“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars”

– Jack Kerouac

Maslow, father of humanistic psychology has observed that work is an integral part of the personality of highly developed individuals. Men long for happiness but happiness is simply a by-product of systematic, sustained and meaningful work. Erich Fromm, the eminent psychoanalyst has shown on the basis of psychological and physiological studies that work protects people from boredom which is probably the worst punishment that can be imposed on anyone. All the great people have always emphasized hard work. A great individual work Ethic leads to a great collective work Ethic. A collective work Ethic has a profound influence on the economy and culture of a country. Hard work cannot be under emphasized if one wants to become great. Hard work cannot be substituted by luck, laziness, or unethical practices like corruption.

A great self accumulates wealth only through hard work and by fair means. Wealth does not come through magic, miracles, invoking some supernatural power. Hard work is your only miracle. In today’s world when access to knowledge is at your fingertips, it is only hard work that will set you apart. Thomas Jefferson once said. “I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it. You must outwork others. Stretch yourself to the fullest potential that every muscle, every nerve, and every neuro, gets used up by the end of the day. In his book -Thief of time, Terry Pratchett talks about History monks, who steal time from a codfish ( why would a codfish need so much time?), in the middle of the ocean and give it to someone in a city workshop with a deadline to meet. Sounds like a great Robin-hood proposition and fantastic enough to be read in a book. Reality does not work like that. We have to account for every bit of time that we use or do not use. Here is one thing you need to do. Try to treat time like currency. Imagine, every minute is worth a dollar. In such a situation would you want to waste your time or salvage every minute, every second that you get? “Procrastination is the thief of time”

Stay busy. Stay so busy that you do not have time for worry or doubt or negation. In Tennis, when Federer or Nadal is on the court, he does not have the time to think. Every move, every strategy is so ingrained that it is a reflex action. Make hard work your reflex action.  The great self only has time to act. He or she cannot indulge in pondering or brooding or reflecting too much. Energy is at the nucleus of hard work and Time is the electron which orbits the Energy nucleus. If the Energy goes down, the electron will simply escape the orbit, never to be found again. Energy is something that cannot be frittered or squandered. Energy is always to be used, invested and channelized. That is the only way in which the atom of great hustle can remain intact.

The Japanese have a very beautiful concept called “IKIGAI” – pronounced as –“Icky Guy” (The reason for which you jump out of bed every morning). I will explain why this is important. Suppose you are deeply passionate about studying in extreme detail about the social interaction of Ants. Or suppose you are deeply interested in finding if the Loch Ness Monster really exists, so you position your binoculars every day, the whole day by the lake side, hoping that the monster will one day show up. Now you might say you are working really hard, but you need to ask yourself these two questions-

1. Is my passion something that is useful to the world?
2. Is my passion something for which the world will reward or compensate me?

If your answer to the above questions is YES, only then should you consider what you are doing as real great work. If the answer is NO then you should re-evaluate your vision, mission and objectives.

Case 2- I have always been fascinated by science fiction movies and I think I might have a great career in Quantum Physics. But if you look at my grades, I consider myself lucky if I get a C in any of the Maths subjects.  But I am hell bent upon pursuing a career in Quantum physics. After all it is my childhood fantasy isn’t it?

Now the question you need to ask yourself is-

Am I really good at the skills needed to pursue my dream? Is there a chance that I can come up to speed on those skills?  Do I have the aptitude?

If the answer is NO then you may need to re-evaluate your dreams in the context of doing some real great work.

Ikigai is best illustrated by this diagram-

To become a great self we must find our Ikigai. We can only become great through hustle and our hustle must confirm to the following thumb rules-

1. 1. We love what we are doing
   2. We have the ability to be great or to groom ourselves to be great at what we do
   3. We are offering something of real tangible value to the world
   4. The world wishes to reward or compensate us for our work

Incidentally the word Ikigai originates in the Japanese island of Okinawa, which is home to the largest population of centenarians in the world. Ikigai gives a sense of clarity and purpose to our life. This reflects in the great work that we do and has a direct correlation to our longevity. The same concept has been found to be practiced by people living in all four blue zones such as Sardinia and the Nicoya Peninsula, which has similar large concentrations of hundred-year-olds.

The Great self, believes in a long healthy life of fulfilment through hustle. We can follow some guidelines to ensure that we tune our body and mind fully towards the pursuit of our objectives as well as ensure that we maximize the use of our muscles, nerves, and neurons towards the efficient as well as effective accomplishment of our goals.

