The REAL effect of motivation

 

My perception about motivational speakers is that they are often a bit… shallow. Yes, most motivation techniques only touch the surface of a person; it feels like a very elaborate joke.

However, real motivation is something different. You see it portrayed in movies, songs, and people’s speeches and acts. It has the power to change another person’s life - or a whole situation - in such a way that there is no turning back.

Here are a few examples of real motivation:

• Remember the Titans. Not exactly a masterpiece of cinema, but it touches the heart and inspires us to see people from different backgrounds with a new perspective.
• Patch Adams. Motivation from the perspective of health. Even though it became controversial, the idea of bringing clowns into hospitals has proven to bring real results. In São Paulo, in one of the most dangerous areas dominated by drugs, psychiatrist Flavio Falcone continues this legacy, bringing hope and a ray of light.
• Songs. Too many to count! But here’s a short list:
• Don’t Stop Believin’ (Journey). Don’t get trapped by your financial status or circumstances.
• Conqueror (Estelle & Jussie Smollett). Less known, but incredibly performed by Kechi Okwuchi (Kechi Sings). Just listen and see how uplifting it is.
• Maria, Maria (Milton Nascimento). A masterpiece that has inspired countless women living in vulnerable or poor conditions to find their inner greatness.
• Color Esperanza (Diego Torres). During one of Argentina’s darkest economic times, this song awakened hope across the country.
• Stories. From tales, history or simply someone sharing their experience, stories can be deeply motivational. Think of the mentors, teachers, parents, grandparents - or even strangers - who show you a new light, a new hope, maybe even a new path. Don’t you feel like doing something about your life after hearing stories like that? I will tell you one (in brief) told by a friend of mine: A young man from a rural area of Colombia won a school competition about space. A friend of mine helped him raise funds to compete nationally - he won again. Later, after military service, he competed internationally. Eventually, he ended up working at NASA.

Motivation is everywhere: in films, songs, stories and in the people who cross our paths. But the deepest kind of motivation comes from within - something I’ll touch on in another post.

The question of decision fatigue

 

A few years ago, a friend of mine went to buy a deodorant. I was with him, but I stayed at the entrance of the supermarket with the person who was hosting us. After twenty minutes, she started to get worried - how long could it take to choose one deodorant? I went to check, and there he was, staring at a small shelf with only a handful of options… Twenty minutes, and still no decision.

Now imagine someone like him, but at the end of a long, exhausting day. They still need to call three people, buy a gift, fill out a work form and complete travel paperwork. Each small choice adds up until the brain feels like it’s running on fumes.

An official report drew my attention: When Good People Make Bad Decisions. Of course, anyone can make a mistake because of ignorance, poor planning or pressure, but sometimes, even very good and competent people make bad decisions due to another factor: decision fatigue.

People who are smart, trained, capable and kind mess up because of being worn out from choosing and deciding, again and again.

This is what psychologists call decision fatigue. As psychotherapist Natacha Duke explains, it isn’t a medical condition but a very real phenomenon: the more decisions you make throughout the day, the more mentally, emotionally and physically drained you become. Decisions are made by the intellect or buddhi (Sanskrit), which is your executive functioning - the part of you that decides, plans and prioritizes. It starts to falter and when that slips, so does a good decision.

That’s why firefighters, pilots and doctors often rely on protocols and checklists, which reduce unnecessary decisions and the energy is saved to be used for the critical ones. Maybe you can create protocols for your own life, suited to your needs, or simply start building habits, simplifying routines and taking “decision breaks” (a period of reflection, disconnecting from demanding circumstances, meditation). It will make a big difference.

And maybe, there’s also a more spiritual side to this. Not every decision has to be wrestled with logic. Some choices get lighter when we pause, breathe, meditate and connect with a deeper sense of clarity. Better decisions come from a calmer place.

So, the next time you’re standing in front of a shelf - whether of deodorants or crucial life choices - remember: sometimes the smartest move is to step back, clear your mind and only then, make a good decision.

