Choose kindness [image]
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@r_getmotivated
Text Step 1 - Do It. Step 2?
# How not to over-complicate simple things and perform daily tasks without the need for immediate feedback.
Everyone wants to learn something, to be better at something. But complicated things take so much planning, learning, and overthinking that sometimes there’s no time for doing.
“Do or do not. There is no try.” ― Yoda
# Why simple actions are more important than complex plans
Chess, boxing, writing. No matter what you want to get better at, there's one simple trick that will send you far ahead - do it. It may sound crazy, but watching more coding tutorials instead of just starting to practice on your own simple project may be holding you back.
You don't always need instant feedback to move forward. The hardest but the most important part is just getting started. Take action, and the momentum will often carry you through the rest.
Most things are simple, most of the time certain inputs give certain results, but we like to complicate and bypass things. There is nothing to worry about, just accept it and correct course.
# 2 Different views
Two people want to learn programming. One person watches tutorials, reads books, takes courses, and researches for the best software and the best add-ons to the software before starting. The other person opens Notepad++ and just starts following simple exercises, taking help only when the help is needed. Who will learn more 2 months from now?
# The weight of knowledge
Let's continue with our 2 buddies. The first one finally opens the beautifully modified Visual Studio code and... Where should I even start? Which project will give me the best learning curve? What if I should learn it first? I think it's time for another video.
The other person simply practices. In this way, paradoxically, one learns much more than the “knowledge first guy”.
Obviously, too much practice with no theory is also a bad idea. We don’t want to practice and ingrain bad habits. Think of knowledge as the tools in your toolbox, and action as the act of building something with those tools. Both are essential. You wouldn't start building a house without the right tools, nor do you want to loosen a screw with a hammer because you don't know the right tool. On the other hand, having even the most sophisticated toolbox will not magically make you build a house.
Nothing sums it up better than one of my all-time favorite quotes:
“Knowledge without practice is useless. Practice without knowledge is dangerous.” ― Confucius
# There’s no perfect moment
Or ideal conditions, don’t wait for them. There's always something new to learn, a better tool to discover. But progress begins with that first step. Don’t be jealous or angry when someone with that approach goes much further than you, even though you are the “smarter” one. Humble your ego, admit that you may not be as good, and don't bombard yourself with an overwhelming amount of knowledge.
Step 1: Do it. Step 2? There’s no step 2.
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[Text] Work shouldn't feel like work
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@r_getmotivated
Boost your SELF-WORTH in just 30 days [text]
**Aren't you also sick and tired of the times where you put yourself down?**
So often, I find myself engaging in negative self-talk like:
* I’m not good enough.
* I always mess things up.
* People don’t really like me.
* I’m too flawed to be loved.
* I don’t have what it takes to achieve my goals.
* I’m always going to be stuck in this situation.
But we have a choice. Every thought that defines who we are is a piece of a bigger picture.
In the next 30 days, you can exchange unwanted pieces for those that lift you up. With this, you provoke a micro-revolution within yourself until eventually:
* Your shoulders will feel lighter as the pressure eases.
* Your energy will return, as your mind and body sync in harmony.
* You will experience a sense of newfound purpose.
**3 simple Activities helped me to build more Self-Esteem:**
# 1. Guard Your Mind
Every day, we let negative thoughts freely enter our minds. There's no border control at the gate to our subconsciousness saying, "STOP, you will not corrupt \[your name\]."
We need to recruit this mental border control. Here’s how it works:
1. Recognize when a negative thought arises.
2. Immediately counter the thought.
Let’s say you scroll through your Instagram feed and see all those successful, good-looking people. What usually happens? We generate thoughts of insufficiency. Repeating this daily creates a self-esteem killer. If you don’t want to leave social media altogether, make sure to maintain positive self-talk.
**NO:** "I will never achieve this by myself."
**YES:** "I’m happy to see these people’s efforts paying off!"
*At all costs*, we need to avoid letting harmful self-talk happen.
# 2. Get In Touch With Your Fears
Engaging with your fears is a powerful act of self-respect. Every time you confront something that scares you, you reclaim a part of yourself that was trapped in doubt.
These are the moments where you discover your strength—the kind that comes from pushing past the limits you thought defined you. Every fear you face is a victory, a reminder that you’re capable of more than you imagined. And with each small triumph, your self-esteem quietly grows.
Start small.
* Want to become better at building relationships with strangers? Ask random people for directions.
* Want to change careers? Start with an internship to explore new paths.
