Do You Give Yourself Pep Talks?

This will probably come off as strange, but I like to give myself pep talks. Motivational moments where I break it down like a football coach and I am the only one in the huddle.?

I talk to myself in the third person as if I know exactly what needs to happen, and the only solution there is, is already waiting inside of me.?

These impromptu conversations help me take a step back from what I am dealing with and come up with alternative actions that haven’t presented themselves yet.?

I know what needs to be done. I just need a jolt and a matter-of-fact candid response so I can make the necessary changes to accomplish the task at hand.?

It goes something like this.?

All right, Jason. We already knew this was going to be tough, so there is no sense in crying about it now. What we can’t do is fall into this negative mindset and wait for someone else to change our circumstances.??

No one is coming to save you. No one cares in the slightest.?

Sure you are working, but are you working enough? It’s one thing to put in some effort, but are you putting in more than the people around you? They want it, but do you want it more??

It’s like this. No one said this was going to be easy.?

Those books you have sitting there, they ain’t reading themselves. The longer it takes you to finish, the harder it’s going to be to start the next one.?

As the United States Marines like to say; “The only easy day was yesterday.”

You have a whole library to consume, so procrastinating about yesterday’s emotions serves no purpose in today’s plans.??

Do you want to continue to be ordinary? Then keep doing ordinary things.?

The good Lord blessed you with a gift. It is your responsibility to take your voice and strengthen it in such a way, that when the debt comes due, you can repay it by sharing your gift with as many people as you can.?

This is a loan you can’t file bankruptcy on.?

And to make the most out of the generosity that was given to you, it is required that you read twice as much as the person on your left, and write twice as much as the person on your right.?

There is no other way. It’s just how it is.?

Beast mode. Screw that nonsense. You are not a beast. You are tasked with taming the beast.

The beast is a mindset of people who haven’t succeeded in realizing that the natural order of things is not to be on all fours, but to stand tall and proud because you put in the work.?

You are the King of Beasts.

To calm them, you must use your voice. To achieve that, you must work. And work harder than you ever have before.?

Books. That’s it. That is the beast that you must tame. In doing so, you will achieve a level of solitude with the universe that is only rewarded to people who understand that the work can never be truly finished.?

It’s a path of progress that you must continue until your final days.?

Get your ass up and pick up that book. Finish that piece. Put down anything and everything that isn’t serving the purpose.?

I am reading. I am writing. I am a writer. I am a storyteller. I am an author.?

I AM!?

Jason, at the end of the day, this race is only with yourself. You can limp to the finish line but we both know that that isn’t enough for you.

Your words are what matter most. Your ability to craft paragraphs like a heavy weight, like a track and field star, like an Olympic Champion is the only contest worth competing in.?

Everything else pales in comparison.?

So get up. Get moving. Hustle.?

Usually, that’s enough to get my ass moving. If it ain’t, I start all over again until I am in the right frame of mind. I have to motivate myself to accept the hardship of the process no matter what.

I will finish with a stanza or a quote, and then I am off to the races. I will read until my eyes blur and write until my fingers cramp.?

Because when my debt comes due, I will repay it. In this world, nothing is free. And I will be ready and waiting for when my time comes.?

Is a mental pep talk the right motivation to build momentum? Gosh, I don’t know. It works for me.

What I’ve come to understand is that I have to keep myself moving so that I don’t fall behind in my race with the only person I am competing with.?

So if it is strange that I talk to myself in the third person to boost morale, then I am as weird as they come.

Jason doesn’t care, because Jason is strengthening his voice by reading and writing.?

What Jason wants, Jason gets. Even if Jason has to die trying.?

(Cue the music. Stronger by Kanye West)