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"Motivation is the ability to hold a thought for an extended period of time." Brilliant. That explains a lot of my struggle. I lose track of everything constantly.

"It gets easier. Every day it gets a little easier. But you gotta do it every day - that’s the hard part. But it does get easier."

Finally someone who speaks some sense into the "just do it" epidemic.

I have ADHD and this quite literally fixed my imposter syndrome. I can't stop thinking about the task I can't seem to start. I'm always motivated, my body just won't act on the motivation no matter how long it's there until some urgency gives me the adrenaline and dopamine rush to allow me over the hill

The thumbnails are starting to get through to me. I'm beginning to think the guy in the video is a psychiatrist...

The moment he mentioned how self-discipline it's not a thing, I felt free.

Personal notes: 15:24 Practicing keeping a thought steady in your mind improves motivation 22:12 Desires bump the thought you're trying to hold 23:49 Anxiety is great at bumping thoughts 💜 28:25 Discipline is not something you can create, it's an emergent property from other things

"Motivation is the ability to hold a thought in your mind for a long time" So this is why Vergil is so obsessed with power. He's MOTIVATED

David Goggins said "motivation is shit, you have to become obsessed!". Which is similar to what Dr. K is saying! "If you want something. Then keep thinking about it!"

"Motivation is the ability to hold a thought in your mind for a long time" - Oh no (me with ADHD)

this is why im motivated in case it helps someone: I want to get out of here, so I have spent the majority of everyday studying for the past 2 years. I tell myself every day that I have to do this because it is more responsibility to help myself be happy. I have all my reasons written down and I look at them everyday and I try to break down things I have to do into smaller chunks. When I can't find the will in me to get out of bed, I think hard about the consequences of failing and I tell myself that it doesn't have to be that way and that I am worth the choice to work hard. Sometimes, I can only get a little bit done, but I have learned to forgive myself for not overachieving because being mad is just gonna keep me from my goals. It's gotten a lot easier past the first year, but it's probably never going to be effortless.

I think another reason why people act motivated, but don't feel motivated is that they're executing a good habit. Habits are incredibly powerful. They automate a behavior such that you _don't_ have to hold it in your mind constantly to be able to execute it.

Sounds like the key to motivation is like "positive selective ignorance", just focusing on the action and not any of the fail states. Which can be good! I'll have to practice this.

The concept of focusing on actions rather than goals is so interesting to me because it contrasts questions I commonly hear along the lines of "Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?"

It occurred to me that any benefits of "the law of attraction", the idea of if you focus on something it will become true, might simply be tapping into what Dr. K is saying. Those people might simply be giving themselves motivation to pursue on their goals by accident, as a result of constantly thinking about it.

This makes so much sense! I am a 28 years old woman who has constantly been trying to lose the same 15 pounds for 8 years now. I am not obese, just a little overweight and unfit but I have this ideal body that I never seem to reach. The only time that I ever managed to successfully lose weight in MY ENTIRE LIFE was 10 years ago in the summer of 2012. What did I do? I found a cardio video on KZfaq and I did it EVERY SINGLE DAY for 2 months. That's it! No complicate diet, no complicated workout program, no obsessing over my looks. I just had this one though that I HAVE to do that workout video everyday. I would do it,it would feel great, I'd take a shower and move on with my day. I didn't even obsess over diet. The only thing I used to tell myself is not to eat garbage that has way too many calories after working out because of how hard I worked just to burn 200-300 calories, so I would eat fruits and vegetables instead of chips or fast food. Something similar happened in 2017, but with studying this time. It was my last year of university, I never took it too seriously, I would pass my exams with 8s, 9s and a few 7s and 10s here and there so I had this desire to had a perfect score at least ONCE, which means perfect 10s at all the exams. So what did I do? Did I study more diligently during the year? Not really, because I was busy writing my thesis. I still studied during the finals like always, only that time I through all my anxiety out the window and I just put my head into the books and read and read and read without thinking 'What if I fail..?' I also wrote on a peace of paper 'PERFECT SCORE FOR THIS EXAM' and I would always look at it to remind myself of my goal and I kept on studying. And it worked out! I've had other accomplishments over the years. I've lost and put on weight multiple times. I passed tests and job interviews, I have a job I'm good at, yet these 2 events remain the most memorable of my life.