1. 1. We need to follow all the guidelines mentioned under Great Health. We need to stay in our shoes till as long as we can. A person who makes himself or herself productive and useful to the society at large lives a more prosperous and fulfilling life as well as a health one. Our health makes it easy for us to develop a great work ethic, at the same time the fulfilment we derive from our work feeds into the motivation needed to maintain a great health over our lifetime.
   2. We should only eat till we are 80% full. Over-eating brings on sloth and indulgence. Our Energy levels take a hit. We cannot allow that to happen. Our stomachs are very honest indicators of how full we are. We should be tuned and listen to our organs for these minute updates and act accordingly.
   3. We should try to surround ourselves with great people. Circumstances may sometimes land us up with negative people, cynics, whiners, cribbers, but we must do all it takes to keep their company to the minimum. We should surround ourselves with people with high energy, an effervescent demeanour and a positive and creative mind set.
   4. We should live in the moment. We cannot dwell over the past or be concerned about the future beyond what is needed in terms of lessons learn and pragmatic decision making. We must practise mindfulness and groom ourselves to stay in the present as far as possible. We must fantasize and dream less, only then we can act and achieve more.

There are no shortcuts to success. There is no free meal. As Napoleon Hill says “Life has no bargains. Everything that you get that’s worthy of having has a price upon it.”  In the next part we are going to talk one step beyond IKIGAI. We are going to talk about creating passion for everything that you do, rather than being passionate with a blinkered and parochial mind set. This is important because sometimes Life is as mundane as it gets. There are tax audits, paper work, long queues, greasy fingers, troubleshooting, legal documentation, reading through the fine print, etc. and not all of it is something right up our alley. We have to train ourselves to stay motivated and passionate about the pedestrian aspects of life just as well. How do we keep ourselves motivated? What is extrinsic motivation and what is intrinsic motivation? What are the different theories of motivation? What is self-talk? We will cover all these in the next section in great detail.

Since ancient times, we human beings have been wired to understand two thing- Rewards and Punishments. In the ancient days they were born as a by-product of our blind faith. If there is a flood or famine or an earthquake, we attributed it to be a punishment from the gods. If we enjoyed favourable conditions such as abundance of food, reasonable weather conditions without an onset of any natural calamities or diseases, we attributed this to be rewards from the same gods. The renaissance period has seen the rise of a meaning making process based on logic and evidence. Even in the changed context of provable cause-effect relationships, the concept of rewards and punishments still hold true. If I work hard I will be promoted or get a pay raise, is a common understanding amongst employees. If I am sloppy with my work, I will not be promoted; I might be given a warning and eventually asked to leave the organization. Most of us try to work hard in such a way that our work is aligned with the goals of the Organization so as to reap the reward and to avoid being punished. Both Reward and Punishment are what are known as “Extrinsic Motivators”

There is another kind of Reward and Punishment. When I decide I will work hard because accomplishing my work in the most effective and efficient manner makes me feel I am productive and creative, it gives me a joy which I feel I have earned. This is a Reward statement I am making to myself which is known as an “Intrinsic motivator” If I decide I will work hard because shirking work makes me feel bad and unproductive. I do not feel meaningful and of any use to the world. I do not feel that I have earned the good time that I am spending. I feel guilty. This is a punishment statement I am making to myself, which is also an “Intrinsic Motivator”

Extrinsic Motivators are about tangible benefits or tangible losses such as more money, more assets, loss of job, and loss of income.

Intrinsic Motivators are conscience-driven. They are intangible benefits or losses such as greater or lesser self-esteem, self-love, pride, guilt, shame. Intrinsic Motivator stems from a certain belief or value system. For example a soldier believes it is a matter of pride if he lays down his life for the nation. A Doctor may believe he should work in remote areas of the country and serve the poor and illiterate who have no access to good medical facilities. A sports person believes he should reach the epitome of skills in his sport, since it is a matter of pride and glory for him or her to make the country proud by winning a medal.

