized” tasks. Like serious nibbles - stuff you could do absently or in the middle of more general surges of productivity.

This whole process thus far is actually the best part - you’re just dreaming and building a whole system,spawned straight from your imagination, and you get to mentally explore all the possible ways things can happen, purely from your internal rationale. Doing all the heavy thinking all at once.

Once you have all this - a master plan of sorts, set on paper derived from your very expansive intellect - lined up, leave it alone for a while. Wait for a wave of productivity to come by (for me this usually comes when I’m frustrated with something else.)

Then - or whenever you get to it - just review your shit. Review your plan, review some research pages you bookmarked. Look up how to do a certain thing and get that out of the way as it’s own task.

Sometimes having to do this research /review on your way to doing the thing can be frustrating; but getting it done as it’s own intrinsic task does WONDERS as an unmotivated INTP. It’s passive progress, helps get you re-engaged into a ready-to-roll plan, and ultimately helps motivate you right at the point where you can see the whole picture of your plans and can pick and choose any mechanism of the system to work on, and from that point on consistently rewards you for making progress on SOMETHING.


Yes this does seem to all amount to “making a list and following it,” but it’s specifically set up to bypass the things that usually block us as INTP’s.

1. Map out the systen
2. Tie the schedule to present day, and start with relatively passive tasks
3. Ride waves of motivation or intrigue (from passive progress) into the rest of the progress plan, whose mapped out system you can pick and chooses y given task to make progress on.



Does this make sense?

Did I post in this thread yet? Nootropics. SEMAX + selank + alpha-GPC. P21/Cerebrolysin. SEMAX + P21 + alpha-GPC. Etc. And a multivitamin stack (D + K, chelated/TRAACS magnesium, and a multivitamin). They amplify/stabilize fluidity, learning, thinking/rationality, motivation, focus, etc.

 

[Hadoblado]

@baccheion
You could just scroll up to check?

At this point, it's difficult to tell the difference between your behaviour and a spam-bot. You walk around every thread, give your recommendation regardless of context (not even checking if you've already done so), and don't respond to anything anyone else says.

I'm fairly confident I could silence you to the rest of the forum, and you'd keep on plonking away with the same shtick without realising nobody can hear you.

Could you please put more effort into being a member of the community, rather than being a sales-bot for multivits and nootropics?