WILL I BE BROKEN, OR WILL I PREVAIL?

 Men are born soft and supple;

dead, they are stiff and hard.

Plants are born tender and pliant;

dead, they are brittle and dry.

Thus whoever is stiff and inflexible

is a disciple of death.

Whoever is soft and yielding

is a disciple of life.

The hard and stiff will be broken.

The soft and supple will prevail.

—LAO TZU,  (Tao Te Ching, chapter 76, )

When chosen effectively, an identity can be flexible rather than  brittle. Like water flowing around an obstacle, your identity works with the changing circumstances rather than against them.  Lao Tzu talks about the cycle of life. When we were born, we were soft and supple. It is the same way with all living things. Even plants are born tender and pliant. But, then, we go through the cycle of life; we grow, we mature, we die. This is nature. Nature’s cycle of life. When you die, you become stiff and hard. When plants die, they become brittle and dry. Once again, that is the way of nature. (translation by Stephen Mitchell)

Be soft and be immortal.

Be the bully and be destroyed.
How many times must this lesson be taught?  ( translation by Jeremy M. Miller, 2013)

Credits:

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The Number 1 Golden Rule To Stay Highly Motivated : The Goldilocks Rule

“The Goldilocks Rule states that humans experience peak motivation when working on tasks that are right on the edge of their current abilities. Not too hard. Not too easy. Just right.” 

The above figure explains that maximum motivation occurs when facing a challenge of just manageable difficulty. In psychology research this is known as the Yerkes–Dodson law, which describes the optimal level of arousal as the midpoint between boredom and anxiety/failure.
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Elon Musk studied battery technology for more than a decade before starting Tesla. Twelve foolish publishers turned down J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter manuscript before someone agreed to pay her an advance of just £1,500 for the book that would become an international blockbuster.

Steve Martin’s comedy career is an excellent example of the Goldilocks Rule in practice. Each year, he expanded his comedy routine—but only by a minute or two. He was always adding new material, but he also kept a few jokes that were guaranteed to get laughs. There were just enough victories to keep him motivated and just enough mistakes to keep him working hard. When you’re starting a new habit, it’s important to keep the behavior as easy as possible so you can stick with it even when conditions aren’t perfect.

Two steps to motivation : If we want to break down the mystery of how to stay motivated for the long-term, we could simply say:

1. Stick to The Goldilocks Rule and work on tasks of just manageable difficulty.

2. Measure your progress and receive immediate feedback whenever possible.

Wanting to improve your life is easy. Sticking with it is a different story. If you want to stay motivated for good, then start with a challenge that is just manageable, measure your progress and repeat the process.

Credits :

1.  “Atomic Habits” by James Clear

2. https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/279109

3. https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/follow-this-1-rule-to-maintain-peak-motivation.html

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