Recently, I have developed my wave theory. This is a way of thinking about changing our lives. And I noticed that we can also use it to stay motivated.
So today, I will talk about an overview of the wave theory I am developing. If you know this, we might change our lives and stay motivated easier.
How to stay motivated
Sometimes, we want to stay motivated in bad conditions or situations. We sometimes lose motivation, even if we have started it with fun. We might feel like getting a rest, traveling, or doing something refreshing with the work we have to do.
But we cannot always stay motivated. At such times, we often force ourselves to do it for irrational reasons. For example, we sometimes tell ourselves, “I cannot live without the work.” “Don’t complain. Everybody is putting up with it.” “Don’t stop or change what I have decided myself.” “This suffering will help me someday.”
We realize that these reasons are irrational at the beginning. But if we continue to use them many times, we believe they are usual. And that will confuse us about what is more important in our lives. At first, we began the work to make our lives better. But after we get confused, we try to keep working while sacrificing our lives.
In such a situation, my wave theory would help you. So today, I will introduce how to stay motivated with my wave theory.
Two kinds of work: to change or to keep
First of all, I will introduce the summary of my wave theory. I have developed this theory in this blog. (Tag: wave theory)
There are two types of work, as follows:
- Work to change something: We do it to improve our lives. It’s better to focus on accepting what is changing.
- Work to keep something: We do it to maintain our current, satisfied situation. It’s better to focus on eliminating the factor of change.
We can use both in different areas.
Perhaps you know the latter—the way to keep something. Many people don’t like change. They usually eliminate the factor of change, such as someone who has a strange nature, unexpected things, or troubles that cause changing plans. And we are often used to that way of thinking.
What is changing?
On the other hand, if we want to change something, it’s better to focus on accepting what is changing because new chances are in there.
As we try to change, our situation changes. We could get more energetic or joyful if we begin something. We could also get tired or bored if we keep doing something.
If we ignore them, we usually cannot make change because it means “maintaining.”
In other words, “keep doing the same thing” or “do this work every day, constantly” are not appropriate ways to change the future. These are ways to keep something.
Some might doubt that we can do the same thing continuously to accomplish our plans. For example, we can improve our piano skills by practicing every day.
But if our plans are going well, we never lose our motivation. In other words, something is off the plan, so we lose our motivation.
So, if we want change, it’s better to focus on accepting changes. That allows us to follow them or deal with them. We can not only eliminate them but also use them. And if we want to change, it is almost always better to use them rather than eliminate them.
Knowing the cycles of change
In such a situation, it’s better to follow the cycles of change. That’s the reason for thinking of everything that is changing as waves.
We assume that we are living in waves of positive and negative. Both are neither good nor bad. “Positive” means that we currently believe it is an appropriate way to accomplish our goals.
For example, if we are energetic, working toward our dreams will be positive. And getting a rest will be negative. But after we are exhausted, getting a rest will be positive because we don’t have the energy to change. And sometimes, we notice good ideas while resting. In such a condition, we feel it’s better to rest the work and create more ideas.
When we try to change, positive and negative things change like a cycle.
To foresee what the next wave
That is the reason we need to change the thought of “what is positive” based on our current state.
And we can foresee the next wave by thinking in cycles. It is simple and easy. For example, if we work hard, we can expect to be physically exhausted in the future. So we can prepare for the next wave, the wave of “getting a rest.”
We can ride good waves one after another. We now might feel that the wave of “getting a rest” is negative. But it will be positive in the future. If we ride that wave with great timing, that makes us more energetic. In other words, we can stay motivated to change our future.
I can explain this more deeply. So I will talk about this with an example soon.
The bottom line
So, I think it’s better to focus on accepting what is changing if we want to change.
If we can expect the next wave, we can ride the wave one after another. That makes us more energetic and takes us higher.
If we understand such a cycle of waves, we might be able to stay motivated to change our lives.
I will talk more deeply about this wave theory soon.
Thank you for reading this article. I hope to see you at the next one.