The Dark Side of Motivation: Embracing Your Anti-Vision
No doubt you've been exposed to an array of self-help quotes and books on motivation and goals online. You may have also read my previous essays on positivity and optimism. Even so, there is still great power in dabbling in what some may call the "darker" sides of psychology.
If a vision is a beautiful imagining of your life in the future, then an anti-vision is its dark reflection. It's a life where you've made every poor and destructive choice, leading to a life of misery and despair.
Anti-visions work on motivation due to our in-built negativity bias. Negative events tend to have deeper and longer lasting effects than positive ones1. Further, we are more motivated to avoid negative outcomes than pursue positive ones. That is, we are more motivated by fear of a dark future than love of a bright one.
Developing an anti-vision is simple. Ask yourself this question: "What would my life look like if I made all the worst choices in denial of my vision?". We can break down each habit or trait and what your anti-vision looks like from here.
Here are a few examples:
Deciding not to take care of your health & fitness is also a decision to allow your body to break down at a faster rate.
Not pursuing a personal passion is a decision to create a more empty and unfulfilling life.
Avoiding social connection is a decision to guarantee loneliness in the future.
Living within expectations upon you — and not being true to your inner voice — is a decision to live an inauthentic life.
You get the idea. Let's build an anti-vision from here. This is what mine looks like.
I'm 70 years old and have just retired after 42 years in my career in finance. I was once creative, but quit my creative pursuits to focus on climbing the corporate ladder. I once dreamed of being a psychologist and content creator. Yet, I believed this path to be childish and unrealistic, so I denied it. I'm out of shape and feeble. I have multiple chronic health conditions, and have to take a battery of medications to manage them. I daydream of when I trained Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, wishing I had stuck with it until I received my black belt.
I'm alone, angry and full of regret. I've lost touch with friends and family. My grim demeanour evaporates any joy from encounters with others, keeping any love at bay. I blame my parents and the world for the way my life has turned out. I'm bitter and resentful at the youth who embody the life I've lost. Their carefree attitude fills me with rage. I waste my days arguing with people online and sooth my soul-pain with junk food and streaming TV shows. I am merely waiting to die.
This was hard for me to write from an emotional standpoint. The harder the anti-vision is to face, the more effective it will be. The passage above is an accurate description of Hell to me. Once you have your anti-vision, you can tap into it as a catalyst for forward momentum toward your goals.
You can think of skipping your habits as actually performing an "anti-habit" that gets you closer to your anti-vision. Let's take my example above about not taking care of your health & fitness. Skipping a day at the gym is no longer just skipping a day at the gym. To not train is to continue to perform an anti-habit that gets you closer to your anti-vision of the future.
While an anti-vision is useful, there is some nuance. You should use the "darker" sides of psychology with a minimalist approach. Only as needed. Do not torment yourself with the anti-vision, becoming obsessive and fearful in chasing goals. It's just a tool for growth. Nothing more. If you're trying at all towards your goals, you're unlikely to make the anti-vision a reality. Refer to the anti-vision as needed to reset yourself and find your bearings on the journey of life.
Good luck.
Thanks for reading! My next YouTube video is up - “Why Are You Rushing To Your Death?”. It’s a video on the risks of blindly pursuing your goals. Have a watch in the link below, leave a comment if you found it interesting and give me a subscription if you found value in it. Infinitely appreciative of your support.