Every Monday we wake up to a wrath of memes and graphics and pithy quotes designed to drive us forward from the comfort of our beds and into the battles that lie ahead (otherwise known as the work week). We are encouraged to #riseandgrind at 5am or some other ungodly hour. There’s pictures of Lambo with quotes from Abraham Lincoln. How could we not just leap from the shackles of rest and fly towards the freedom of unfettered work?
We have the same morality problem around work and money as we do food. Look at our politics. People will equate morality with money. The rich are seen as deserving of unbridled wealth because they are better than us. We aspire to work as hard as them and to be as smart. The poor are lazy and undeserving of more because they just haven’t worked hard enough. Despite working more hours for less money. We don’t apply morality with any type of logic.
These memes meant to motivate are creating a further divide among those morality lines. Have you ever read one at 5am as you are struggling to suck down a coffee and brush your teeth in your workout pants and one shoe on your way to that 5:30am boot camp? Of course not. You read it at noon after your well fed and your day is under way and you can say “that’s right. I kick ass.” And you do! It’s commendable to attack your goals and go after what matters to you. But doing stuff we like to do because it makes us feel good doesn’t give us some moral higher ground. And these memes sure as shit aren’t “motivating”.
I personally think these things are silly and reductive and contrary to the greater conversation of solving actual problems. There is always an attempt to simplify the complex and play to emotional responses based on survivor and confirmation biases but such is the nature of social media. So if you are one that gets up nice and early and smashes your workouts keep it goin. If you like to get up at 7 and work out after work keep it goin. If working out is something you want to do but can’t figure out how to get it done, shoot me a message. I’d be glad to help.
If it’s motivation you want to understand, check out my Motivation Monday series and what it really entails. But just know, it’s not a silly meme or a poster on the wall. Don’t let someone else’s idea of success define your process. Success comes from consistency over time. Do what works for you. Not some dingus on IG.
