You’re not tired, you’re uninspired: It’s time to start living

Consider this: We get the most inspiration and motivation from the things we are passionate about, but we hardly try to make time for what we really love to do. Why is that?

Maybe it’s because when we get home from work or school, or both, we have extra work we have to do at home. We say our physical bodies are too exhausted for any other stimulation other than a screen displaying a social media distraction.

No matter the reason, it’s an excuse. You’re not tired, you’re uninspired.

Or maybe you are tired — aren’t we all — but you’re still feeling uninspired to work on yourself to make yourself happier. Inspiration and motivation that comes from the personal activities that bring you joy is not only going to improve how you feel about yourself, but how you feel about the world, and how you see the world. If you actively decide to take interest in your life and in yourself, your life will only become better.

A lot of people say there’s a million things in life they want, but don’t think they could ever have or attain them. That is the first step to failure: a negative mindset. If you want something, but think to yourself how you’re not going to get it, you won’t. The universe can hear your thoughts.

Consider this: have you ever wanted something to not happen so badly, so you keep thinking, “I really hope I don’t fail my exam today,” for example?

Your mindset is like Google search.

Now, Google typically ignores negative words like “don’t,” or “not,” but it does listen to everything else. So if you think to yourself how much you don’t want to fail your exam, Google might see your phrase as “I really hope I fail my exam today,” because it only comes up with the subject answers, the keywords.

So what do you do instead? Change your mindset.

As opposed to thinking the hypothetical example given, change your attitude to instead think of your possible exam as an opportunity, and a hope to do well. Say instead, “I will be happy with the result of my exam,” or “I am ready for this exam, I know I will do well because I’ll be doing my best.”

With exams in session, I hope this little trick is able to help all the stressed-out post-secondary students, for I am one of you; as for adults who are past this stage of life, you are not escaping this daunting reality-check of mindset trickery.

So much “adult stress” these days comes from the what ifs.

What if I can’t make that payment by that date? What if I’m late for work this morning? What if my life isn’t turning out the way I’d hoped it to? What if I’ll never have enough? This adult stressing out is in direct proportion to having or being, enough. But it’s unnecessary.

Stress in general is what happens when you overthink situations that are beyond your control. Returning to my initial point at the beginning of all this, stress contributes to your level of productivity on creating the self that you have always wanted.

The power is within you. If you really want something, and know in your heart it’s what you need to do to complete your life and make it meaningful, you have to go for it.

You cannot expect results without putting in the work.

From a personal perspective, my whole life is a constant motion of hustling for the things I want out of life. I open my arms to every single opportunity that presents itself to me, and I walk through the door a little scared, sure, but confident because I know it will take me to where I need to go on my journey.

The whole excitement of life is not to know exactly where you’re going, but following the passions you have to the happiness you want to live in. You have to do more than just go to work, pay taxes, and stress yourself out over the what ifs. You have to live to say you’re alive, your beating heart is just the start.