There are a lot of vices that can get the better of you (if you let them). Asides common “heavy ones” like drug use and substance abuse, habits such as gambling and other forms of addiction also have a heavy presence in this modern age. One bad habit that many people don’t talk about, however, is laziness.
Laziness can be described as an individual’s unwillingness to work (despite the fact that they are very able and capable of doing so). And it is quite prevalent in the world we live in today.
WHY ARE PEOPLE SO LAZY THESE DAYS?
One of the greatest markers of the 21st century is the fact that people are incessantly seeking less stressful ways of doing things. Everybody wants newer, better and most importantly faster and less strenuous methods of executing their daily tasks (as well as several other types of tasks, which they may not need to carry out every day). So, far, technology has been the world’s impeccable solution to this search. Many people see it as the way to the future (and even the future, itself). However, a lot of people also see technology as the reason why many people are lazy today. The reason for this assumption becomes clearer when we consider that, in the past, humanity didn’t have as many perks as we do today. Literally, when you delve into the course of human history, you will find phrases like “the era of hunting and gathering” and the “the dark ages.” Upon closer examination, you may begin to find that struggle is one common denominator that tends to run through a lot of these periods.
However, the fact that increased technology may be a contributing factor to laziness does not completely hold firm when you also consider the fact that struggle has always been a part of the human experience. And while people may have taken longer time and more effort to complete their tasks in the past, it does not mean that they were inherently more hardworking compared to people in modern times. This point becomes more glaring when we fact the fact that even in the past, some people were still lazy. However, the consequences for such behavior (i.e. laziness) in the past were usually a lot direr.
CONSEQUENCES OF LAZINESS
In eras like prehistoric times, laziness usually resulted in consequences like starving to death (e.g. if people didn’t make the effort to hunt or gather) or freezing (e.g. if people didn’t take the time to build a fire in the cold). Nowadays, however, getting a meal isn’t usually as complicated and you can simply turn on your heater to stay warm. However, there are still a lot of dire consequences to laziness in this day and age. Some of them include the following:
- Failure to maximize your potential
Failure is a word that a lot of people don’t like to use because it evokes unpleasant feelings of disappointment. However, as great people like to say, failure is not final. The failure to maximize your potential however, can be extremely debilitating in a very quiet way.
When someone fails a test or an exam, they usually experience emotions ranging from shock to disappointment, and even fear. Subsequently, these emotions may result in a deep resolve to study harder in order to do better in subsequent examinations.
However, when a person simply fails to maximize their potential, it doesn’t always involve such blatant letdowns. Sometimes, they may even be doing pretty well for themselves, all things considered; they may be turning in all their homework and passing all their tests and exams satisfactorily. However, only they – and others who watch closely – would be able to tell that all the success they have had so far was achieved by a small fraction of the dedication that they are actually capable of expending. Simply put, these people have not been trying their best (either by not studying to the best of their ability or utilizing their time well) and have therefore failed to maximize their potential.
This kind of failure is dangerous because of how subtle it is; in the absence of any actual record of outright failure, it may be difficult for people to know that their laziness is standing in the way of even greater success.
- Loss of opportunities
Procrastination is one of the greatest hallmarks of laziness. We all – or at least, most people – feel the urge to procrastinate, and postpone doing things we ought to when we ought to do them. However, laziness makes this urge worse and almost impossible to ignore. This usually results in a terrible habit with a snowball effect that may sometimes lead to the loss of opportunities (because such opportunities would not be promptly attended to).
HOW DO YOU MOTIVATE A LAZY PERSON?
There are no secret methods or foolproof ways of motivating lazy people, because everybody is different and unique in their own way. However, here are some steps that may help:
- Lead by the right example
A lot of the time, it is ineffective to continually try to change people without changing yourself (especially in instances where you also have the same problems). Such attempts may be seem as sanctimonious or hypocritical by those you are trying to motivate. Instead, one of the best ways of motivating a lazy person is to first of all motivate you. When you begin to make the right changes and turn your own life around, you will be in a much better position to both understand and get through to them.
- Have an actual conversation with them
A lot of the time, when people try to motivate others, it is often done in the form of few short sentences here and there, with occasional remarks and words of encouragement. Instead of taking this route, try to sit down with your lazy person and have a calm conversation to try and encourage them (and also, to figure out what challenges they may be facing at that moment). you also have to tell them what you want them to do (or what you think they should be doing at that moment), while communicating in a calm, agreeable and encouraging way.
- Work with them
The process of motivating a lazy person (effectively) actually requires some work, even on your part. Apart from talking with them to motivate them (and also to figure out their actual reasons for being lazy, even as you encourage them to do better), you actually have to check up to make sure that they are making the required changes or at least, taking steps in the right direction.
When you keep doing this, and continually shower them with praises (when they do well), and words of encouragement (when they fall short), you may begin to see some changes.