If the person solely believes in external motivational factors like monetary benefits, that can become a dangerous thing. Let us consider an example. Suppose a Doctor working for a Government hospital does not get any salary increment for three years (due to whatsoever reasons), should he let that affect his performance, should he let that reflect in the way he treats his patients. The answer is No. The Doctor should still strive to deliver his best with due diligence. He should be invested in the intrinsic motivator that “I feel I am making myself immensely useful to the people who need my medical expertise, I feel I am productive and of value as a part of this society. It is my responsibility as a Doctor to serve my patients with efficiency, sincerity and enthusiasm” In this way the external motivator will have little impact on the way the Doctor performs. Being invested in intrinsic motivation is all the more important because it delays instant gratification and helps to build character.  For example if a person decides that he or she will not opt the easy way out to get his work done by bribing somebody to get the work done, but will try all the options to get his work done ethically even if it takes longer, is demonstrating integrity to his values which feed into his character.

The answer is No. Let me explain this with an example.  Roger Federer loves playing Tennis. Julia Roberts loves acting. Margaret Atwood loves writing books. All of them are consummately passionate about their respective professions. They find immense pleasure in what they do. It is an intrinsic reward for them if they play a great match, dazzle the audience with a stellar performance, or write a book that is a sure contender for the bookers. Is that reward enough? The answer is No. In a world we live in, there is dignity of labour and there is value of labour. The person must be compensated or rewarded for his or her efforts. While intrinsic motivators are a great thing for the mind, the material, the corporeal and the economic aspects also need to be taken care of.

The great self needs to be intrinsically motivated at a prima facie level. At the same time the great self should be unabashed and unapologetic about pursuing extrinsic motivators. Both have a different purpose and complement each other to keeping the person motivated. Extrinsic motivators are tangible and easily understood. Let us look at the process of motivating ourselves intrinsically. What are the ways in which we can do it? Let us consider in the next section where we will dwell on self- motivation and self- talk.

The Magic of Motivation

“You will begin to touch heaven, Jonathan, in the moment that you touch perfect speed. And that isn’t flying a thousand miles an hour, or a million, or flying at the speed of light. Because any number is a limit and perfection doesn’t have limits. Perfect speed, my son, is being there.”

― Richard Bach, Jonathan Livingston Seagull

Intrinsic motivation is all about building a behemoth of a structure built on the foundations of self-belief. If we want to become great we must all believe  ( and by this I do not mean- psyche yourself, but truly, madly, deeply believe) that we are great (already). We must believe it from the depths of our insides. We must vouch our unwavering, consistent and unconditional adherence and alignment to this belief. Consider yourself as a building under construction. The unshakeable faith that we are GREAT is the scaffolding. The scaffolding is absolutely vital to the construction of the building called GREATNESS. We have to believe that we are GREAT, we have to be mindful of this fact round the clock and never lose sight of it. Once the Building is ready, the scaffolding will go away.  GREATNESS will have become a habit and we will not need to reiterate it to ourselves overtly. GREATNESS will have become a reflex.

FIND INSPIRATION IN BOOKS-Some of you may have seen the 2007 Film “The Jane Austen Book Club”. The club members get together to discuss the six books by Jane Austen. As they delve deep into her literature, the club members find striking parallels between their lives and those of the characters in the books. Those characters give them succour and the members are available to untie their own knots through their readings. I am saying: “adopt a character from any of the books that have made an impact on you. A great character with a great intent, who leaves you awestruck and from whom you can learn a lot. For example my favourite character is Atticus Finch from: To kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I admire the man for his courage in his convictions, his balls of steel, his grit and his determination to plead a case for a black servant boy wrongly implicated in a rape case by a white woman of dubious intentions. All this happens in a milieu where slavery and apartheid are rampant in the USA. For me Atticus Finch is a role model. In every situation I face I would like to ask “what would Atticus do?”  I will get my answer and it will be a GREAT one. It could be a different role model for you. For some it could be the feisty Katniss Everdeen from the HUNGER GAMES, for others it could be Tyrion Lannister from the GAME OF THRONES. For some others it could be Florentino Ariza from Love in the Time of Cholera. Bibliotherapy is now gaining immense recognition as a therapy as the healing, inspiring and motivating power of books is recognized. Read GREAT books that have GREAT protagonists with GREAT intent. For many of the great people all over the world, their minds have been shaped by the books that they have read over the years. READ GREAT BOOKS. READ with a PURPOSE. READ to be INSPIRED.  I will be sharing a list of GREAT BOOKS at the end of this book. Read those you find most relevant and stay inspired.

