“Work hard, dream big” – Some instagram person
“Believe in your dreams, they were given to you for a reason” – Your cousin
“When they say you can’t, then you have to!” – That lazy guy from school who now sells drugs
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge advocate of wisdom being passed down through the experience of others. Reading books for example is a quick way to distill information from more intelligent people, with more experience, from the comfort of your own home. Sharing quotes from these works and not putting the information into practice though, is pointless. You don’t become the bad ass you want to be by sharing the picture, you do it by doing the work.
Sharing these cute little pictures helps you feel better in the moment, you feel as if you’re making progress because you read 12 words. Instead of tackling the difficult skills that are motivation and discipline, you simply massage the emotions that are attached to them.
If you’re in this boat, then you need to figure out your “why.” (Simon Sinek talks about this concept in much greater detail here.) Basically, when you figure out “why” you’re doing something, it will overpower “how” it can be done. Why are you starting to run? Because you want to lose weight. Why? It will improve your self esteem. Why? You feel uncomfortable in your clothes. Why? You are fat. Why? You don’t move and eat too much. Once you have this why, it won’t matter that it’s raining, or that it’s late or that you’re tired because you deeply identify with WHY you’re doing it, there’s a greater purpose than just running for the sake of running. (This doesn’t make it easy but it acts as a catalyst.)
Why are you sharing these quotes?
If you’re sharing these quotes because you’re putting the words into practice, finding tremendous benefit from the results and want others to benefit too, then keep sharing! Your “why” is on point.
If you’re doing it to fool others into thinking you’re doing the work then you’re only fooling yourself. In this case, either stop sharing things you don’t practice or start doing the work. STOP FOOLING YOURSELF, it’s only wasting time that could be spent making progress.