How to make decisions during uncertain times

 

Uncertainty makes your road foggy. When the world seems unstable, every option comes with a question mark, a doubt, a… something is wrong… It is as if you are driving, you look ahead, but the road keeps shifting.

No choice feels completely right. I know, it’s easy to freeze and to overthink, imagining every worst-case scenario as the only possibility. But here’s the thing - not deciding is also a decision and often, it’s the one that costs the most…

• So, start by setting clear criteria: What matters most right now? What can you compromise? What is non-negotiable?
• A few solid guidelines will keep you anchored when emotions try to take over and use logic. Your logic… Check the facts, weigh the risks, compare options… But don’t let analysis become a cage; analyze and move forward with the decision.
• And be careful with another potential prison… Your past experiences are useful - they’ve shaped your instincts, after all, and you have been able to survive and reach to this point. But remember, the past is a reference; don’t reject a new path just because it doesn’t look like the old one.
• Be a visionary: imagine where you want to be, beyond where you are. At the same time, be practical if things are not going well - a flexible balanced plan is better than a perfect one that will never be brought to reality.
• And here’s a crucial piece for a decision, many people forget: a journey to your inner world. When you connect to yourself, decisions stop feeling like a gamble. Your intuition turns into a compass and meditation becomes a personal recharger. To make a better decision, trust yourself and just sit quietly, meditate...
• Related to the former point, remember: a clean mind sees more paths than a crowded one and sometimes, the next step reveals itself only in its stillness.

These are uncertain times. Your best decision maybe won’t be the smartest or the safest, so make a decision by aligning mind, heart and soul.

In this way, you will move forward, even when the road is not yet clear.

Silence and its incredible power

 

I am surrounded by the lack of silence: cars, people talking and shouting, music (don’t ask!)… So much, really... And yet, since I was a child, I used to be attracted to the simplicity of silence. It used to be healing, an opportunity to go beyond my present situation and even to feel different than I really felt, without pretending.

It is still an integral part of who I am, as it is present in my meditations, my work style and my reflection. It contributes to my wellness, my spiritual practices and my mental state.

So, for me it is not a tool; it is who I am, what makes me refining my silence again and again.

For other people, it is a tool and I think it is great. I remember reading about this Asian businessman who used to experience one hour of silence in the morning, every day. This was his way to clear his mind and prepare himself for the challenges to come.

It can be a tool for a person trying to gather their thoughts, an artist during inspiration or a mother thinking of a gift for her family…

A silence experience may be moments of silence, an hour or a full retreat, even a pause in life; silence changes the way our minds think. Even though silence will be present at my most important moments and for other people, only when they need, its power is unmeasurable.

If you don’t practice it yet, just try it out…

Silence…

Finding magic in ordinary moments

 

I want to tell you a story. A couple of years ago, I travel in stand-by… I know, many people do that, but I am not so lucky with travels, probably something to do with a karmic account… Anyway, I had to wait for THREE NIGHTS to get a flight. Horrible, right? Yes… and no. You see, someone got a person who could host me near the airport and he went to pick me there too. The first night, an attendant helped us – a big group! – to get out of the airport (it is militarized, so people enter, but it is hard to get out), and so all was OK. The place was fine, food was good, the person was excellent.

The next night, trouble came, but again, a solution; even though no attendant from the airline helped us, one lady was able to get help from another person. This time, however, my host was not happy… still, place was fine, food was good and the person was excellent. During the day, I really prepared my spiritual stage, I did a good meditation, I read a powerful class and, in the night, even though it looked impossible to get a flight, WE GOT IT!

In old stories, represented in books or movies, magic is two things: something impossible takes place and there is the possibility of change. There is wonder and hope, a good energy and new paths. During my stand-by experiment, I saw magic again and again!

So… if we go beyond the need or desire for transforming broccoli into something more interesting, the impossible, then there is the possibility of change; a wonderful change, a motivational hope, a high-level energy and paths that take us to the best places.

