All of us want something. We have dreams that are more or less clear, desires that burn our insides, and objectives we reach for. But instead of burning passionately towards our dreams, we are slow, sluggish, and, all too often, we just give up.

This happens because our generation has a big problem with motivation.

We complain about what the world looks like when we could change it. We refrain from actually doing things because of this frustrating feeling of lack of motivation: the one that keeps us scrolling down our Facebook feeds, glued to our bed, in a state limbo, between misery and joy, in a false comfort zone.



Still, we all have goals. Or at least I hope we all still have them. And therein lies the secret for solving this motivation crisis.

Even if the thing you desire is money – as un-romantic as it sounds – that craving can unleash a power inside you, whether you want a lot of money or just enough to have a big happy family.

Whatever you crave, use it to get moving. It sounds simple and logical, but so many people talk themselves out of it. They use arguments such as, “You know, I would like to be a doctor but I don’t like studying for days and taking exams.”

It would not be a goal if it were easy to achieve; you would already have it. We want things but we do not like the work. It’s time to understand that hustling is part of the goal.

For example, let’s suppose you really want to get home and, to get there, you need to take the bus. The bus is slow, packed, and hot inside, which makes you hate taking it. If you really want to get home, you take it anyway. You do it because you think about the goal, not about the hustle.

When you feel like you have no motivation, think about the goal. Don’t think about why you started, because you might be in a completely different situation now. Think about what you are doing and what you are doing it for. And then simply do it.

It will be easier some days and very hard other days, but never lose sight of what you want. Go at full speed, with everything you have.



Motivation comes from within. I can tell you what to do, but I cannot want it for you. Once you train your motivation it will be much easier for you to find it again on days when you really feel empty.

It’s about cultivating a sort of hunger. Hunger for knowledge, hunger for better, longer lasting love, hunger for change, hunger to be a better person. If you grow that type of hunger, the motivation will come to help you satisfy it.

Another place you could find inspiration is time. We are here for such a brief period and we have no power to go back and change how we acted. Do what you feel like you will appreciate looking back on towards the end of your life. Of course, in 5 years it may seem that what you were sure was the right thing wasn’t. It’s okay to fail as long as you get better at it. It’s okay to believe in something and still fail, as long as you try even harder the next time.

Perhaps the real problem our generations have is that we don’t want to set goals and we don’t want to cultivate that hunger. So many of us feel like everything has already been done, everything has been discovered, painted, written, invented, loved.

And yet we complain about the lack of great lovers, honest leaders, a book about this, a painting expressing that. There is always need for talent in this world. Always. There are so many things that need changing and so many issues to solve.



Stop wasting time doing things that don’t make you happy but merely make you feel less bored. Learn that language you want to learn, write that book you’ve been thinking about, and finish that project you were working on. Stay hungry!

Now, go change the world in your way.

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Poet and writer, Alexandru Alec is currently pursuing a degree in law and he is deeply passionate about human rights and humanity. He is also a full time art lover and dreamer that never says no to long conversations about life, love and humans. His latest novel is called A hospital four souls.



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Agustin Parendes is a photographer based in Mexico City, who studied communications at the Iberoamericana University. His work ranges from Fashion photography to music festival coverage.

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