Short pamphlet with a twist, on articles with unrealistic claims, the same old pieces of advice, and titles
I am far from being perfect. I smoke, I don’t exercise enough, I do eat junk food, I drink tons of coffee, and above all, I don’t sleep enough. On the last one, I can blame my DadOps job. (you can have a look below if you are curious 🙂
So that being said, I am UNPERFECT by definition but also the PERFECT candidate for all the motivational articles and materials that encourage you to be this and that, fast, effortlessly in 3,5,7 steps.
Intro
From time to time, I do want to change some recognized bad habits by focusing on them. In this sense, I read a lot about that subject, watch some youtube to get more insight, and I’m disappointed.
It seems that, like me, there are unperfect people out there, who are the perfect audience for such content. And there is a recipe here, no doubt about it. Let’s dive into a brief analysis.
7 steps to achieve the perfect body in 3 days
There is a behavior pattern that drives us insane when we see odd numbers like 3,5,7. I’m stopping here because the magic stops when the number is too high and seems hard to accomplish. For example, the above title would seem foolish and unattractive like this:
25 steps to achieve the perfect body in 365 days
even though it might be more realistic than the first one. Be honest now! Would you click on a “promise” that would change your life in 3 days or 365 days? How about seven steps versus twenty-five? 😀
So from the above, we can see that the recipe for the title is:
- Several steps to follow (between 3 and 7 usually)
- A promise because you “need” to be more productive, slim, etc.
- A short period that gives you the sensation of possibility
Ok, so why is this deceiving or clickbait? Because we are different, and even if we have many similarities by groups – humankind, men, women, children, boys, girls, etc., we are so different, that putting together the assumption that several steps will apply to everyone, is insane.
Even if the steps described, perfectly apply to you, then the timeframe is off, and unrealistic. I tried such treatments on myself, and the only sensation afterward, was confusion with myself and a sensation of failure.
Going deeper, into the content of some of such writings, you find yourself in the middle of “obvious territory”. Slim down by eating less, be more focused by eliminating distractions, build a perfect abdomen by doing exercise… Really? For whom is this a wonderful revelation?
I will continue with my take on this, to achieve “your perfection”. (When I say perfection here, I’m referring to the thing that you desire, in your capacity to achieve it) The state desired in 3 easy steps, now.
1. Stop searching for shortcuts
Don’t be fooled by a promise in a week. Open your mind, be consistent in what you want to achieve, and take the long road to achieve it. Most of the time, the journey is more inspiring and beneficial than the result per se.
2. Failure is part of the journey
I am still perfect in failing. 🙂 I do fail every day on numerous things. I just step a bit back and try again. To not fail is not human. To see failure as another step towards not failing is an art. Work on this skill, and no goal will stand in your way!
3. Feel yourself before anything else
Last year for one month and a half I stopped smoking. In another month I lost weight and started eating healthily. Then I reverted to the original state with a more clear state of mind and introduced more healthy food to my diet, and started to smoke less. Another good failure on me 🙂
I felt that the time, the work, and everything in between was stopping me from pushing those goals to completion. Please feel yourself before jumping into anything. Communicate with your mind and body to see if it is the time and moment to push further.
Short disclaimer
If you are an author of such motivational articles, please do not feel offended by the above. Maybe your steps are unique and life-changing, and I did not have the pleasure to meet you yet. If so let me know in the comments what you write and I will be happy to have a look and change my life through your ideas, in whatever steps I need to follow 🙂 In my experience so far, I didn’t find WOW motivational articles under the recipe described.
You did the same thing here!
One might argue that this entire writing is the same thing as the writing that I’m condemning. Well, to be honest, my approach here was not to give advice but to trigger a reaction in you, to think and feel and filter through your “own” rationale being your goals and the way you want to pursue them. If I failed, you already know what I think about failure…
Also just a side note, I do think that at some point everything will be already written. You can see that idea here:
Before you go…
I would love to see if something moved, after reading this. Let’s start the conversation. Until then, good luck, and may your goals become reality in just 3 easy steps, within a week or less 🙂