What makes you WANT to do stuff when you’re happy to just sit and stare at the wall?

[The Backward OX]

How do you make yourself WANT to do stuff, when normally you're perfectly happy to just sit and stare at the wall and do nothing? How do you get out of that mind-set? What’s the cure? Remember, “perfectly happy” is the boogey you’re fighting. How do you make yourself “want”?

[taylor]

Don't "want."

Decide.

Decide what you should do and act.

[Swede]

And, I'd like to add: talk yourself into motivation. Or get outer motivation. Energize yourself.

[Vibration]

Originally Posted by The Backward OX

How do you make yourself WANT to do stuff, when normally you're perfectly happy to just sit and stare at the wall and do nothing? How do you get out of that mind-set? What’s the cure? Remember, “perfectly happy” is the boogey you’re fighting. How do you make yourself “want”?

Do exactly that - sit and stare at the wall, with the intention of doing absolutely nothing else.

If you start to get board or tired of this, think of some of the things that other people are doing, some of the other things that you could be doing. If you find that one of those things is tempting you from staying there and staring at the wall, resist it, and recommit yourself to the wall.

Do this for weeks, or even months at a time.

There is nothing wrong with deciding to spend your life in silent meditation. You would be surprised to know how many have committed their lives to this.

Future Weapons: Zen Buddhism - YouTube

When you have had your fill of this, moving on to other things will be easy and natural, because you will have fulfilled a need.

[sk8joyful]

Originally Posted by The Backward OX

How do you make yourself WANT to do stuff,
when normally you're perfectly happy
to just sit and stare at the wall and do nothing?
How do you get out of that mind-set? What’s the cure?
Remember, “perfectly happy”
is the boogey you’re fighting. How do you make yourself “want”?

Well, I can only "sit & stare, at other Skaters" for so long, before I get UP
and practice whatever Iceskating move yet one more time...
until Eureka! I got it! then I am Happy... until the next skill to learn, Yeah!!!

And *perfectly Happy* is our NATURAL state.

[Rob Ballentine]

If the wall is so entrancing and makes you happy why would you want to give it up?

Most people search for years to try and find happiness.

BUT it sounds to me like there's that other part of you that just isn't happy enough with the wall because it's just a dead end right.

So until that part of you gets bored enough, tired of waiting, just sitting watching and hoping, the walls going to be your best friend for happiness.

Who knows you may even find yourself trancing out enough that suddenly it comes to you and yet you don't know what it is, you just feel this surge and urge to want to do something else...something where ALL of you agrees and then....

Go do it.

[elucidate]

Originally Posted by Vibration

Do exactly that - sit and stare at the wall, with the intention of doing absolutely nothing else.

If you start to get board or tired of this, think of some of the things that other people are doing, some of the other things that you could be doing. If you find that one of those things is tempting you from staying there and staring at the wall, resist it, and recommit yourself to the wall.

Do this for weeks, or even months at a time.

There is nothing wrong with deciding to spend your life in silent meditation. You would be surprised to know how many have committed their lives to this.

Future Weapons: Zen Buddhism - YouTube

When you have had your fill of this, moving on to other things will be easy and natural, because you will have fulfilled a need.

I did this for a LONG time. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it...in fact, I would go so far as to say it is something everyone would benefit from learning to do in this "should do" culture, where doing nothing is frowned upon.

Doing nothing is a lost art worth learning.

Learning to do things when you WANT to, rather than because you feel guilty and think you "should" and "have to", is very empowering, and also an interesting space to be in. You are free from societal impositions and judgements when you can live this way.

[taylor]

"Want" is just a very limited and unstable energy source. That's why people start learning guitar and quit after 2 weeks, or drop out of college after a semester. You have to decide you'll do something consistently whether you feel like it or not, because you know it will work out for the best over the long term.

[Swifthawk]

Originally Posted by The Backward OX

How do you make yourself WANT to do stuff, when normally you're perfectly happy to just sit and stare at the wall and do nothing? How do you get out of that mind-set? What’s the cure? Remember, “perfectly happy” is the boogey you’re fighting. How do you make yourself “want”?

This seems more like a lack of "Do" than "Want." I'm sure if I asked you questions like "Don't you want [insert whatever]" there is a high chance you would reply yes. Things like success, becoming an expert in your field, your own business, etc.

The reason most, including myself, don't automatically get up and start acting is because it is tough to see the end when the trail is so long. It's hard to have the drive to start such a long journey when you're unsure of where it will lead.

So, my advice to get up and Do is to think of past accomplishments and realize where those started, how they played out, and what they turned into. Any accomplishment starts out humbly and grows into something amazing. Use that knowledge to force you to start.