Dr. K droppin bangers everytime he says, "I know it sounds weird but.."

"GOD FUCKING DAMN IT HE DOES IT AGAIN!" I scream as he finally puts into words the things I have been thinking about. Thought bumping.

What he says about ADHD is so true. Every day my mind jumps to at least 30 different things, at minimum. It makes it very hard to do anything that's important to me.

That makes perfect sense, especially related to ADHD. With meds I can actually hold on to a thought for 5 minutes as opposed to 30 seconds. Without meds I used to be motivated to study by either intense shame or panic only. Now I can just plan it and actually do it, though it's still like coaching a toddler :D Today I jumped between writing my thesis, this video and a movie...But actually got a whole paragraph written, plus a graph, with no deadline at all!

Don’t feel like doing anything anymore. It’s all just a chore. Even so, these videos always help

What I've learned about motivation is that nothing is as powerful as a strong why. Why does it matter to you, why do you want these results, why is failure not an option. That why is so powerful. I study a third language daily because my Why fuels me to wake up pumped to pick up the books and study.

Not going to lie. This is probably one of my favorite videos. I used to have all motivation to self study everything i could get my hands on, mainly math. A harsh and traumatic event occured at age 14 and the trauma continued until i was kicked out of my parents house at 18. Ive spent years studying even psychology to help myself and i have gotten extremly far, but i could not for the life of me find how to regain my motivation that i struggled with after the years of PTSD events. I remember math and whatever i wanted to learn was on my mind everyday. What demotivated me from this lesson is reading in articles and my psychiatrist telling me the state before trauma is never attainable. So i was given false information and no way to figure out how to get motivation. I am 22 and almost done with undergrad in physics, ive been running on discipline myself, but my motivation has been gone. I must give thanks for this long search of an answer finally being found for myself. 😊

I revisit this video ever few months. I eventually took notes from it and figured I may as well share. May you hold your thoughts. Motivation is the ability to hold a thought for an extended period of time. When you are free from desire, you will become motivated. Seeking discipline dominates what should be your central thought. Discipline is an external observation, emergent of other components. Discipline is "trying to fly without getting wings first". Create the components of flight and then flight will emerge. Be mindful of your thoughts and motivation will be inevitable.

Our expectations (about the future) really have a powerful grip on us and can destroy motivation in no time

It feels good to see Dr K talking about the "Just do it" thing. I've been drawing for a couple of years, but right now I am struggling to find motivation and inspiration for my drawings, and the one "advice" I keep hearing every time is "Just draw". I mean for some instances, it worked, but it only worked for a couple of hours and then I stop drawing for another week or so. So at that point I don't know if it's because I keep comparing myself to other artists which keeps putting myself down the ladder or anything else, but I am stuck in this kind of loop : Wants to draw Tries to draw good shit with my tablet Fail and start feeling miserable about myself Hears "Just do it 4head" Come back to the drawing even though I know what the outcome is gonna be Still can't draw what I want to draw Launch Steam to escape from the realisation that I failed and boom, day ruined and I end up procrastinating because I'm sucked up by a video game And this video specifically really gets this all off my chest, it feels good to hear a professional talking about it, thank you Dr K. And to anyone who reads this, I wish you to find motivation and keep it as long as you can with you for whatever you want to do.

This is exactly why monotasking has been a great deal of help to my motivational problems. The world is so full of distractions, attacking your mind from all sides, craving attention and giving a sense of false urgency. You find yourself trying to juggle so many things, often failing to keep up, thus falling into anxiety and depression. The day I decided to eliminate those distractions and focus on just one thing at a time (therefore keeping a thought still) was the day I finally felt control returning in my life.

The compassion in your voice acknowledging that people with ADHD want to study so much and try so hard, I actually had to pause and started to cry. Thank you.

