How You Can Motivate Yourself With an Imaginary Scapegoat
People thrive when they work against a force, even if that force is unreal. If you’re looking for a way to motivate yourself, try making yourself an imaginary scapegoat.
As Nir Eyal of the Harvard Business Review explains, scapegoats are the practice of imagining that some villain is plotting against you. For example, “man,” “haters,” and or even more broadly, “they” can be the scapegoats we use to blame for the things that hold us back in life. It’s dangerous to think with the wrong mindset, but it can be a very useful motivational tool if you approach it the right way. Eyal explains:
If we imagine a force working against us, we are more likely to take advantage of enthusiasm, resist temptation, and work harder to achieve our goals. Of course, in reality it is only us against ourselves. But in cases where we don’t want to admit it, a clear adversary to rebel against – “they” who don’t want you to leave that extra cookie on your plate or go back to writing this email, can help. we encourage perseverance to be successful. Even if in fact these “they” are in each of us.
If you say to yourself things like “they don’t want you to succeed” or “they expect you to be unable,” you can motivate yourself to prove they are wrong, even if they really are you. The entire article is worth reading, so check it out at the link below.
Why You Need an Imaginary Scapegoat | Harvard Business Review