# 3. Master Something
Have you seen the excitement of someone who’s onto something? Think of a child learning something new—they’re amazed by the world unfolding in front of them. Or great leaders, whose dedication to their vision lights a fire in their eyes and inspires everyone around them.
When you become great at something, you nurture your self-esteem daily.
This is especially impactful when others are involved. Become an expert at something, whether it's a sport, bartending, dancing, or entrepreneurship. The more often you push yourself out of your comfort zone and grow, the better it is for your self-esteem.
If you like, you can use the comment section to report progress and hold yourself accountable.
You've got 30 days for a revolution.
K
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Discussion Recommend stories of people who lost everything but made it all back
Tell your story if you have one, or recommend a book, film, tv show, podcast, documentary, or anything else.
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@r_getmotivated
𝐀𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐍𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫, 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐮𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧! [image]
https://redd.it/1fbw6pe
@r_getmotivated
DiscussionEducation isn't the only way to success
Education is undoubtedly a valuable tool, but it's not the only path to success. Many individuals have achieved remarkable accomplishments without formal education, demonstrating that success is a multifaceted concept influenced by various factors. This should push those who've failed their exam and academic goals to get it right and have a positive life
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[Discussion] Marcus Washling said: "Those at the top of the mountain didn't fall there." Do you have a real-life example of how you identified your peak, took action, and measured your progress?
I feel It's time to lace up my climbing boots, but I am not sure how to go about:
* Identify one 'peak' I should be aiming for and break it down into smaller, achievable milestones
* Take one concrete action, no matter how small, towards my most important goal
* Learn a new skill or piece of information that will help me in your journey
* Reach out to someone who's achieved a similar goal and ask for advice
* Measure my progress and celebrate my progress
Please guide me if you can!
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[Story] Graduated last year and I’ve been solo-developing a roguelike instead of looking for a job, my applications were constantly getting rejected and entry level position requirements were actually insane. So I decided to work for a company that actually cares about me, my self.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2266780/Ascendant/
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@r_getmotivated
[Video] From a Kitchen in Nyack to LA’s Spotlight: Nikita Privalov’s Journey of Family Sacrifice and Following His Acting Dreams
https://youtu.be/dAw8XxXDRtY
https://redd.it/1f6i0df
@r_getmotivated
Story How Lisa made her goals reality
My client, Lisa, was always full of big ideas. She’d say things like, “I’m going to lose 20 pounds” or “This year, I’ll finally write that novel.” But somehow, these grand plans would fizzle out after a few weeks. She’d start strong, but her enthusiasm would wane, and soon enough, those goals were left gathering dust. It wasn’t a lack of desire; Lisa just couldn’t seem to keep her eyes on the finish line long enough to get there.
One day, during one of our sessions, I suggested something different: visualizing her goals. Not just thinking about them, but really seeing them in her mind. I asked her to picture exactly what success would look like—how it would feel to slide into that favorite dress again or to hold a freshly printed copy of her own novel. But we didn’t stop there. I had her create a vision board, filled with images and quotes that captured not just the end result, but also the steps she’d need to take along the way.
At first, Lisa wasn’t convinced. “Isn’t this a little... arts-and-crafts?” she joked. But as the days passed and she saw those images daily, something shifted. The goals that once felt distant started to seem achievable. The workouts, the writing sessions—they became less of a chore and more of a pathway to something she could almost touch. The funny thing? By focusing on the visualization, she found herself actually enjoying the process.
Now, Lisa isn’t just setting goals—she’s making them happen. If you’re finding it hard to stick to your plans, try visualizing your goals. It might just turn your dreams into your reality. Type "Help" if you’re curious about finding a goal-setting strategy that fits you!
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@r_getmotivated
foods (sugar and carbs) - lesser recognized devil but a devil nonetheless. They serve as a therapeutic bam, a quick fix for a slight bit of discomfort. Very potent dopamine source and can be a disaster if unregulated. This magic pill comes with add-on benefits like diabetes, obesity and numerous life-threatening health concerns.
* Drugs - drugs of all shapes in sizes- hard drugs like cocaine or amphetamine, gateway drugs like marijuana, normalized drugs like caffeine and nicotine and even alcohol. Moderation might be the key for some people but for most, moderation is a myth. Even if they are used in moderation, they generate godforsaken amounts of dopamine for 0 effort, reinforcing negative behavior to the brain.
* Shopping spree - a new challenger has arrived! Like gambling, it’s just a game of novelty seeking, which stimulates dopamine receptors the most. Treat it like an addiction. Chasing shiny collectibles above and beyond your financial means and on which you have no control over, is no “hobby” of yours.