10:50, I want to add that this used to be the case where this worked for me. The closer to the deadline i felt more and more stress untill I actually studied. However once i missed the deadline, i just didn't do it. Then nothing happened, no punishment. I 'got away' with it. Then I didn't feel the stress anymore for any other coursework etc. Now I need to retake all exams. Next year im probably going to sign a contract with university that if I miss a single lecture or coursework then I get kicked out. Only way to get myself motivated...

My struggle with motivation stems from adhd. If you give me a task I like I will do it for hours but if you tell me to do something I’m not passionate about you might as well ask me to pull my teeth out with pliers....

I think we also have this idea that motivated people always enjoy what they're doing and that they get up and are happy and love it all. And so when we don't feel like that, we guilt ourselves and think we're just not motivated people. And that's often not necessarily the case. Ask anyone who is successful if they enjoy what they do all the time. They often don't. It's the ability to do things despite how you feel about them. So confidence in yourself and an ability to tolerate discomfort plays a big role too.

Welp, now I fully understand why procrastination is a symptom of ADHD. I love how you explain things, it somehow clicks perfectly with my brain

When I graduate from university I will need to send Dr. K my first paycheck. He deserves it.

Man, I'm about to cry it feels like there is no tricks I'm just going to have to "be strong." I hope the meditation pushups are going to help me pull through.

Since I decided to start hitting the gym almost every day back in December, the perspective that really helps is, "I get to go to the gym (and prove to myself that I can lift)." I get to, instead of, I have to.

"Discipline is an emergent property" as opposed to a thing in your head, was a very helpful insight for me. Thanks.

Wasn't getting it at first, but now I do. I remember when I used to be more constant with the gym I would wake up and even if it was rainy or something my thought was "I have to go to the gym", and I would just go.

The content you put out for free blows my mind. I've gotten so much out of this channel

"[...]people who are motivated tend to focus on the action not the goal." pure gold!

Literally NEVER have I heard of this put this way. Brilliant! And I also love how you distinguished between mindfulness and meditation - because I've tried mindfulness and it was awful. I think anxious people really don't want to be alone in their own head.

This is how I think about KZfaq, of course I want to set goals but I think of a thought and get it done no matter what. So for me, is like, I need to have a video published today. No matter what, and yes, it always get done because of focus. It’s harder said then done but he explained it perfectly in the video! :)

Wow, this video is actually so dense. He summarized so much information into a single sentence. Hold the thought in the mind. It's so simple it's insane how I missed something so blatant lol. HOLD THE DOOR!

Holding a thought for a prolonged period of time have compounded problems in ADHD. First is losing thoughts, second is not experiencing time the same way as others.

As someone in grad school studying behavior analysis, this take on defining motivation is so facinating. I'd love to do some translational research involving elements of this congitive approach to behaviorist principals of motivation, avoidance behavior, and various contingencies

i love how excited and passionate Dr K gets about explaining this stuff

For me, i think my lack of outwardly visible motivation comes from my motivation to be better and to impress. I think that i actively avoid and fear even things that would help me grow as a person because o have a deeply lodged fear of failure, and would rather not do anything than risk experiencing it again

I have never been officially diagnosed with ADHD (long story) but the "why would we give stimulant medication" portion really spoke to me. I don't have an addictive personality, but I can get way more work done if I'm on a depressant like alcohol. For example I sat down 2 days ago, had 2 drinks and knocked out all my calc work for the week in 3 hours. Where normally it can take me an hour just to get through 2 to 3 problems. Long story short, I think this guy may know what he is talking about.

This reminds me of something I heard a while ago, that people who focus on their long term goal are less likely to succeed because they start thinking everything will be as they imagine. If you focus on rich people you're more likely to spend money like a rich person, money you probably don't have therefore perpetuating your situation. But people who focus on short term goals, or who break their long term goals into many smaller shorter goals and focus on those actions are more likely to succeed. This video perfectly explains why, because you're focusing on the smaller goal and what you do *now* rather than how you want things to be.