And that is the magic I feel in my life and that is the one, which is transformational. The most important thing is that we don’t need to wait for a specific moment for that magic; it is right here, right now!

Do you feel it??

No? I understand… there is the routine, the things that happens in our lives, burying all that magic.

And yet... even in the most repetitive day, something can glow - if we just pause, if we look differently...

So, no need to pretend being part of a fairy tale… no need to imagine things…

Just open your eyes and you will see so much magic!

Silence and chaos

 

There is a kind of noise that exists both, outside and within. It’s the chaos of daily life - messages, decisions, stress - and the chaos of the mind - overthinking, reacting, remembering all details...

To avoid that noise or to decrease its volume, we have silence… Not the silence that is the absence of noise; silence as an inner state, a space we can enter even when the world is loud.

As we are living in the age of chaos, noise is part of the pattern… Yes, we could find a place in the mountains, far from all. Or we can resort to silence.

In the midst of chaos, silence is not weakness. It’s strength. It’s clarity. And it’s healing.

Meditation teaches us to return to that inner silence. Just a few minutes of stillness can shift our state. Meditation isn’t about controlling thoughts, but about not being controlled by them. It allows the mind to settle, and in that settling, we begin to hear our own wisdom again.

Silence opens us to hear the real sound, the sound of our inner voice.

Silence also has the power to heal. Emotional pain, stress, fatigue - these begin to soften in the presence of true stillness. Not the silence of suppression, but of awareness, that moment when we stop trying to fix everything and simply sit in silence. At that point, something begins to mend… maybe not externally - the age we live is of chaos - but inside.

Inside there is deep healing, deep awareness, but the beauty of this practice of silence is that it permeates our reality… After all, even in relationships and daily tasks, silence has a role as it brings focus, patience and depth.

In conversations, a pause can be more meaningful than a rush of words. At work, a moment of inner quiet can lead to better decisions than hours of action and discussions.

As chaos is all around, silence is not a retreat from life; it is the key to a better life.

In chaos, it becomes our compass and guide.

The Power of Small Things

 

Has a small gesture ever changed your life? When I was a child, I read a book about a boy with a green thumb. Wherever he touched the ground, plants would bloom. That story touched my imagination and shaped my dreams.

Years later, I began to realize that the world is full of green thumb - small gestures, simple actions, kind words, a short video or a few lines of text that create a ripple effect and spark real change.

Yes, I truly believe that big changes can come from small actions. It might be like the butterfly effect, or a domino chain - subtle at first, but powerful in the end.

How? From my experience and observations, I’ve noticed a few important things and here are a few examples:

Sometimes, the biggest changes are not immediately visible. Take climate change, for example. People had been talking about it for decades, but it took a small Scandinavian girl to challenge the world and make it listen. The change she sparked wasn’t just in awareness - people began to act, to shift, to care in more practical ways.

In my case, as a vegetarian, something that used to bother me was that I couldn’t eat cake! I loved cake (past tense…), but traditional recipes required eggs. For years, no cake. Then one day, someone brought an egg replacement from the U.S. - it was heavenly! Later, as a trial, someone made an eggless cake, but it was too oily… I tried it too, same result. But little by little, the technique improved. Now, delicious egg-free cakes are everywhere - even gluten- free and dairy-free ones. A small change, but a big shift in what is possible.

When I was growing up, I often felt lost. I didn’t get much guidance from my mother, grandparents, or aunts. I don’t blame them - they had their own limitations. But it meant I had to figure a lot out on my own. One of the hardest parts was not knowing what to do with my life - no clear path, no profession to follow. That’s why I still remember so clearly the first time someone gave me a chance - a small gesture as they agreed to hire me, even though I didn’t have much knowledge of computing. That moment changed everything. It gave me a real profession and helped me shape a new life.

Maybe we all have a green thumb for people, dreams and ideas. We touch the world through our actions, even small gestures.