Do Motivational Speeches Work?

Have you ever listened to a motivational speech such as "I can, I will, I must" delivered by Eric Thomas, or read an inspirational self-help book such as The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle ? If you answered yes, what feelings followed you immediately after them? Most likely, you feel energized, motivated, productive, and certain of your capabilities. You are ready to take on the world with your newfound self-confidence and realization that you can do this!

Then, something deflating happens. All of you excitement withers, and you search for anything to make you feel how you once did. Your back at square one, and playing into the idea that the only thing that can get you out of this funk is typing "motivational speech" into your toolbar. 

This can make someone wonder, "what caused this?" The ugly truth is that you have played into the trap of the multi-billion dollar industry that profits off of your desperation to find some help. You have fed into a synthetic trap built with attractive words such as "invincible", "capable", and "self-worth". The only way to escape the dim grave that this can turn into is relying on yourself to find a way out. 

Inspiration with a shelf life longer than the length of a TED talk can only be found deep within ourselves. The inspiration derived from these speeches and books can be helpful for an initial change of perspective, but the only way to truly change is a desire to change and a realization of your capabilities of change. If you are looking for true inspiration, the kind that will course through every inch and facet of your body, mind, and soul, the kind that will sustain itself the next day, and all the days to come, you have to look into yourself to find that inspiration, and be willing to put it to good use.