Hey, I'm an aspiring clinical psychologist, and anytime I need the motivation to work I just look at the difference you guys make on this channel and tell myself that is exactly what I need to do with my life :) Love this channel!

Devote yourself to the task, not the goal.

This was an incredible talk. Thank you.

A helpful strategy I've found for dealing with ADHD thoughts is to keep a document next to you during focused work time, and write down all of the impulses you get, and how you'll address them later. Once you externalize them, there's a lower chance they come back, and if they still do, you can do some 5 whys analysis on whatever's bothering you. Actively externalizing what distracts you and makes you feel bad, with the explicit goal to address then in a productive manner later, have helped me TREMENDOUSLY in the past two months

I really enjoy the positive vibe that Dr. K gives off in general, always makes me feel better about being honest to myself and doing the right thing

22:36 Dr. K: "Desires bump your thoughts, motivation comes from keeping your goal from being bumped, so having no desires is the best way to be motivated" Me: *tim and eric mind blown gif* everything makes sense now holy moly

Absolutely love this, so clear and well-described in a way that is logically sound while not too difficult to comprehend. Love you Dr K!

This is probably the most articulate thing I've listened to in a long time that takes many small lessons I've digested but don't necessarily connect. Very well done.

Dr. K is slowly transforming me with all of these insanely life changing ideas, and honestly, I don't mind it all :)

You can't fathom how much these videos have helped me get rid of my anxiety remnants of my past burnout and have just had my first week of work behind me with little to no relapses to previous thought patterns. Love you and the fact that this quality of mental help is actually free on youtube.

Wanted to say thank you Dr. K, i genuinely have been changing my life since I came across your channel. I gave up on therapists and getting help until I found you. I am so happy I am alive and your videos are here for the public for free.

I needed this today. I'm in therapy and psychiatry, but once in a while I need a little help in between sessions, and this channel really comes through. Thanks Dr. K.

-Some dude: "How do I get self-discipline to achieve long-term goals?" -Dr. Omni K "That's the neat thing, you don't" "Discipline is not a real thing! THINK CHAT! THINK!"

Dr. K talking about procrastination Dude in chat: hehe, true

This channel is the best thing that has happened to me in my life. I'm so grateful to you for doing this and putting so much effort into your videos!!!

I've struggled with this for all my life, i went to a therapist, i read tons of books about it and that's the first time everything makes sense to me. Thank you, this video is life changing

Thank you. This video really opened my eyes to a big problem I've had for a long time. I've sat in my room playing games or surfing the internet for the past several years, I think mostly due to depression, but that's mostly died down over the last year, I think. "I suck" is a thought that really likes to run rampant through my mind, and I think understanding that _that_ was my focus, or "motivation"... it really explains a lot. I will try meditation to focus on a task I should do, and I already have a mental visual of how to do that. So, again, from the bottom of my heart... *Thank you*

this actually opened my eyes. dont chase dreams. just do an your dream wil come true

This is the most revelatory video I’ve ever watched on the internet. The way he can distill it so simply and not pull any punches (while being caring) is so impactful.

This was soooo soooo helpful thank you so much!!! I am so grateful for your existence and that I found you. Your account is like the best thing that happened to me in a long time. sounds kinda sad, but really, thank you so much!

As a person with ADD that has struggled with this all my life I found this really helpful

I have OCD, mainly under control. This has given my old brain circuits a good reason to work on myself, and that's extremely satisfying. Thanks Dr K!

thank you so much for doing this!

Hearing you talk is like hearing my inner conscious counseling on how to improve and educate myself on my own life so thank you. I have a big issue waking up the next day to work even if that day at work wasn’t that bad or even if it went well

You're a huge gift to this world, Doc!

This was one of the most potent lessons I’ve learned from your stream. Thank you so much ☺️

This video actually came slightly later than I needed, lol, but you hit the nail on the head my dude. As soon as I stopped thinking about being thin and just foccused on eating well and exercising I begun to see results.

Thank you Dr.K for explaining motivation to us. The way you explain it is so easy to understand and consume that every time I get the point across I smile a lot and feel really happy inside. Thank you.!

