You don’t need a motto to be successful
I know. Controversial.
Content about personal growth hacks, must-do’s and stop-doing-that’s content has been thriving in the era of social media. What back in the day was limited to books, TV programs and live events for people dealing with midlife crises or grief, is now spread across social platforms like goddamn wildfire.
One of the messages that many of those online coaches and gurus preach is that you should have a personal motto. Even Pinterest is flooded with motivational quotes and evergreens.
There were a few times when I’ve been personally asked: what is your personal motto?
My first thought was: the fuck I know? The one about lemons, I guess? The second thought led to a blank page. Error 404. Tabula rasa. The more I thought about it, the more I realised that there is no “one and only” motivational phrase that would pull me and my life towards a better future. And there are definitely no quotes to tell myself on a daily, or to write repeatedly in my journal, that would make me a better designer or artist, or help me get through the day.
Does it make me a bad person? A failure? An unmotivated and lazy human being who doesn’t want to succeed in life and doesn’t know how to face problems and hardships on a daily basis, as the coaches and gurus try to depict people like me in their viral posts? Absolutely not.
Listen, words hold great power. Whether spoken or written, they influence us every single day. I’ve been a reader since my teenage years and I’ve been inspired by hundreds if not thousands of incredible quotes written by great authors and modern thinkers. When I was younger, I even kept a journal with my favourite quotes, and recently I’ve started highlighting them directly in the books instead of transcribing them into a notebook.
For me it’s not just one quote. It’s the infinitude of phrases. Whatever makes me ponder, gain a new perspective on life or work, whatever makes me feel something… is worth noting and letting influence me. And it’s not just Pinterest motivational quotes. I need something deeper than “Be your best self”, “One step at a time”, or “Live your day as if it’s your last”. By any means, if those work for you, great! For me, unfortunately, they are too shallow and obvious.
LESS WORDS, MORE GOALS & ACTION
Even though I do like a good quote, I despise being stuck in the limbo they sometimes create for us. You know, it’s easy to read and repeat some motivational words in the mirror at 6AM, but often it stays in that moment and doesn’t affect your life whatsoever.
You only get the instant gratification of actively telling yourself it’s going to be a great day, but at the first inconvenience, you drop every ounce of that potentially good mindset and boom! It’s back to the old ways again, and you’ve forgotten about that evergreen phrase from an hour ago.
See, that instant gratification feels nice and makes you think you’re being positively affected by your daily motto and that your life is changing for the better. In reality it’s just a fleeting feeling.
Success doesn’t come from a phrase you read somewhere. It comes from your own decision to do something to become successful or to fulfill your dreams. It took me a very long time to realise that nothing happens if I don’t do something about it. Sure, the universe sometimes throw things at us, but most of the time, it’s all on us. Think about doctors, for example. They won’t become the trusted specialists if they don’t study and practise all the time. I won’t become a successful illustrator if I don’t draw enough and build a network or an online presence so people can find me. A person struggling with obesity won’t get into shape and better health if they don’t work on their diet and go to the gym… The examples are endless, but what all of them have in common is that action causes change, and change, when directed towards a specific goal, will most likely lead to it.
I know, it’s very hard to set a goal or simply allow yourself to have a dream, let alone take the first step. But once you find the courage to do it, it will get easier, and maybe you won’t even need any motto anymore…
