One Man's World is Another Man's Illusion

It's no secret that our goverments keep things from us and that advertising is meant to mislead us. This is just what we've come to expect and yet we continually fall for it all like sheep in a field.

This past Olympics (Vancouver 2010), I saw commercials from all the big name companies that sponsored the games couldn't help but wonder... what were they telling other people?

I am Canadian, so I watched the Canadian broadcast. In it, I saw commercials from Coke-A-Cola and McDonalds waving their Canadian flags and boasting "Let's show them who's game it is" (in reference to the hockey) and "they're in our house now"....  uhmm... neither of them are Canadian companies.

The very first commercial that aired immediately following Canada's gold medal hockey game was "now they know who's game it is" from Coke-A-Cola which made me wonder, what commercial did the US see?? Conversely, what would have aired if the US had won it? We'd probably see some "congrats on the silver" commercial while in the US, they'd see "It's our game now!" commercial or something like that.

We eat it up!! It's patriotism and pride and celebration and we love it! But, isn't it also treachery and treason that they go spouting the same pride and patriotism to the other guys at the same time??

The thing is, most of us aren't watching two different telecasts of the same thing from two different countries and so we'd never know. A part of us does, because as you read this you're thinking it makes perfect sense and even occurred to you. But an even bigger part pushes that aside and says "someone get me a Coke!"

It's because we're hearing what we want to hear. We're getting an emotional response from what they're feeding us and we take it because we want to take it. We're sheep. The advertisers are the shephards and they've just pulled the wool over our eyes and told us where to run.

Don't become a conspiracy theorist, but open your eyes. Question everything. See the world as it is and you'll be that much closer to taking charge rather than being a mindless follower.

Do You Know What "Motivation" Really Means?

The first thing we have to do is break it down to it's core word which is motive. If you're like me, the first thing you think of when you hear 'motive' is a crime. Perhaps it's too much police drama television these days but when I hear the word, I'm thinking that it means 'the reason a person committed a crime.'

Likewise, when we hear the word motivation, we definitely don't associate that with crimes but rather as a 'reward' or a 'reason' to do something that we generally don't want to do. We often think of it in terms of "having to find the motivation" to do something. It's basically become a bit of a negative thing... something we think of only when we are feeling down or unwilling.

What we need to do is change that, because that is wrong. Here is what the dictionary has for 'motive':

1. something that causes a person to act in a certain way, do a certain thing, etc.; incentive.

2. the goal or object of a person's actions: Her motive was revenge. 

 

See, even the dictionary gives it a 'crime' feel with the revenge bit but you can see how it doesn't have to be a negative thing. It's quite simply the 'thing' that makes you do what you do. It can be anything from eating breakfast because you're hungry (hunger is your motivation) to going to work to earn your pay (money is your motivation).

Did you ever think of hunger as a motivation? Probably not. Perhaps you were hungry but your laziness was trumping it and as you sat there, you tried to find the motivation to get up and get yourself something to eat. You weren't looking for motivation, you were looking for more motivation. An added reason, an extra excuse.

What does this all mean? Well, motivation comes in a lot more shapes and forms than you think and it's a part of your life every single day. You may have just clouded it with what we've come to perceive it as. You don't need to promise yourself rewards or incentives to get something accomplished... the motivation is already there. You just have to stop ignoring it or dismissing it and embrace it for what it is.

Perhaps that laziness wouldn't keep you in your seat if you just simply accepted the hunger for the motivation that it is. You don't have to commit a crime to have a motive and you don't need someone else to 'give you motivation'. You already have it. Use it.

Why Many Motivational Articles and Speakers May Have the Opposite Effect On You

The problem with a lot of motivational quotes, articles and speakers is that they make it sound like you could be immortal, all powerful and rule the world. In their quest to be a great motivator, they try to empower you to "be anything you want to be" and will quote you anything and everything they need to tell you to make you feel like you could take on the world.

If you're feeling even the slightest bit of self doubt, that's probably not what you need. Your sarcasm mode kicks in and starts translating all of those grandios promises into a "that's fine for everyone else but not for me" lashing that you give to yourself long after you're done reading/listening.

You know what? Most people can't be anything they want to be, most people can't take over the world and when it comes to being immortal or all powerful, let's be thankful that most people won't ever get that.

Let's be realistic. Even if all the cards fell perfectly into place and you had nothing but driver, determination and motivation... you still likely wouldn't be hitting the top 10 list in Forbes magazine any time soon.

