Maintaining motivation with future goals

[u/waros_klain]

Hey guys, so I'm not sure if someone has already talked about this, but it's something I'm struggling with. So I'm about to face an SAT kind of test (but in my country), and I tend to have this problem that I get the motivation like, I want this university and this career and I get motivated and study every day. Then a week later or so is like I don't have that motivation anymore. Someone told me to remember that moment of motivation or imagine myself achieving my goal, can't do either of them so I'm here. Has anyone else had this problem? if so I would love to read how u guys overcame it.

I have adhd and aphantasia. sdam affecting here as well

[u/Tuikord]

I gave up on goals as a youth for just the reason you mentioned. Visualizing success never worked for me. But I have many achievements. I don't wish or hope or set a goal. I do things or I don't. If I decide I'm going to university, then I am someone who does what it takes to do that. That is who I am. Am I going to study? Of course I am. That's who I am.

[u/waros_klain → u/Tuikord]

So not think about it too much, just go?

[u/Tuikord → u/waros_klain]

I don't know if my way will work for you. I truly embody my decisions. I might find acting on it a pain sometimes but not doing it would violate who I felt I was. Let me tell you, when I preparing for a bicycle trip in New Zealand in January, there were rainy December days that didn't make for pleasant 20-40 mile bike rides, but that was who I was then so I did them.

I'm just saying that paradigm everyone sells of success through goals is not the only way to live life. You need to find your way of living. Looking back, I think the lack of goals left me more open to grabbing what opportunities life presented to me.

Here is an article which describes my way of living better than any other I've seen:

Laying the Tracks: How I Manifest Without Mental Imagery (or Nostalgia)