The motivational phrases are currently very present in our lives. We have them in social networks, in clothes and even in all the stationery and home objects that we can buy. There is talk of reaching our dreams, of overcoming the steps that block us , of leaving the comfort zone , of loving others very much, of loving oneself very much, of not being afraid, of fighting … But To what extent do they really encourage us to achieve all that?

Although it is not literally and explicitly through a photograph that conveys one of those motivational ideas, in a colloquial way these types of expressions are present in different areas. They are ideas that, tacitly or implicitly, are transmitted to us, both in advertising, and in the testimonies of other people, in the slogans of different brands and initiatives, etc. So we could say that there is a kind of culture of motivation , although this does not always help us.

Why do we like motivational phrases so much

There are two factors that make these types of phrases or ideas attract our attention, which we could also associate with self-help books or manuals for life. On the one hand, we read them and understand that they are real, that they say something that we would like to achieve, they relate to our goals and dreams , and they make us say, at the moment: “Yes! This is how it should be!”. On the other hand, all of us, at some point in our lives, have made a great effort to achieve something and have achieved success in a goal (although for each success we would have suffered several failures). So, in a certain way, those phrases make us identify with our experience, and there are even people who, empowered by their trajectory, acquire some phrase of that type as a motto, like the typical “if you want to achieve something, fight for it” or “better to be sorry for making a mistake than for not having tried.”

However, as we always say in Bekia Psicología, each person is different and not all and all of us have the same psychological resources to enter the adventure involved in making certain types of decisions. In addition to this, there is the fact that there are people who have greater emotional obstacles to it, no longer specific disorders, such as anxiety or depression, but that each person places ourselves in a specific and different place within a continuum . For this reason, not all of us have to feel inspired by a motivational message, or we may feel that it is an inspiration, but we are not able to achieve it. Of course, overexposure to phrases of this type only makes it easier for us to become immune to them.

There are no magic recipes

If a person wants to take an important step in his life, for example, stop smoking, change city to work, leave his partner if he is not happy, start a business, change the career he is studying or go on a diet, he should find the motivation to do it . However, not all of us are caused by the same types of factors. For this reason, each and every one must look for what makes them take a step forward, and it is not an easy task. Vague ideas like “you will achieve your goals” tell us nothing. However, “quit smoking and you’ll feel better” is also not powerful enough for many people.

But it is not a question of getting up one morning and finding the source of motivation. Sometimes we don’t know how to look for it, or if we need it . Generally, what happens to us is that we do not know how to get out of that comfort zone, or if really abandoning it will bring us greater benefits. Therefore, in those cases, it is much more useful to have the help of a psychologist or a psychologist.

How can the psychologist help us?

Psychology is not going to give us advice on what is best for us. In the psychological consultation, what the professional does is help us find what we want to do and help us find the way ourselves. Especially when we have an emotional block, or related to our family, friends or work relationships, the psychological consultation is the most appropriate space . We always repeat that psychology is not only there to “cure” psychological disorders, but also to fix and improve any type of issue related to our behavior, our learning, emotions, feelings and also social relationships.

Coaching also aims to help a person find their way, but we must take two things into account: the first is that coaching is nothing more than a guiding tool to help us in specific decision-making circumstances. especially labor. But it will not help us with deeper problems that may be blocking our well-being (bad family relationships, people who are negatively influencing us, fears, guilt, etc). The second is that there are many false coaches who sell us magic recipes that do not exist, so we must always look for a person with a degree in psychology.