This is one of the most insightful and valuable videos I've ever watched. Thank you, Dr. K!

This channel is such a blessing

I needed to find this video! Thank you so much

"Motivation is the ability to hold a thought for an extended period of time." So true. I don't struggle with motivation much as i already have found myself a way to stay motivated or driven. If i wanna feel more motivated to work out or code more, i often watch youtube videos about fitness and health or vids about technologies being used, portfolio showcases or anything web dev related to keep that "thought" in my mind

Holy shit, I stopped this video around the 20 minute mark and just did my to-do stuff for 3 hours straight (I am a massive procrastinator so this is really an accomplishment)... Time to watch the rest and remember to keep remembering yourself about what's left to do for that day 😅 Oh and I definitely need to invest more time into my hobbies, I will try!

This is exactly what I needed to know! Thank you so much!

Thank you for the piece of knowledge 🙏🏽

K spittin fax boiiis, I've got incredibly bad ADHD and my my medication allows me to at least have one thought at a time haha

dude u r saafing my life. i cant thank u enough

This is genuinely one of -- if not THE -- most enlightening videos I've ever watched.

Sir, this is like the 4th video I have seen from you, and you have REALLY motivated me to get back to work every single time. I love it.

"Motivation is the ability to hold a thought for an extended period of time." Except, for me at least, I do this and still nothing gets done. Been thinking of working on a modding project for three months still haven't had the motivation to start.

*Dr. K:* _Motivation is the ability to hold a thought steady in your mind for a prolonged period of time_ *me with ADHD:* _is that a video of a possum carrying her babies? No wait, what was this video about again?_

I love these videos so much, so helpful. Thank you Dr K. and your team!

Wow, you've spun mich of what I have been been led to believe. You make a lot of sense. Many people who do what you do actually make problems worse. Thanks for the insight.

Huh... Thank you for explaining what anxiety means and how to deal with it. I haven't realized but I've been pushing away a lot of things in my life because of that "what if". I'm going to try set tiny goals that I believe they'll help me to achieve my ultimate goal. Just like a fetch quest to defeat the ultimate villain :)

this just changed my life thank you Dr K as always (can’t believe this shit is free info 😭)

That was super helpful! Thank you so much!

Thank you!!!!!This really opens my eyes

This personally sounds to me like it is a bit skewed towards ADD/ADHD. I'm not sure how similar this is to people without either of those, it may be the same for most people. What I do know is that for people with OCD, keeping a thought in your head of what you need/want to do isn't all there is to it. I can keep telling myself every minute that I need to do something for hours straight and not be able to stop myself from saying it, but I still can't do them. I do compulsions and wash my hands a lot all of that, but it's not at all the same thing. Times where I have had motivation, it's not the same as compulsions. Compulsions are followed through to avoid the anxiety or to end it. Having motivation for doing things comes from a very different place. Even when I am for example obsessed atm with working out, it's still almost impossible to get myself to do it. I think you're brilliant btw. I've recently found your channel and watched quite a few already. I just happen to disagree with you on this a bit, at least when it comes to OCD, or OCD without ADHD maybe? The mechanism is something that I think is important, why you are doing things and how you think about them. I think it just requires something else to be there are well. I've pretty much proven I'm capable of wanting to do certain things, even basic things and then going years without doing them while still thinking about them every day. Then when I do actually commit to something there isn't any stopping it. Yeah, I think it's more complicated. Especially from the view of different mental illnesses.

I really appreciate emphasizing the internal aspect of motivation and how it's not what many would assume, but I also feel one shouldn't forget the powerful influence behavior has on our internal states/thoughts/beliefs as well. Thoughts --> behavior, but also behavior --> thought. Someone who wakes up everyday to go to the gym will start thinking of it naturally also because it is a behavioral routine.

Thank you so much for this video Dr. This work you've been doing is just amazing. Cannot ever thank you enough. Love from Brazil.

I’m not kidding, this little clip is life changing. This makes total sense! Thank you!!!