How to Motivate Yourself: 5 Principles by David Goggins

We live in an age where most people don't know how to motivate themselves. After all, everything was simple for our ancestors. You go hunting because otherwise the tribe will starve to death. You make fire because you have no desire to freeze on a cold night in a cave. You're crying because an evil mammoth trampled on your strawberries.

And now life is easier. No one is forced to go hunting, make fire and dance the rain dance during periods of poor harvest. We have every convenience. Shops, heating, internet. We even figured out how to make money without leaving home.

And at the same time we do not know how to motivate ourselves to achieve goals. Therefore, we are looking for people who have dealt with this problem. And people who will help us accomplish the same feat. Like David Goggins.

David Goggins is an athlete, runner, cyclist, speaker and author of books on building motivation. This is a man who overcame himself more than once and built his career on this. We invite you to watch his speech on self-motivation. It is in English, but don't despair if you don't know the language. In this article, we will describe five principles of David Goggins that will lead you to motivation.

1 Find strength in comfort

If you are reading this, then you have the Internet. And where the Internet is, there is the house. It turns out that you have a house, money for the Internet and time to nourish yourself spiritually. You don't even know that you don't really have a problem.

Do not rush to object. Think about people living on the street. About people who do not have money for food, the Internet and other convenient things. These are people who have nothing to lose. Therefore, they are desperately looking for an answer to the questions of how to make money and how not to die of hunger. And they do everything to continue to live.

And you have already won this war. You have created the conditions for a comfortable life. Draw strength from this. Everything you need to start moving forward is in your hands. And the main thing here is to start.

2 Find a way out of the box

You go to the office and get the average salary in the country. And you, deep down, do not want to change anything. Because there is a risk of losing the already comfortable conditions. Or be fooled, lose the respect of colleagues or friends.

Congratulations, you are in the box. From the inside, it seems spacious, free from worries and fears. But it's not. and you know it. Because we have already thought about how to find motivation. All you have to do is look outside. Then take a deep breath, and go out towards your goal.

Are you afraid? We understand. Fear is normal, but it won't lead you to your goal.

3 Find development in complexity

Let's turn to physics. Do you know why we walk on flat surfaces and don't slip? Because there is friction. We are moving forward only because some unknown force creates barriers.

Do you feel what we are getting at? Think about whether it is pleasant for you to receive at least awards just like that. You probably feel like you didn't deserve it. And therefore no joy arises. Just an uncomfortably scraping sense of guilt.

Now imagine that you are going to something for a long time. And finally come. This is where real joy lies. You have turned weaknesses into strengths. Overcame themselves. Reached the goal. Such an achievement will fuel the rest of your life.

4 Become not just motivated, but obsessed

Motivation of people depends on external factors. Just a motivated person looks at the weather forecast and decides whether he will run inside or outside. The obsessed, in a good way, of course, will not look anywhere. He will just run.

Because the obsessed is not interested in what obstacles are in front of him. He is interested in the result. David Goggins advises against looking at the weather, checking motivational quotes, and not looking back at others. Realize how important it is to you to achieve your goal.

And once you understand that, nothing can stop you.

5 Be the hero of your story

We believe that our history begins from the moment of birth. But in fact, the story starts from the moment when we decide to achieve the goal. From the moment when you thought about how to motivate the capricious child inside you. Or enrolled in the hall, called the employer. The list is endless.

Many of those people whose tombstones fill the cemetery never began their story. If you think about it, it becomes creepy. It is unlikely that anyone wants to end their life without starting a story. And so David Goggins points out that time moves. And we'd better move faster.

Well, if we want to get things done before it's too late.