Synopsis : All the aforementioned habits are an addiction. If you are unsure about which of them you are truly addicted to, try this experiment. Pick one activity and strictly abstain from it for 90 days. If you feel no discomfort or longing of any sort, congrats! You ain’t addicted to that, move on to the next. If not, eliminate that activity altogether.
**Inculcating best Practices (40% importance) :**
* Exercise - exercise of any kind is supremely important to include in your daily routine. Apart from dopamine, exercise releases multiple feel-good neurotransmitters and keep you healthy in the long run. The sweat sets you free. Cold showers would be a nice add-on.
* Sleep - quality sleep of minimum 7 hours is the only thing that will replenish your dopamine stock. Melatonin supplements, screen time 2 hours prior bed etc. would help you get a nice sound sleep.
* Sunbathing - spend 10 minutes in the sun everyday after waking up. It signals the body to release dopamine by Vitamin D absorption.
* Stress handling - stress is something that can’t be avoided, no generic advise can be given wrt this. Stress if gone unhandled, makes you feel pathetic and seek cheap dopamine hits as a temporary fix. A better approach is to practice deep breathing exercises and simple yogic meditation to handle stress. Try them yourself, they work wonders.
* Natural food intake - dopamine is made from tyrosine, an amino acid. This acid is present in healthy proteins like chickens and eggs. There is not enough research or concrete evidence that this is beneficial but they can act as an nice add-on.
* Healthy incentives - your brain is like a child, it only seeks out pleasure. Always has been, always will be. You need to trick your brain to do the hard stuff and reward it with healthy incentives like food or music once a target has been fulfilled.
**Summary :**
The amount of Dopamine currency you have at your disposal at the start of each day, is very limited. Treat it like money, honestly its worth so much more than money. It’s the currency you should be saving up and religiously spending, to buy your goals. You can use this currency to buy cheap shit immediately, having no real significance(porn/games/social media) or save up gradually to buy your dreams someday. Every waking minute, you will be faced with this rather tough decision where “here & now” seems to outweigh “somewhere down the line”. Constantly, you need to make a choice between them.
Choose wisely, the Universe is yours to take.
**The Magic Bullet :**
Guess what ? you are in luck. There is indeed a magic bullet for Dopamine regulation, this might be your only chance at salvation. Remember it, learn it by heart, tattoo it on your forehead or do whatever tf you gotta do so that you don’t forget this shit.
“Abstain, Maintain, Seek out Pain”
Abstain → cutting off all the cheap dopamine releasing garbage.
Maintain → literally means- Self-Discipline. This is the godfather of every other self development skill, the only skill you will ever need in your life.
gets released in significant amounts and the total dopamine amount rises above the top surface of the pool(i.e. above baseline), overflowing the dopamine container. In order to counter this, the brain intentionally reduces the dopamine level(which is beyond our control). The more exciting the task, the more amount of pleasure(dopamine) is released and the exact equal amount of dopamine is depleted in-order to prevent container overflow. This process of dopamine depletion induces the pain/discomfort we feel after completing an enjoyable activity (eg- last day of holidays, last ep of our favorite show etc.). It’s the Pleasure\~Pain Balance. The same activity which gives you the pleasure is also responsible for the dread you feel afterwards. To escape this dread, people seek out more potent enjoyment which in turn results in a more potent dread. Hence, the vicious, never-ending cycle of Craving & Pursuit is formed unconsciously. Remember → The Higher you go, the Harder you fall.
**Popular myths- debunked ?**
* **Dopamine detox/fasting:** Dopamine itself isn’t a bad neurotransmitter, how we using it is bad. Apart from driving motivation, it is essential for multiple other cognitive functions so NO WE DON’T NEED TO ELIMINATE DOPAMINE FROM OUR BODY. We would literally die in our beds if we don’t have enough dopamine to get up & move. Dopamine detox literally means abstaining from worthless activities(gaming/masturbating/doom scrolling etc.) which provide huge dopamine spikes at the cost of minimal effort. Also it doesn’t magically change your life or alter your brain chemistry, making you more motivated or driven after doing it long enough. No, it won’t serve as your golden bullet if you still prefer games over books and porn over real women. All dopamine detox does is to help your brain to attain homeostasis via abstinence after elongated periods of high dopamine-depleting(exciting) activities. It restores your natural balance, making you feel okay to enjoy tedious tasks. Not enlightened, not majestic, just okay.
* **Exercise and Cold showers:** None of these activities increase your baseline dopamine. What they do is that they reinforce a behavior and train the brain to release substantial dopamine only after putting in real efforts, the way dopamine is actually meant to be used. Also, indulging in these activities involves prolonged periods of discomfort and effort(i.e. pain), reducing dopamine. In order to counter that, the brain releases dopamine, which makes you feel good after a heavy workout/cold shower.