The thing to remember is that no one goes from 0 to 10 without taking a lot of steps in between. For you to feel self doubt and be promised the world is skipping a lot of steps.

You have to push those aside and come back to them when you're a 9.5 and not sure how to be a 10. Learn to recognize when that sarcasm mode kicks in and either take it for what it is, humour, or shut it up.

The more you keep telling yourself that you don't fit into what they're telling you, the more you start to believe yourself and then it becomes true. Maybe it was true before, maybe it wasn't... you'll never know because you make it true.

So stop it, skip it, find something else that is more on your level and read that. Maybe an article on beginner goal setting is better suited to you if you feel like you're never achieving anything. Once you get that out of the way, improve some more areas and continue upwards on that ladder. Maybe the articles promising world domination will be better suited to you after that.

But until then, don't beat yourself up because of what someone you don't know thinks you might be capable of.

Some People Think I'm a Genius, I Think They're an Idiot

The title sounds rather generalized so let me be more specific. People discover that I am a web programmer, very good with computers and I can retain a lot of useless information which tends to prove handy when playing Trivial Pursuit and they start describing me as brilliant, a genius or just really really smart.

Those people, they're idiots.

I am no more a genius than your mechanic that fixes your alternator. That person can take apart an engine and put it back together without any of those random 'spare parts' that don't seem to fit back in somehow... plus as an added bonus, your car will start when you turn the key. I can't do that.

So if a mechanic can do all that and I can't, why do these people think I must be a genius but not the mechanic?

It's all a matter of perception. The world has set several courses (career paths) in motion that have become so ingrained in our every day life that we automatically make assumptions of the people in those paths. Garbage man? Gas station attendant? Burger flipper? Mechanic?

The funny thing is that these are considered "dirty jobs" because, well, you get dirty. And therefore, only an idiot would do a dirty job because no normal person likes to get dirty.

If you can work a computer without wanting to throw your keyboard through the window however, you must be brilliant.

I have news for you. The burger flipper isn't an idiot. If you think they're an idiot, sorry, you are. You've played into the hypnotic stereotypical trendy way of thinking that makes you the sheep that you are.


By labeling a computer person as brilliant, you are inadvertantly labeling those 'dirty job' people as idiots. It's just more politically correct.

Yes I can do things with a computer that most people can't, I've also been sitting at my computer for 10 plus hours a day for about 14 years. If I wasn't any good with it by now, I'd be in serious denial.

Don't judge someone's intelligence by how well they do the one job that is their job, unless you intend to do it with everyone who does their job well, mechanics, burger flippers and everyone else.

Instead of envying what I can do in my job, take pride in what you can do in your job. If you're a burger flipper and wishing you were 'smart like me' to work with computers, stop it. Many burger flippers have gone on to have a lot more money than me, been far more successful and retired young. Was it because they were idiots for being burger flippers or brilliant for being burger flippers?

I'm not a genius. You're not an idiot. It's not about what I know or what I do, it's about what you know and what you do... no matter what anyone else thinks about you. Do your best at what you do and some people will think you're a genius too. Those people, they're idiots.

Do You Know What The Difference Is Between You and An Expert?

I'm sure you're thinking about how experts really smart, have tons of schooling, make a lot of money... any number of things. But the truth is, there is no difference.

This is how it boils down... you can work the same job for 10 years and admit to yourself that you have some good job security, good experience under your belt... you might even say you have a solid career.

An expert, on the other hand, would work for 10 years and call him/herself an expert in their field. Simple as that.

See how that works? No? Let me break it down to you like this. It's about self confidence. Not to be confused with the confidence one has in their work.... it's self confidence.

Your issue is that you feel emberassed, shy or just awkward telling someone you're an expert. Because that sounds like you're bragging or boasting. Maybe they won't even believe you.

This is where your confidence comes into play. It has nothing to do with your actual job. The truth is, anyone can get any job and anyone can call themselves an expert once they know how to do that job. I didn't say do it well, just do the job.

Let me put it another way... do you think your boss will ever call you an expert? Co-workers? Friends? You could live your entire life just being some other worker hoping for someone to finally recognize you for who you are. Very few 'experts' in the world were ever given that title. They called themselves an expert and proved it.

If you're now asking yourself how you prove it, don't feel alone. The reason for that is because you've never thought about it before and chances are, still don't think of yourself as an expert. Give it some time, get used to telling yourself you know your work. You are an expert!

