
Ask HN: What book/paper/link keeps you motivated? - kuwze
What keeps me motivated is this link[0] which in is about the journey of developing a startup.<p>I&#x27;m really interested what resources people here fallback on when looking for motivation.<p>[0]: http:&#x2F;&#x2F;statspotting.com&#x2F;a-lesson-from-the-shawshank-redemption&#x2F;
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gkya
I don't believe a book or anything similar can keep me "motivated" (that
depends on one's will and outlook), but some can definitely help. A very
influential text that helped me advance quite a bit in shaping my world view
was the Anarchist Banker of Pessoa. It gives an interesting answer to the
question of "existing in a world as a single individual that can hardly
ameliorate the world on his own". Combining that with a reading of
"Existentialism is a Humanism", and general free thinking, do help to build a
strong defence mechanism to the facts of the outer world that can demotivate
you. I'm quite an outlier in this community of mostly engineers and
entrepreneurs, groups with which my thoughts usually conflict (especially the
latter ones), but reading philosophy and philosophically-charged literature
can furnish a sort of critical thinking, skepticism and/or quasi-nihilism that
can actually boost one's confidence in pursuing some ends.

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mindcrime
Paul Graham - How Not To Die -
[http://www.paulgraham.com/die.html](http://www.paulgraham.com/die.html)

2002 NCAA wrestling finals - Josh Lambrecht (Oklahoma) vs Rob Rohn (Lehigh) -
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRB6m4VdeJQ&t=270s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRB6m4VdeJQ&t=270s)

Whitesnake - Here I Go Again -
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyF8RHM1OCg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyF8RHM1OCg)

Mötley Crüe - Keep Your Eye On The Money \-
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkRnRs_8Mx8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkRnRs_8Mx8)

Any Given Sunday - Al Pacino Pregame Speech -
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSDhhZtRwFU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSDhhZtRwFU)

Eric Thomas (E.T. the "Hip Hop Preacher") - How Bad Do You Want It -
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vuetQSwFW8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vuetQSwFW8)

Glengarry Glen Ross - the "Alec Baldwin Speech" \-
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4PE2hSqVnk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4PE2hSqVnk)

Boiler Room - the "Ben Affleck Speech" \-
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfIKzReNDF4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfIKzReNDF4)

Grant Cardone - _Be Obsessed Or Be Average_ \- [https://www.amazon.com/Be-
Obsessed-Average-Grant-Cardone/dp/...](https://www.amazon.com/Be-Obsessed-
Average-Grant-Cardone/dp/1101981059)

Grant Cardone - _The 10X Rule_ \- [https://www.amazon.com/10X-Rule-Difference-
Between-Success/d...](https://www.amazon.com/10X-Rule-Difference-Between-
Success/dp/0470627603)

Grant Cardone - _If You 're Not First, You're Last_ \-
[https://www.amazon.com/Youre-Not-First-Last-
Competition/dp/0...](https://www.amazon.com/Youre-Not-First-Last-
Competition/dp/0470624353)

Grant Cardone - _Sell Or Be Sold_ \- [https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Be-Sold-
Your-Business/dp/1608322...](https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Be-Sold-Your-
Business/dp/1608322564)

~~~
mindcrime
FWIW, that wrestling match is there because it's one of the greatest examples
I know of, that illustrates the importance of not quitting until (the final
whistle | the fat lady sings | you die | etc).

In this match, Rohn is down by somewhere around 12 points, and is _very_ close
to a "technical fall"[1] loss, and late in the match has shown almost no
offense at all. The announcers have already declared Lambrecht the winner and
are basically waiting for time to run out. _#_ spoilers follow _#_ With just
over a minute remaining Rohn pulls out an improbable takedown and ultimately
pins Lambrecht with only a few seconds left on the clock. The crowd goes wild
(well, as wild as an amateur wrestling crowd goes).

Along with the 1980 Winter Olympics hockey match between the USA and USSR
teams, this is probably the most exciting / inspirational sporting moment I
can think of. And as a former wrestler with little interest in hockey, the
Lambrecht/Rohn match is the one that really gets me fired up.

[1]:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technical_fall](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technical_fall)

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k_sh
This interview[0] from James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem on failure always gets
me out of a rut.

[0]:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYCz06bS380](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYCz06bS380)

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lang_lang
Whenever I need motivation I take a little trip to r/GetMotivated

[https://www.reddit.com/r/GetMotivated/](https://www.reddit.com/r/GetMotivated/)

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ebcode
The Art of Peace by Morihei Ueshiba (translated by Stevens).