* **Artificial dopamine supplements (drugs and medicines)** : This is not a good practice as it does the same thing as any cheap dopamine stimulants, even worse. It floods your brain with dopamine and increase your dependency on pleasure. Also these drugs can’t target only the dopamine receptors, instead it floods your entire brain with artificial lubricants which have drastic consequences in the long run. Analogy- instead of pouring petrol only in your engine, your drown your entire car in petrol hoping that it will run faster ! Supplements like L-Dopa(better than L-Tyrosine) are creating a lot of hype with not enough supporting evidence and some significant side effects, proceed with caution.
TLDR: Inculcating dopamine fast and exercises in your daily routine is supremely important to maintain healthy doses of dopamine. But its also important to know how these activities can or cannot help.
**Key insights ?**
* Dopamine is produced only by your body after a good night’s sleep. External stimulants & supplements may release or hinder dopamine from your dopamine container but can’t explicitly produce them. Be very mindful while spending this currency.
* Some amount of Dopamine is needed for us to do each and every task, both simple and complicated, easy and hard. We start each of our day with a finite reserve of dopamine. Mundane tasks release less dopamine, thus it’s painful to do them. But in-order to do mundane tasks for a significant amount of time, we need a large quantity of dopamine. Enjoyable tasks
article Dopamine : a comprehensive guide
I have been researching about Dopamine for a long time now. I have also worked with a few professionals in this sectors. What I have come across is that there is no clear & concise information about Dopamine anywhere on the internet. Whatever's available is intentionally made complicated, surface level explanations or the actual quality content is locked behind a paywall. I have tried my best to avoid all the scientific mumbo-jumbo and put in a comprehensive understanding of dopamine and it's regulation in layman terms. Hope it helps <3
What is Dopamine ?
Dopamine (a neuromodulator) is not the Pleasure molecule, rather its the Novelty molecule (eg- A tasty chocolate when consumed everyday, doesn’t lose its taste but loses its novelty & thus the feel-good[i.e. dopamine\] associated with it). Dopamine requires Novelty(or its anticipation) for it’s release and in turn dopamine gives us Pleasure. This novelty maybe Instant Gratification (food/cigarette/porn/games) or Delayed Gratification (achieving a goal). Dopamine is only released if the anticipated reward exceeds our expectations. Dopamine is designed in such a way that it will never make us happy. It is a tool used to drive people to achieve their goals or ambitions (eg- Neanderthals needed dopamine for hunting & gathering everyday, survival was their primary goal). Once achieved, it will drive us towards the next best thing. Dopamine makes the journey of achieving a tough goal easier by making it more pleasurable. It’s the means to an end goal, not the end goal itself. The problem arises when we make Dopamine the end goal.
Problem ?
Throughout our evolutionary years, our brains were conditioned to release dopamine naturally and feel pleasure from delayed gratification which indulged hard work of some sort. Instant gratification of any form didn’t exist (even sex is delayed gratification, porn is instant). Our brain associated dopamine with real efforts which would yield substantial results somewhere down the line and thus things went smooth. The problem arised when Instant gratification came into picture. Very potent forms of novelty (eg- trying out new cuisine/visiting new porn sites/playing new video games) emerged, which requires minimum efforts to experience & can be enjoyed at the comfort of your home, thus leading to huge amounts of dopamine production from artificial stimuli. The huge dopamine spike isn’t a problem, problem is when that quantity of dopamine isn’t rightfully earned. The brain used to treat dopamine as a currency it gives to the body when the body has put in substantial work to earn that shit. Now the brain treats dopamine as a bank it can rob anytime to soothe the body whenever the body feels a slight bit of discomfort. Imagine this, the amount of dopamine you could have enjoyed from landing your dream job(earned), you get 5X of that dopamine from watching a 30min porn video(unearned). Why tf will you work towards your dream job anymore ???, ofc the brain won’t listen to you after getting that dopamine hit.
After blatantly abusing our neural pathway for years, our brains have mistook our tool for motivation as a crutch for pleasure. We have lost all drive and are blindly chasing a drop of chemical feel-good. Another problem is Dopamine tolerance. If our brain is exposed to huge dopamine spikes for prolonged periods of time, the pleasure gained from a certain amount of dopamine keeps decreasing progressively. This means, with time you would need more & more dopamine to get the same little hit of pleasure.
Craving & Pursuit ?
