Since the invention of Instagram there has followed an obsession with quotes. It’s gone way passed the cat clinging to the rope below the whimsical phrase “hang in there” with now hundreds, if not thousands, of pages across the internet dedicated to motivational quotes. Whilst there is nothing wrong with motivation, per say, I do often find some of these quotes to be a little belittling. Motivation is both important and subjective, I know this, but it doesn’t mean I have to take it from every hipster with an insta-quote app who thinks they’ve got their 20’s all sussed out. Nobody has their 20’s sussed out. NOBODY. If you think you do you and your gigantic sense of denial need to be studied. Extensively.
1 “You have to get up every morning and tell yourself ‘I can do this!'”
No. No you don’t. You know why? Because you don’t! Everyone has days where they feel like the most utterly useless piece of human existence and yes, some of those days you should still push on but not EVERY day. You’re allowed to feel sorry for yourself. It’s not a sign of weakness. It’s a sign that you’ve been going through some pretty crappy head-crap recently and need to spend the day eating a month’s calorie intake and watching TV shows about people who are having a far worse day than you (like that guy on that crime show whose been shot and stabbed and stripped and robbed and fired and dumped…he’s having a real bad day.)
2 “It doesn’t matter who hurt you, or broke you down, what matters is who made you smile again.”
Well, I think you’ll find it does matter. It matters a great deal. Someone hurt you? Someone lied to you? Someone betrayed you? Someone turned you in to their emotional plaything and then just up and left with a new toy? Damn right it matters! You feel that pain. You feel every agonising moment of that betrayal because that’s the only way you’re going to get through it. So you be sad and hurt and cry and scream and hack their Amazon and add bondage gear and German porn to their wish list – you go right ahead! Then go hang out with those people that make you smile.
3 “Forget all the reasons why it won’t work and believe the one reason why it will!”
If there are a plethora of reasons why something won’t work that’s probably because it’s not going to work. Age and maturity are supposed to help us learn the difference between a challenge and a suicide mission and I’m all for embracing the unknown but before you fall, arms spread, in to the wind with every wistful quote about freedom you ever saw on Tumblr running through your mind you might want to buy a parachute, just as a precaution. Otherwise you might end up in some situations that are rather difficult to explain to your parents/the bank/a jury of your peers.
4 “If you really want to do something you will find a way. If you don’t you’ll find an excuse.”
Yeah, but not knowing what the hell to do with your life or how to reach your goals is the best part. It makes the relief taste so sweet after months/years/decades of drowning in a pool of your own tears. Just because you’re thinking about the ‘what ifs’ of your goals doesn’t mean you don’t want them with every fibre of your being. It just means you’re having the sense to think something through before you begin to dedicate your life to it. Excuse away, my friend.
In closing, don’t let a twat with an app make you feel like crap! (And you can quote me on that)
53.475109
-2.234693
hevbailey 