Some people like to say that they just “don’t feel like doing it” today. They would wake up early in the morning, feeling demotivated to do anything but sleep. Some would call in sick, and some would go to office in the famous ‘zombie mode’.

Unfortunately, work is work. You can feel demotivated and you can have that typical “I don’t feel like doing it” attitude, but your bosses, your customers, your competitors and the market in general are not going to wait for you. They demand you to deliver your work, whether you have the ‘mood’ to do it or not.

That’s the reality everyone of us needs to face every single day. And it’s a reality that none of us can escape from.

So rather than forcing yourself to do something or trying to escape from it, it’s way better to find other alternatives which can help you to get back in the ‘mood’. For example:

• You can try to find other source of inspiration. Sometimes, all you need is a little bit of inspiration from someone, something, somewhere. Try to read more books, blogs, talk to different people, etc. It might make you feel better with whatever you’re doing now.
• Take a break. Sometimes, taking a break from a hectic schedule prevents you from getting too exhausted. And when you feel exhausted, you won’t feel like doing anything but rest.
• Find other smaller stuff to do, but only for a short while. Never start something big when your main task has yet to be completed. And finding other smaller stuff helps you to introduce some varieties to your life. Our brain loves varieties (but not risks).

Unfortunately, time and tide wait for no one. In such a competitive world, if we don’t continue to work/study hard, we’ll be left out. Our feeling of “I don’t feel like doing it…”, is nothing but our own. The world cares nothing about this. I know it’s harsh, but it IS a reality.

Don’t get me wrong. I always stress the importance of getting enough rest and also taking a break from our work or job. But to constantly give excuses such as “I don’t feel like doing it…” just to avoid ourselves from doing something….is not very healthy. Such negative thoughts should be minimized especially when you’re starting your day in the morning.

And seriously, if you keep on having such an issue, perhaps it’s really time to find a new adventure in your life. Break this boring patterns of “I don’t feel like doing it”.

My company was having a kite design competition about a month ago. Each group was required to come out with their own design, based on a template given. I initiated my group’s design since most of us were busy with work at that time. I ended up spending about 5-7 hours on the design, with the help of several team members. The team members then came out with few ideas and asked me if it was okay to put it into the main design, and I must admit I was a bit picky at that time. I rejected quite a number of ideas which didn’t seem right to me.

Then one of them said “Working under Alvin must be very stressful. You are such a perfectionist”.

My reply was “Maybe I am a perfectionist, or maybe I’m not. But I believe if we want to do something, then we should give everything we have.”

I believe this applies to a lot of people on a lot of things – jobs, life, love, family, etc. Most of the time, we just do something for the sake of doing it without realizing that we actually have the ability to make it a BIG one if we put our heart into it. For example, we’re being asked to handle an event. We can always throw in some simple activities and just get on with it. All for the sake of doing it. Or we can plan properly and make it the best event ever organized and make everyone remembers it.

If you want to do it, then do it well. But if you do not wish to do it, then just admit it. Tell others you are just not up for it. Don’t commit yourself into creating something mediocre, just because you are doing it for the sake of doing it. Leave it to others who really want to do it. I bet they can do a better job. So if you don’t feel like doing it, just do nothing and leave the opportunity to others. Don’t waste it.

At the end of the day, the decision is still ours to make. But for me, I believe that if I want to take up something, I should be doing it willingly. And by saying willingly, I must be willing to give it my all and not just do it half-heartedly. Call me a perfectionist, or even an idealist, but that’s what I believe in – “if I want to do it, do it well”.

No matter how much we hope we are perfect, the fact is nobody is perfect. And no matter how often we like to think we are geniuses like Einstein and Edison, we’re not. But fortunately, the good news is we’re not alone. Most people in this world are just like us – full of weaknesses.

And yet, some of them have been very successful in their life. It’s like they do not have much weaknesses to begin with. Oh, and what about those that have shortcomings or are less fortunate than a lot of us – learning difficulties, deaf, handicapped, mute, etc. Time and time again, people who are less fortunate have proved to us that they can be as successful (if not more) as well.

So what actually enables them to be so successful? What are the secrets/factors behind it? For me, there are only 3 main secrets or factors.

Luck – this is something outside our control but it is also something that we should be aware of. Just don’t pay too much attention to it.

Belief – this is very important because it helps to push you forward. Without having something that you truly believe it, you can’t go far.

Perseverance – never give up. Yes, sometimes it does pay off to give up but if there’s something that you truly believe in, you should not give up. Push on. If it fails, think of a different approach. Remember that Rome was not built in a day. It took a lot of hard work to build the entire city.

