re: What keeps you going?

And laundry

Age: 26

TL;DR: Get angry and fight through your problems on adrenaline and self-preservation / Remember that you aren't where you want to be, but you aren't where you used to be - play up to your aspirations / Know you're not the only one going through trials and tribulations - humble yourself by acknowledging what you have instead of focusing yourself on what you don't have or what didn't happen for you.

My dad said the following to me after I called him, broken and beaten down, after failing a Thermodynamics final in college that ultimately dropped me from passing the class:

"It is what it is. There are going to be times where you beat yourself up and want to quit, but if you do everything you can and it still doesn't go your way, you can hold your head high knowing that you took care of your business to the best of your ability".

That mindset, coupled with moving into the professional world and forging ahead to establish my career, helped me realize these 3 tricks:

Motivation through Anger: I know it may sound dumb, but when I'm pushed to my breaking point mentally / emotionally, I get angry internally. For some reason, when I feel weak, useless, or overwhelmed, I force myself to get angry instead of retreating into the darkness of uncertainty. I don't mean you should get angry with any specific person. Don't be mean to people. Nobody else needs to see your anger through you being an insufferable prick. It's all in your head; a flush of adrenaline, everything goes red hot and prickly, and suddenly you're ready to fight whatever comes your way. It's a very liberating feeling. Whatever life throws at you, whatever pain you're about to feel, you're ready. You want that fight, and you understand that fighting hurts.

Motivation through Aspiration: Being so young and relatively unseasoned (compared to my coworkers), I realize every day that I don't know nearly as much as I think I do. That provides motivation to show up early and stay late to better myself professionally. I also want to make a name for myself. I want people to look to me for answers, whether it's at work or in everyday life in general. I want people to know my accomplishments and capabilities without meeting them.

Motivation through Self-Awareness: I picture where I want to be in 5 years, and realize that where I am now is not permanent. I also realize that I am in complete control of where I am in that moment. Things are always changing around you, and the more effort you put into something, the more you get in return. I also hold onto the fact that no matter how bad things may seem (whether it is bills, family friction, romantic relationships, whatever), there is always someone who has it way worse than I do. This is a FACT. I can still remember the humility that I felt when I truly had that realization. Also, if I ever think "today is really shitty - probably the shittiest day of my life", that just means, by that logic, tomorrow will be better.

Good luck with whatever is going on - Don't take life too seriously...none of us get out alive!

38
thc and jim beam for now...

my hate and rage

My pursuit of The Dark Tower

54- at some point in some lives, some people realize that every thing they ever believed about every single thing they were ever taught, was false.

This is helpful.

Friends, Family. Good music. The woman I love. Low stress job. Regular exercise. Occasional recreational indulgences.

A boring life is a blessed life.

21

Fear of having to do manual labor in south Louisiana for the rest of my life.

What's so bad about that?

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Had a rough few years with the end of a marriage

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hey

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but things are on the upswing. I never lose optimism.

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I expect you to come back here in Dec 17 and share what a great year this has been