Dopamine stock
Imagine the dopamine container of our brain as a pool of water. When the pool is completely full and the water(dopamine) is just upto the top surface of the pool, that position is called “Dopamine baseline”. The brain always wants to maintain this dopamine baseline(i.e. Homeostasis). When you do something enjoyable, dopamine
Story Hang on there - you can all do it! DivorceKids
So, I’ve been divorced for five years now, and honestly, it’s been a tough ride. But through it all, I’ve tried my hardest to be a great dad to my son.
I’ve learned that showing up for him is what really matters. He was set to have his first football match on August 30th, and I was super excited to be there. I took the day off work, which isn’t easy because I work Friday afternoons. But then, the weather was horrible and they postponed the match to September 6th. I asked for the day off again, but with two of my coworkers already on holiday, it was a no-go.
I was crushed. I knew how much this match meant to him, and I hated the idea of letting him down. When I told him there was a chance I might not make it, he was understanding, but I could see he was really disappointed.
I wasn’t ready to give up, though. I managed to talk to my boss, and managed to swap shifts with a colleague who was kind enough to cover for me. It wasn’t easy, and I had to pull some strings, but I got the day off. I kept it a secret from my son, hoping to surprise him.
When the day finally came, I was beyond excited. Seeing my son’s face light up when he spotted me in the stands was priceless. It was a moment of pure joy, and all the hassle and stress of getting the day off faded away. Watching him play, cheering him on, and seeing that huge smile on his face reminded me why all the effort was worth it.
To all the parents out there doing everything they can to be there for their kids—those moments of connection are what make it all worthwhile.
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What can they offer, what can i give? Which ones bette? Tired of basing worth on others reactions. Text
Im at a place where i know my problems. I just dont know what to do to fix them
Being too needy too desperate.
Desperate and needy for approval. Validation. Attention. Recognition. Reassurance. Being seen, heard of or seen as important.
Its always me texting first and getting one word replies and this makes me feel like whatever i said wasnt good enough. Or interesting enough. Or the other person isn't interested in what i said.
No one asks for my opinion, no girls are attracted to me, i have no friends, and im tired of chasing everyone probably because of fear of abandonment, rejection, loneliness and wanting to connect with others but the fear of approval and disapproval is more powerful than wanting to connect.
Past few days i been full of anger. Full of rage. Probably because of all bad past experiences and repeating patterns and negativity. Im angry that no one cares. And i see it as my fault. Which has made me paralyzed and not say or do anything because i think whats the point? No one is going to care anyway.
Im angry that i feel like im not good enough because of basing self worth on peoples reactions. And most of the time it is none.
Do i care about what they want? Or what i want?
I want friendships or relationships to be equal. Where im not always chasing, fearing abandonment or rejection, basing my worth on their reactions
I feel like not good enough to be given to, cared about. Not good enough for anyone to invest their time and energy into. This makes me feel like im not good enough, boring, and have no good qualities
When talking i compare myself to others, they talk to girls and be friends and have things to talk about and both are contributing to the conversation with long messages while with me its always one sided.
And they both give to each other, while no one gives me anything, i know im not owed anything. But what do i have to do to make others care?
I know i need to stop seeing others attention as so important. As the deciding factor on my self worth and personality. I want to change this goal, this purpose but i dont know to what.
Its like i use others as a vehicle for self esteem and self worth, as a way to fill a void, use them to make myself happy.
Im aware that im too angry, sometimes rude, or aggressive, sometimes too passive, sometimes insult others as a way of being funny but i been better at those and still trying to learn.
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Discussion Do you agree that the child in you alone can protect you from those who would rob you of human aliveness, humility and dignity?
I was told to love the child in me because:
He feels too much Talks too much
Takes many chances
Wins a few times and loses quite often
Lacks self-control, Laughs and cries
Sometimes loves, sometimes hates
Sometimes, it hurts and gets hurt.
Makes promises, breaks promises
And does all of it without being afraid of getting judged. Agree?
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Roots [image]
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@r_getmotivated
DiscussionHow do positive affirmations work if you're only suppose to base them off of what you believe in the first place?
Seems like it just begs the question.
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@r_getmotivated
Im tired of living like this, constant people pleasing and no one caring about me, tired of basing self worth on others reactions. I just want to change. I just dont know what to do. Text
everytime i see others reactions towards me or others Im reminded of how no one cares about me or values me or loves me or likes me or is interested in me or no one chases me (i mean this like in every friendship or whateveer its always one sided, not asking to be constantly chased or it be %100)
And this makes me feel like i have nothing to offer, nothing valueable to offer, makes me feel like im boring or uninteresting
And this constant negative thinking and self beliefs make me afraid of taking any action at all, or saying anything at all, im afraid that i will say or do the wrong thing and they end up replying with one words or totally ignore me because of what i said wasnt good enough or interesting enough or cool or funny enough.