The last 2 points are very important and they go hand-in-hand with one another. If you do not have something that you really believe in, then just believe in yourself. Believe that you can accomplish the task at hand. Believe that you can achieve your ambitions. Believe in yourself because if all things failed you, you still have yourself.

And never give up. If you are not a genius or if you can’t learn things as fast as some other smarter people can, then work harder. If it takes other people just 8 hours to learn something, then you should work harder …maybe 10 or 12 hours to learn it up.

Also, bear in mind that most people prefer a hardworking + average person than a smart + lazy person.

Last but not least, I sincerely believe that being successful is not a myth and the opportunity to be successful in life is there for everyone to grab. The question is whether you have the belief and the perseverance to get it.

Hope it helps.

p/s….. some people said that i can pick up things fast, but to be honest, i do tend to spend longer time than some smart people i know. The way that I can remain competitive is to work harder.

Most people do not want to work hard, and yet they want to achieve that big dreams of theirs – becoming a millionaire, running a successful business, achieving financial freedom, etc. To be honest, it’s close to impossible and they themselves know this. That’s why they resort to shortcuts. They want the easy way out.

Of course it would be ideal if we don’t need to work hard to achieve our dreams – minimal effort but tonnes of reward. Sounds cool huh? But sadly, the reality is that there’s no shortcut in this world. There’s no quick way of getting rich, no sure way to get 1st class honor, no easy way to win the girl’s heart, and no effortless way of starting a successful business.

Yes, you can argue there ARE shortcuts out there and some people have become successful due to these shortcuts. But how sure are you that’s really the case? Are you sure these people did nothing but using the shortcuts? No additional efforts at all? Most often than not, these success stories have been made up in order to make you believe in them. The truth is that these individuals did make a lot of additional efforts in order to be where they are now – and perhaps, making you believe them is one of the efforts.

And if there really are shortcuts, those shortcuts can be rather risky. For example, you can try to cheat in exam if you want to get first class honor. But you should also know that once you’ve been found out, you’re practically screwed and chances are, you will be left with nothing – not even your degree. So if you still think it’s worth taking the risk, then good luck.

Same thing goes for all the shortcuts that you wish to take. The risks are there and they can be quite big risks. Think about it and decide whether it is worth it to take such high risks, or just try your best and work for your dreams without taking any shortcuts. For me, working hard for my dreams sound like a more interesting and safer thing to do. Furthermore, I am not someone who believes in shortcuts. They just don’t seem to exist in my life (so far).

I told a friend via MSN just a few days ago that I am planning to move slowly towards business and managerial role. The friend (who is a recruitment agent), without hesitation, replied “You cannot do it“. I could feel my blood pressure shot up at that moment.

Yes, I was angry. Angry not because she told me I can’t do it. I do know my own capabilities pretty well and it’s obvious that with my current skills and experiences, I will not able to secure a managerial opportunity. This, I know clearly and probably better than everyone else. What I was really angry of was the way she replied me.

Imagine this, you have this big idea and have a solid plan on how to make it happen. Then you approached a friend, only to receive a blunt reply from him – “you cannot do it”. That’s very demotivating, isn’t it? I do understand that some people do seriously think that you cannot do it, but rather than pouring cold water on you, maybe it’s better to encourage you in a nicer way or at least explain to you why he thinks it’s a bad idea? Because at the end of the day, the reason you approach your friends and family members is to ask for their support or opinions.  Not to make yourself feeling more depressed and demotivated. That is why something such as “you cannot do it”, is the last thing you should hear from someone close to you.

The same thing should also be done when someone approaches you to talk about his plan, dreams, goals, etc. Be a good listener even if you cannot help. Just be there and LISTEN. If you feel like telling him what you feel about the whole thing, put it in a nicer way. Give your honest assessment and also some ideas as to how you think the person can solve the problems that you’re worried about. Don’t ever say “you cannot do it” or anything which holds no meaning other than to demotivate the person. Because if you want to demotivate the person, then you’re better off not saying anything because you won’t be helping the person at all.

I know that whatever I’ve said here is pretty obvious and anyone with common sense should be able to realize it. But I also know that to realize something and to do it at the same time, can be quite difficult for some people. For this group of people, they need to realize how much weight their words carry and what are the impacts their words have on the life of other people. If they sincerely want to help, then don’t demotivate people. If they don’t want to help, then just shut up.

Conclusion, I believe that friends and family members should always be there to help and support each other. If someone approaches you to explain his plans, goals and dreams, that means he trusts you and you should respect that trust. Help him out. Motivate him. Explain to him. If you cannot do all those, then the only thing you can do is not to demotivate him.