Push Yourself

Profile photo for Michael Ellsworth
Not Yet Rated
0:00
Audiobooks
11
0

Description

Audiobook Narration

Vocal Characteristics

Language

English

Voice Age

Middle Aged (35-54)

Accents

North American (General)

Transcript

Note: Transcripts are generated using speech recognition software and may contain errors.
What makes for motivation? Why do certain people look extra motivated in constant movement while others seem like they can't drag themselves off the couch without a forklift? What is this intangible imaginary quantity that is seemingly so powerful? When Marcus Aurelius wrote that quote in the second century, people worked because they had to, if they didn't, they would have no means to survive. There was no need for motivation, seeking purpose or wanting to feel good about what you were doing because you simply had no choice do or die. Aurelius saw this as a course of nature and he saw nobility and humanity contributing by working for its livelihood. In his mind, lazy people just wanted to feel comfortable, simple as that and couldn't even be bothered to do the bare minimum for survival. Today, we're faced with a much different situation and not all of his premises, hold up. People still work for their survival, but they have more choices and can actually find a job that they enjoy something Aurelius didn't consider too deeply. At the same time, we've become a culture that worships convenience. We can have our food, news, entertainment, and information delivered to us without having to move too many muscles. If Arius thought people lying in bed was bad, he would have lost it when he heard about the concept of binge watching a marathon of bad nineties television. But these days, we simply don't need to do that much for survival. And once our base desires are satisfied, motivation becomes far more necessary while our lives have never been easier. It doesn't do much for our motivation to be active and achieve. We can get to the point where any exertion at all might feel like an inconvenience. It can wreck our ambitions and sense of drive. We've been seduced by convenience so much that we lose sight of all our aspirations.