I dont know what to say, i dont know what to talk about, conversations are dry, one sided, mostly me trying to start them even though idk how to start them, i see others talking for hours and both are contributing it makes me jealous
I know my problems, i know them very welll, and i do everything or say anything just to get approval or avoid disapproval, i accept my flaws, i just dont know what to do for growth. Or achieving self actualization or self esteem. I dont know what actions to take for change.
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@r_getmotivated
tool Self Awareness is your Key to Success!
Every achievement in life begins as a desire.
It is our commitment and dedicated efforts that transform those desires into accomplishments.
Being Aware supports you to rise above the distractions and keep you focused towards the goal.
Be Aware to go Higher beyond the lower emotions that pull you down!
Love & Light!
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@r_getmotivated
100 reasons to stay aliveDiscussion
1. to make your parents proud
2. to conquer your fears
3. to see your family again
4. to see your favourite artist live
5. to listen to music again
6. to experience a new culture
7. to make new friends
8. to inspire
9. to have your own children
10. to adopt your own pet
11. to make yourself proud
12. to meet your idols
13. to laugh until you cry
14. to feel tears of happiness
15. to eat your favourite food
16. to see your siblings grow
17. to pass school
18. to get tattoo
19. to smile until your cheeks hurt
20. to meet your internet friends
21. to find someone who loves you like you deserve
22. to eat ice cream on a hot day
23. to drink hot chocolate on a cold day
24. to see untouched snow in the morning
25. to see a sunset that sets the sky on fire
26. to see stars light up the sky
27. to read a book that changes your life
28. to see the flowers in the spring
29. to see the leaves change from green to brown
30. to travel abroad
31. to learn a new language
32. to learn to draw
33. to tell others your story in the hopes of helping them
34. Puppy kisses.
35. Baby kisses (the open mouthed kind when they smack their lips on your cheek).
36. Swear words and the release you feel when you say them.
37. Trampolines.
38. Ice cream.
39. Stargazing.
40. Cloud watching.
41. Taking a shower and then sleeping in clean sheets.
42. Receiving thoughtful gifts.
43. “I saw this and thought of you."
44. The feeling you get when someone you love says, “I love you."
45. The relief you feel after crying.
46. Sunshine.
47. The feeling you get when someone is listening to you/giving you their full attention.
48. Your future wedding.
49. Your favorite candy bar.
50. New clothes.
51. Witty puns.
52. Really good bread.
53. Holding your child in your arms for the first time.
54. Completing a milestone (aka going to college, graduating college, getting married, getting your dream job.)
55. The kind of dreams where you wake up and can’t stop smiling.
56. The smell before and after it rains
57. The sound of rain against a rooftop.
58. The feeling you get when you’re dancing.
59. The person (or people) that mean the most to you. Stay alive for them.
60. Trying out new recipes.
61. The feeling you get when your favorite song comes on the radio.
62. The rush you get when you step onto a stage.
63. You have to share your voice and talents and knowledge with the world because they are so valuable.
64.Breakfast in bed.
65. Getting a middle seat in the movie theater.
66. Breakfast for dinner (because it’s so much better at night than in the morning).
67. Pray (if you are religious)
68. Forgiveness.
69. Water balloon fights.
70. New books by your favorite authors.
71. Fireflies.
72. Birthdays.
73. Realizing that someone loves you.
74. Spending the day with someone you
85. Being wrapped up in a warm bed.
86. Someone’s skin against yours.
87. Holding hands.
88. The kind of hugs when you can feel a weight being lifted off your shoulders. The kind of hug where your breath syncs with the other person’s, and you feel like the only two people in the world.
89. Singing off key with your best friends.
90. Road trips.
91. Spontaneous adventures.
92. The feeling of sand beneath your toes.
93. The feeling when the first ocean wave rolls up and envelops your toes and ankles and knees.
94. Thunderstorms.
95. Your first (or hundredth) trip to Disneyland.
96. The taste of your favorite food.
97. The child-like feeling you get on Christmas morning.
98. The day when everything finally goes your way.
99. Compliments and praise.
100. to look on this moment in 10 years time and realise you did it.
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@r_getmotivated
discussion Pursue yourself.
Saw this quote on IG today, and it really hit home:
"If you don’t know what to pursue in life right now, pursue yourself. Pursue becoming the healthiest, happiest, most healed, most present, most confident version of yourself. Then the right path will reveal itself."
