On my last post I explained how motivation is needed in order for us to succeed but also the reason why we can not rely on motivation to see us through our journey. Motivation is unreliable because it is an emotion, and like all emotions, it comes and goes. When motivation subsides though what we are left with are our habits.

What we do when we don’t feel motivated is determined by our habits. Habits stay because they do not depend on emotion. We can do things without even really thinking about them if it is part of our habit. For example, if you’re just used to washing your face before going to sleep you probably don’t even realize that you’ll go straight to the bathroom to freshen even after a really tiring day before hitting the bed. If washing your face is not part of your routine though you will need to really exert more effort just to wash your face and maybe just decide not do it and prioritize your rest instead.

Now when it comes to achieving success we need to develop habits that will help set us up for success. We need to have our habits so deeply ingrained that when obstacles come we won’t have to split up our energy between overcoming those obstacles and just going about the daily activities that we need to do in order to function properly. Having good habits doesn’t mean having no troubles but it means that most of your reactions will be automatic and you won’t have added stress in your life.

In my next post I will elaborate more on habits that we need to form in order to have a better chance at success.

We all want to be a success in life. It doesn’t matter whether success for you means a high-powered career, great relationships, finding yourself, achieving a particular dream, or getting a PhD. The truth though is that the path to success is filled with obstacles, so much so that many find themselves frustrated and unable to continue their journey in achieving success.

One of the things that is often pointed to for failure is lack of motivation. People tend to think that if they get motivated enough they will be able to face the biggest obstacles and find a way beat them down or go around them. There is truth to this matter. Without motivation people will just not even start something, especially if they know that it will be difficult. However, the problem with motivation is that it is a feeling. Of course there is a solid reason for that feeling but still, like any other emotion, it comes and goes. What this means is that when the emotion goes away or subsides a bit there is a huge tendency to lie back and just give in to inertia. We end up giving up when we don’t feel so motivated anymore and then start again but only when the motivation comes back.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that motivation is a bad thing. In fact we NEED motivation. We need to get fired up in order to start the path to success. However, my point is that motivation is unreliable and it is not enough. By all means pump yourself up and find reasons to motivate you but do not make the mistake of solely relying on motivation.

On my next post I will be discussing the thing that we can rely on even when the emotion subsides.

I have never really thought of work in a strictly philosophical light. Neither have I associated the philosophy of work with being an American. I suppose I am no different from my neighbor or my colleague. I go to work because it is part of life. It is necessary. Without working, I would not be able to live the life that I have now.

Yet those thoughts in themselves are already the start of some philosophical analysis. Why do Americans work? Why is work so much part of our lives? These things – and more – were brought to my attention when I ran across Jason J. Campbell’s article titled Americana and the Philosophy of Work. In it, he highlights how the “American culture is intrinsically tied to labor.” He states:

We are a culture of laborers and Americana habituates its citizens to the necessity of work. We are a culture of workers and therefore any attempt to understand Americana must be met by an equal attempt to understand how Americans work.

Generally stated, a philosophy of work is an attempt to locate the essential conditions wherein work is meaningful. In discussing how a culture goes to work and how their effort to work is meaningful, one must take note of the concept.

In discussing Americana, the vast majority of the population has to work because of an acute sense of economic necessity, that is, they work because they have to. Generally speaking, only the very wealthy or those who have retired have the “luxury” of working for its sheer satisfaction.

True enough. I myself believe that I am part of the former group described in the preceding paragraph. Why do you work?