I have started a new gym
Why motivation is a terrible friend.
Why motivation is a terrible friend
A student asked me at an event the other day:
“How do you motivate yourself when you fail?
I hate the word motivation.
Because it’s a terrible friend.
When I need it — to go to the gym, to study, to do the tough things — it is never there.
But for all random things, I somehow always have the motivation.
You know — sleeping more, wasting time on social media, eating junk food.
I don’t struggle for motivation during these times.
But for the important things, it never shows up!”
So I replied to the student, “Did I tell you all I have started a new gym?
It is a really cool gym, and I am giving free memberships to this gym.
BUT…
There are a few weird things about the gym that you should know:
1. It doesn’t have any mirrors. So you can’t look at yourself while working out.
2. It doesn’t have a weighing scale or measuring tape. So you can’t weigh yourself nor measure your chest, waist, biceps, etc.
3. And the weirdest thing - when you are working out, there will never be anyone else. No trainer. No one else. Just you!
Now tell me, how many days will you go to this gym?
Well, I know the answer.
Not even a week.
But what if I told you that during this week, you were actually getting fit?
That you were losing weight?
Even then, you wouldn’t go.
Because this gym doesn’t give you what EVERY PERSON needs.
A sense of progress!
No mirrors to tell you that you are looking good.
No weighing scale to tell you that you are losing weight.
Nobody to ask you, “Hey, are you working out? You look so fit.”
No sense of progress!
When, in fact, that’s what everyone needs.
Not motivation.
But a sense of progress.
So make sure you give yourself that.
Record your journey.
Every single day.
So that when you look back after 3-6-9-12 months, you see how far you have come along.
That is the reason ALL of my videos are still online — even the ones that were cringe and terrible when I started.
That is the reason ALL of my blog posts from 2005 are still online, when I used to write terribly and incohesive-ly.
Because they tell me how far along I have reached.
They show me the distance I have travelled.
The progress I have made.
That is my motivation.
My progress!”
Don’t sit and wait for motivation!
Because your movement is your motivation.
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Book I read this week
Finished reading The Elements of Choice: Why the Way We Decide Matters, by Eric J. Johnson.
How we make decisions in life is a concept that has always fascinated me.
This book does a simple, wonderful job of breaking it down.
It shows how we are all led to make choices, that we think are through our own will, but are subtly designed. It is called Choice Architecture.
For example, why are menu items in a restaurant ranked from highest price to lowest? Why are chewing gums and chocolates placed at the store checkout counter?
Why does PVR offer 3 sizes of popcorn?
It is all Choice Architecture.
Highly recommended book!
Here is a list of all books I have shared in this newsletter since Day 1.
Question of the week
Which of these have you never used?
Select as many as applicable
Never sat on a train
Never sat in an auto
Never sat in a public bus
Never sat in an airplane
(and see the results of others, too)
Results of last week's question
Mostly split between mother and father. Which is understandable, but also surprising at the same time, because the majority of folks are closer to their mothers than their fathers. So it is quite crazy how fathers, despite not being so close, have such a strong influence.
My response:
I think I am closer to my father in my personality than my mother.
3-2-1
3 pics from last week
Birthday cake made by Vidur on my birthday :))
Fab dinner with friends at Venky (first left) and Meera’s (second right) new house :))
Train journey after a really long time. Heading to Kanpur :)
2 quotes I wish to share
If you lose friends because you started focusing on your life, then they were never your friends!
If it keeps you worried, it’s not a good investment.
1 new thing I learnt this week
Google is actually a spelling mistake.
The founders wanted to name it “Googol” (a math term for 10¹⁰⁰), but an investor misspelt it as “Google,” and it stuck.
🎙️ My top content from last week
🏦 YouTube Finance: 30-day plan to change your finances
📹 YouTube Career: Truth about AI and Jobs
📱 Instagram: Good friendship
🐥 Twitter: My threads
🎧 Podcast: Are you growing | Kya aap badh rahe hai
You can, of course, always write to me by simply replying to this newsletter.
I love reading all your emails, even though I may not be able to reply to them all.
Yes! I READ ALL MY EMAILS. ALL OF THEM.
(Train mein bachpan ki yaad aa jaane ki kasam)
Have a lovely weekend and week ahead all you lovelies! :))
until next week
stay awesome | stay focused | do epic shit
warikoo