I love this because so often, we find ourselves stuck in a loop of uncertainty, unsure of what our next big move should be. Should I switch careers? Start a new project? Move to a new city? The pressure to make the "right" choice can be overwhelming, leaving us feeling paralyzed. But what if the answer isn’t out there somewhere? What if the answer is within you? 🌱
When you don’t know what to pursue, the best thing you can do is turn your focus inward. Start by pursuing the most important project of all: yourself. This means investing in your physical and mental health, deepening your self-awareness, and nurturing your passions—even if they’re just hobbies for now. It means healing from past wounds, building your confidence, and becoming fully present in your own life. 🧘♂️
Why is this so important? Because clarity doesn’t come from endless overthinking or waiting for some magical sign. It comes from action—specifically, the action of becoming the best version of yourself.
Discipline Resources:
Mindsnack Newsletter
Discipline Of Steele Newsletter (all about building discipline)
https://redd.it/1f6tkko
@r_getmotivated
Discussion Is there a way to become addicted to work?
I have some addictions, such as watching ig reels/yt shorts, cold drinks, and gaming.
My question is: Is there any way to become addicted to work, like my addictions mentioned above?
Imagine if I were addicted to work; I would become rich in no time. I know it's a kind of silly question, but I'm serious. Thank you!
https://redd.it/1f6fjkf
@r_getmotivated
Everything comes later, discipline is every aspect of life comes first. Hopefully, your search of the next self-development hack ends here.
Seek out Pain → The pursuit of Pain in any form gives you pleasure, real earned pleasure. Chase this shit.
*The relationship you have with your dopamine is a Master-Slave architecture. Oh yes sir, you are supposed to be the Master in case you have forgotten. Over-indulgence have resulted in the reversal of roles, that’s sad indeed. Go claim your rightful place, dear sir. Use your D, don’t let your D use you.*
https://preview.redd.it/yreqwsbq27md1.jpg?width=295&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9339058054e148ab2376dfe2d4d33cf554155387
https://redd.it/1f6dn7c
@r_getmotivated
release more dopamine, thus its easy to do them. But they exhaust the dopamine reserves very quickly. The best practice is to start your day with mundane but important tasks like studying and end your day with less important but enjoyable tasks like gaming. This is the most efficient way to spend your dopamine currency of a particular day.
* Dopamine is not released only by the reward itself but also by the anticipation of it. Dopamine is actually designed to be used during this anticipation phase. If you want to achieve a tough goal, trick your brain into accomplishing it using this anticipation of the final reward. The process of achieving that goal will be quite smooth with small but consistent release of dopamine to keep you motivated everyday, aided by your brain as your ally. This is the only healthy way of using dopamine.
* What we should really aim for is to always maintain the Dopamine Baseline at all times. Maintaining the baseline gives you the feeling of being just okay. In this age of consumption, the feeling of being “okay” is constantly misinterpreted as “boredom” or “discomfort”. In order to avoid dopamine troughs(actual empty feeling), you need to avoid dopamine peaks(unearned cheap enjoyment) as much as you can. Embrace your “boredom”, invite him for a cup of tea. He is a close friend who has been neglected for too long.
* Pursuit of pleasure is punished by pain, this is true. Opposite of this is also true. Pursuit of pain is rewarded by pleasure. This holds true for our dopamine circuitry. Seeking out pain in any form (exercise/cold showers/overcoming mental block/hard day at work etc.) lowers our dopamine by bringing about discomfort. To achieve homeostasis, dopamine is released by the brain, dopamine we have rightfully earned by putting in the effort. Seek out pain, pleasure is a false pursuit of a fleeting moment.
**Remedy :**
Nope, it’s not all doom and gloom. Every cloud has a silver lining and so does dopamine abuse. Dopamine abuse is not a permanent untreatable disease, rather it’s an accumulation of reinforced negative behavior over time which have conditioned the brain to adapt to those behaviors. Just as the brain has learned to chase mere pleasure, it can also unlearn everything. The brain never stops evolving, what is done can also be completely undone. It takes time, is all.
So there are 2 approaches to undo all the aforementioned damage. Cutting off the garbage and Inculcating best practices. Both of them are supposed to hold equal importance but in this age of overindulgence, consumption of garbage does much more harm than inculcating best practices. Put more importance in cutting off the BS as it’s more important and requires greater efforts.
**Cutting off Garbage (60% importance) :**
Any artificial forms of dopamine stimulation (ranging from music & movies to marijuana & cocaine) isn’t healthy for your dopamine receptors. But cutting everything off is impossible so the best you can do is the categorize them into greater & lesser evils. Keep the lesser evils and omit the greater evils. The following points only mention the greater evils.