MASTER ONE HABIT-In the book HABIT by Charles Duhigg, he shares one GREAT practice. If we concentrate on just ONE habit where we are sloppy, lacking discipline, we should work on it and master that ONE habit. It could be something like keeping our wardrobe neat and tidy, it could be going for a jog every day no matter what, or deciding to read a certain number of pages everyday as a rule. Research has proven that when we master ONE habit, the self- confidence and positive energy that we derive from it, cascades into all the other things that we do. So we can use just ONE habit as a spring board to bring a complete transformation within ourselves. Get prolific with just ONE habit and that one HABIT will act as a catalyst in your journey of becoming great.

Affirmative Self-Talk– There is an inbuilt negativity bias in all of us. We owe this to the prehistoric times, when life was more precarious in terms of survival. Wild Animals, Harsh Climate, Diseases, fear of the unknown ( Man like other animals was afraid of fire for thousands of years) It took him that long a period to overcome his fear of fire and harness it for the benefit of himself and his tribe.) So our atavistic conditioning has made us inherently wired towards negativity and cynicism. We have to counter this with GREAT thoughts. What do we talk, when we talk with ourselves?  Is something we have to be extremely mindful about? We must come up with affirmative suggestions to ourselves. We have to repeat those suggestions to ourselves so that they are ingrained and become a part of US. And we should never use for NEGATIVE words like NO, NOT, CANNOT. We should always speak in the affirmative. There is a story about two boys who once climbed a tree a little too high to be able to get down. They started shouting for help. Their respective parents came over and told them that help was coming. Meanwhile the parents started to give instructions to their kids. Parent of Kid 1 said “ Do NOT fall down” Parent of kid 2 says “Stick around, hang up there, help is on the way” The first kid fell of the tree while the second held on with tenacity till help surfaced. REASON- The first kid registered the NOT part of the instruction due to the negativity bias. The second kid had received an affirmative instruction, so there was no negativity in his mind. The second kid was none other than India’s great ex- president A P J Abdul Kalam.  This incident was narrated by him in one his talks.

REBT Technique– Albert Ellis a great American Psychoanalyst helped millions of people all over the world through the theory that he pioneered through years of research and insights gathered from studying great philosophers and other psychoanalysts. According to his theory- Our thoughts give rise to our feelings. Many a times we are distress, sad, depressed, conflicted because we are conditioned to have IRRATIONAL thoughts. IRRATIONAL thoughts lead to NEGATIVE feelings. NEGATIVE feelings give rise to dysfunctional behaviour. Such BEHAVIOR re-enforces IRRATIONAL thoughts. Therefore it is important to analyse and deconstruct our irrational thoughts and reconstruct them into RATIONAL thoughts. RATIONAL thoughts will lead to POSITIVE or NEUTRAL feelings. Such feeling will help a person to be more motivated, functional, productive, inspired and in control of himself or herself. Use of RATIONAL EMOTIVE BEHAVIORAL THEORY is a powerful tool in SELF MOTIVATION. It helps us to analyse and eliminate irrational thought processes and to replace them with rational thought processes. It helps us to eradicate erroneous conditioning that we may have grown up with, and helps us to live a fulfilling life.

Life is a hustle and you have to be on top of it. Do not stay in the shadows, come out and steal your own thunder. Own what you do. Invest in it with great intent. Be perseverant, tenacious, and resilient, and be that over and over a thousand times if you must. Be caught like a moth in the flame. Burn all the bridges, cut all the ropes; the only way is forwards and upwards. Be a great hustler all your life. In chemistry we have studied – a radioactive element never dies; it has a half-life, which means only half of it changes to something else every few years. After that the remaining half undergoes the same cycle and so on, like infinite reflections of yourselves in the mirrors. Greatness is the reverse of that. You do not become great. You are always in the process of becoming great. Complacency is not a term in the dictionary of Mahatman.  Greatness has a reverse half-life. It grows every few years. But the whole of you cannot be consumed by a great self. Half of you still remain with the same infinite potential for massive action. This is a process that once set into perpetual motion should never be stifled by the inertia of body or mind. That is why Body and Brain health are so important. We will discuss that in detail in the chapter on Body and Brain. But for now, remember- Work hard and stay motivated, create passion about everything and work your way up the ladder of greatness.

The big bang of Hustle–

1. 1. Know your Ikigai.
   2. Extrinsic motivators are just as important as intrinsic motivators.
   3. Practice Affirmative self-talk to vanquish the negativity bias.
   4. Read GREAT books and read with a purpose.
   5. Uproot irrational thinking with REBT.