Chances are the opportunities to prove it have been there all along and will be there again. You just didn't recognize or sieze them because you didn't think of yourself as an expert.

Once you do though, the chances will come. People will come to you for advice and presto, you're a consultant! Peope will need an expert rather than just a bunch of worker drones from some company they don't know... presto, you're an independant contractor/entrepreneur.

Stop telling yourself that you're just an employee or that it's just a career. That's the old way of thinking. No one has careers any more. It's just a job. And either you think better of yourself and take charge of it or you'll just keep doing that job or some other job for the rest of your life wondering why the new guy went off and became an 'expert' when you've been doing it for 20+ years and can't do the same.

You are an expert. Act like one.

Motivation In the Form of Video Games - What Can We Learn?

Even if you don't play video games, just follow along with me. I've always played video games and have taken a lot away from them over the years. First and foremost, as a child, it greatly increased my hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills and most importantly, my problem solving skills. However, as an adult, it taught me something even more important, how to motivate myself!

It didn't really dawn on me until I started playing Xbox 360 games, they had caught on a long time ago and found a way to turn it into money. Microsoft knew that what they needed to make more money was to feed us what fuels us... no, not food. Achievements!

Each and every game that you can get for their system comes with a laundry list of Achievements that extend beyond the normal game itself. For example, you can finish the story or beat the bad guys or play with friends and still need to get some Achievements or conversely, not finish it and still get some Achievements to your credit. I've seen people play a game for days, weeks, even months after they "finished" it just in search of those Achievement points.

It's a secondary feature which may seem kind of silly if you haven't tried to get them before but for avid gamers, these can become addictive. If a game had an achievement for playing 365 days straight, you can be sure that there would be people out there playing that game every day for a year. And not just children either, the average age of a video game player might surprise you.

The thing is that the Achievement system drives you on an Xbox 360 because it drives you in real life. It's the fuel you need to move forward.  It's just not usually laid out for you on your television screen. But it could be.

Think about it for just a second. If you could fire up a video game, say... PacMan, and see a list of things like surviving for 20 minutes without dying, getting 500 dots in a row without dying, eating 12 ghosts in a row... what ever, you would load that game up and say to yourself "I can get those!" And when you did get those, you would feel really good about it.

You don't have to play video games to get that feeling. And there's no reason that a list of Achievements should only be seen in a video game.

Put it in to practice right now. Make a list of Achievements in your life that you would like to get. Maybe it's drinking only one coffee a day instead of two. Maybe it's putting $100 into a drawer every month until you have $5000. Maybe it's playing less video games.

It doesn't matter what it is. The Simpsons video game has an achievement for pressing Start when you first turn the game on. Hard to get?? Not even close. But it's an Achievement!

Microsoft makes a fortune from doing what you really could do for yourself. Think about it. Learn from it. Do it.

The Hardest Advice To Follow: Your Own

What is it in us that makes us great at giving advice to friends and family and yet prevents us from believing our own words? Is it that we think we're simply saying what the other person needs to hear and not really what we believe?

Think about this; if Michael Jordan gave you advice on basketball, would you listen? If Donald Trump gave you advice on making money, would you listen? If Anthony Robbins sat down and talked to you about motivation, would you listen? Conversely, would you listen to advice on the stock market from a convenience store clerk?

There's no real secret here, the secret is in the source. In this case, it's you.

Listen, I'm not saying you're not worth listening to. I'm saying that if you are needing the advice, especially on motivation or other self help areas, chances are you are already down on yourself. Hense the desire for advice.

You put yourself down, you don't like yourself or some aspect of yourself so you need advice... why would you listen to yourself? You think low of yourself just like you would think of that store clerk trying to give stock advice.

The fact is, the advice is in you, you already help others with it. Now think about this, their source is the same as yours. You! And they believe you. Why? Because you're you.

Look, there's an expression for this sort of thing. It's called a 'pity party' and it only ever has one person in attendance.

What you need to do is look in the mirror, slap yourself in the face and admit to yourself that even if there is only one single person in the whole wide world that actually takes your advice... then the source can't be all that bad. If the advice sounds like it could be good advice if it came from Michael Jordan, or Donald Trump, or Anthony Robbins... then maybe it's just good advice and you should stop caring who said it.

You're reading motivational articles, you don't feel like you're the greatest human that ever lived. I get that. But there's no reason to think that you can't give someone, even yourself, advice. Good advice is good advice, ignore the source. No matter what it is in you that says you shouldn't.