* Social media - how we use them is absolute cancer. They can be best used for acquiring useful information, socialization is a myth. The likes of youtube & reddit are still acceptable if used in moderation but the likes of tiktok and instagram are STDs.
* Porn - this drug is more potent than cocaine or heroine because unlike them who target only a particular part of the brain, porn is closely related to our life’s ultimate purpose(reproduction) which effect our entire brain & our body. Moderation is not the key, its the lock preventing you from escaping this mental prison. Complete elimination is the key.
* Video games - single player games you play once a week is still fine. Multiplayer games(specially mobile games) involving predatory gacha techniques(gambling) and microtransactions are a quicksand. Also, gaming is a cheap & very potent form of dopamine, moderation doesn’t work for many. Stead carefully, its a slippery slope.
* Processed
[article] Dopamine : a comprehensive guide
I have been researching about Dopamine for a long time now. I have also worked with a few professionals in this sectors. What I have come across is that there is no clear & concise information about Dopamine anywhere on the internet. Whatever's available is intentionally made complicated, surface level explanations or the actual quality content is locked behind a paywall. I have tried my best to avoid all the scientific mumbo-jumbo and put in a comprehensive understanding of dopamine and it's regulation in layman terms. Hope it helps <3
**What is Dopamine ?**
Dopamine (a neuromodulator) is not the Pleasure molecule, rather its the Novelty molecule (eg- A tasty chocolate when consumed everyday, doesn’t lose its taste but loses its novelty & thus the feel-good\[i.e. dopamine\] associated with it). Dopamine requires Novelty(or its anticipation) for it’s release and in turn dopamine gives us Pleasure. This novelty maybe Instant Gratification (food/cigarette/porn/games) or Delayed Gratification (achieving a goal). Dopamine is only released if the anticipated reward exceeds our expectations. Dopamine is designed in such a way that it will never make us happy. It is a tool used to drive people to achieve their goals or ambitions (eg- Neanderthals needed dopamine for hunting & gathering everyday, survival was their primary goal). Once achieved, it will drive us towards the next best thing. Dopamine makes the journey of achieving a tough goal easier by making it more pleasurable. It’s the means to an end goal, not the end goal itself. The problem arises when we make Dopamine the end goal.
**Problem ?**
Throughout our evolutionary years, our brains were conditioned to release dopamine naturally and feel pleasure from delayed gratification which indulged hard work of some sort. Instant gratification of any form didn’t exist (even sex is delayed gratification, porn is instant). Our brain associated dopamine with real efforts which would yield substantial results somewhere down the line and thus things went smooth. The problem arised when Instant gratification came into picture. Very potent forms of novelty (eg- trying out new cuisine/visiting new porn sites/playing new video games) emerged, which requires minimum efforts to experience & can be enjoyed at the comfort of your home, thus leading to huge amounts of dopamine production from artificial stimuli. The huge dopamine spike isn’t a problem, problem is when that quantity of dopamine isn’t rightfully earned. The brain used to treat dopamine as a currency it gives to the body when the body has put in substantial work to earn that shit. Now the brain treats dopamine as a bank it can rob anytime to soothe the body whenever the body feels a slight bit of discomfort. Imagine this, the amount of dopamine you could have enjoyed from landing your dream job(earned), you get 5X of that dopamine from watching a 30min porn video(unearned). Why tf will you work towards your dream job anymore ???, ofc the brain won’t listen to you after getting that dopamine hit.
After blatantly abusing our neural pathway for years, our brains have mistook our tool for motivation as a crutch for pleasure. We have lost all drive and are blindly chasing a drop of chemical feel-good. Another problem is Dopamine tolerance. If our brain is exposed to huge dopamine spikes for prolonged periods of time, the pleasure gained from a certain amount of dopamine keeps decreasing progressively. This means, with time you would need more & more dopamine to get the same little hit of pleasure.
**Craving & Pursuit ?**
[Dopamine stock](https://preview.redd.it/q30084fl27md1.png?width=1361&format=png&auto=webp&s=1101f00d8d04d9cab4a8b77d46f537aacff676f8)
Imagine the dopamine container of our brain as a pool of water. When the pool is completely full and the water(dopamine) is just upto the top surface of the pool, that position is called “Dopamine baseline”. The brain always wants to maintain this dopamine baseline(i.e. Homeostasis). When you do something enjoyable, dopamine
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 [image]
https://redd.it/1f6bucs
@r_getmotivated