If you were truly happy and content with staring at the wall, and you were able to provide for yourself while doing this, I would be all for it. But I doubt that is really the case.

[The Backward OX]

Originally Posted by Swifthawk

So, my advice to get up and Do is to think of past accomplishments and realize where those started, how they played out, and what they turned into. Any accomplishment starts out humbly and grows into something amazing. Use that knowledge to force you to start.

I believe that my present mind-set of saying I’m happy to stare at the wall comes from a long life of never having accomplished anything noteworthy, of having made a mess of just about everything I’ve done. Put that reality into the equation and see what you come up with.

[Beingist]

Originally Posted by Vibration

Do exactly that - sit and stare at the wall, with the intention of doing absolutely nothing else.
[...]
Do this for weeks, or even months at a time.
[...]
When you have had your fill of this, moving on to other things will be easy and natural, because you will have fulfilled a need.

Yep. Been there, done that (well, not for weeks at a time, though).

[Vibration]

Originally Posted by The Backward OX

I’m happy to stare at the wall comes from a long life of never having accomplished anything noteworthy...

Really? I was completely unaware that the object of life was to accomplish something noteworthy.

I have some questions about this; please help me to understand:

What exactly is on the list of noteworthy things to accomplish?
Who gave you the list?
Noteworthy to who?
Who decides whether you've accomplished them sufficiently?
What will happen to you if you don't accomplish any of them?
What will happen if you throw away the list and just refuse to participate?

How would you feel if you found out that in reality, there is no such list?

How would you feel if you found out that someone convinced you into believing there is such a list, because they wanted to control what you do, and that the list is nothing more than what they are wanting you to do for their benefit, rather than allowing you to serve yourself by choosing what to do completely on your own?

What if you know, really deep in the back of your mind, that something is very wrong with having a list of noteworthy accomplishments handed to you, and this need for doing nothing is a defensive response, to give you the needed time to sort this out and decide what it is that you really want to do?

Originally Posted by The Backward OX

of having made a mess of just about everything I’ve done.

What if the "mess" stems from not being able to align yourself with what you're doing, because what you really want to be doing is what you decide to do (whatever that may be), rather than just doing something noteworthy?

Before Jesus performed all the things that he became famous for, he spent 40 days alone, doing nothing, not even eating, to separate his mind from what his people thought he should do with his life, so he could sort this out own on his own. He decided not to go for noteworthy fanfare. The life that resulted was so unique and remarkable that it is still studied to this day, perhaps more than any other.

[Angelique]

There is no force necessary to make myself desire anything. It is normal for me to desire. 'Perfectly happy' sounds perfectly boring if there is nothing to create or discover.

What you describe doesn't sound like 'perfectly happy' to me, though. It sounds like checking out.

[Swifthawk]

Originally Posted by The Backward OX

I believe that my present mind-set of saying I’m happy to stare at the wall comes from a long life of never having accomplished anything noteworthy, of having made a mess of just about everything I’ve done. Put that reality into the equation and see what you come up with.

I highly doubt you have managed to get through life without doing something that is meaningful to you in your own way. Others' views on whether or not it's noteworthy be damned.

You may not be a self-made millionaire, you may just be plain poor, but everybody makes mistakes, over and over and over and over again.

Your own view of "having made a mess of just about everything" is fear, and that fear has become your reality. That fear makes you content to sit around doing nothing, and you have rationalized this fear by saying it makes you happy. The truth is clear from this post that your contentedness of staring is the wall is from fear of moving, not from genuine happiness.

There is an old saying that if you don't want to hurt or argue or feel embarrased, then say nothing, do nothing, be nothing.

If you are living, you are making mistakes, every day. Big ones, little ones. Life-changing mistakes. Until you take on this knowledge with courage you will always feel content to stare at the wall.

[lifeforce]

Originally Posted by The Backward OX

How do you make yourself WANT to do stuff, when normally you're perfectly happy to just sit and stare at the wall and do nothing? How do you get out of that mind-set? What’s the cure? Remember, “perfectly happy” is the boogey you’re fighting. How do you make yourself “want”?

I was like that a year a go. It got boring. But I didn´t want anything. Had no desire for any goal. No motivation, no discipline etc. So I thought about it. Since I have everything I need, and feel content with life, what would be "cool" to achieve/get/be. So instead of "goals", I started calling them "fun projects". I basically made a goal oriented affirmation and repeated it in the mirror for then minutes a day. "I want...".
Soon enough, my subconscious picked it up, and I started to actually want it, feel motivated by it, inspired, driven, excited, disciplined etc. Life was exciting again.