Why reminders are necessary and the secret need for mum

We are fortunate to be in a world that has access to an infinite amount of information and living in a society that is accepting of new ideas and change. The rise of the internet age and social media has given way to encourage and inspire a generation to be the best that they can be. It’s provided an avenue for every and anyone to pursue their own interests and a desire to be who they want or do what they want.

There is always a silver lining to every situation, in this case, having access to information provides us with the inspiration to pursue our goals because seeing what other people can achieve shapes our own ideas and gives it clarity. 

Although, even if we can visualise what we want, how do we create a pathway to actually achieve it? It could be that we have mapped out a 5-year plan of our ultimate transformation or have multiple apps on our phones that beep notifications every hour to remind ourselves to drink water more water, eat less sugar, do 5 minutes of exercise a day etcetera…

Ultimately, they are all multiple versions of our mum constantly reminding us to do something. It might sound simplistic, however nagging is a tried and trusted method to accomplish an action. Most of the time, when we hear something that doesn’t align with our current way of thinking, we hear it but don’t actually listen to it. My mum used to tell me to wear a jacket every time I went outside because it was cold, I’d brush it off and think it was absurd (especially on a sunny day) and now decades later I hear the words echo in my mind as I prepare to go outside…

Similar to any goal that we want to achieve, it takes constant reminders to ourselves to act. Naturally our minds will brush it off and take the path of least resistance but step by step we will internalise those words we tell ourselves and act upon it.

Afterall, we are not machines and most people are not blessed with an iron-will that could change instantly at the drop of a hat. We are however in a generation that is more accepting of our personal pursuits and supportive of an individual’s self-development. It is not a new philosophy or new way of thinking as developing the inner self is the foundations of Buddhism, some psychological theory and writings dating back to ancient times but it has become more widely accepted and dare-say “trendier”.

So, in taking a small step towards any goal or dream pursuit no matter how big our small, it just takes simple reminders to reinforce and keep us motivated.