2025-08-27
An essay on motivation.
In Venezuela, we have a common phrase: estar fiebrudo or estar enfiebrado.
In English this translates to “being feverish”.
Funnily enough, and contrary to the literal meaning, it is not associated with any discomfort. It is used to express that feeling when you get hooked with something new. A hobby, a sport, a video game, a topic. Anything that could lead to an initial burst of motivation.
And, instead of malaise, it means excitement and obsession.
Trying out new things and learning is undoubtedly positive. Being excited about it more so. All of this is highly encouraged. But sometimes that rush of motivation has its downside.
What happens when the fever fades away?
Much like a real fever, you feel different. You lose your focus. You fail. You quit. You move to something else, something new. Something fun again. You end up a master of none. Or you end up becoming a lame version of “the boy who cried wolf”, that person who always said he was going to do something but never ended up doing anything.
Some time ago, I was listening to an episode of The Tim Ferriss Show and he mentioned the Japanese have a phrase for it too: “熱しやすく 冷めやすい” (nesshiyasuku same yasui, I think*) which roughly translates to: “Easy to warm, easy to cool”.
This is something I have seen in myself and others, time and time again. I know people who every few months have this “new thing”, yet never truly immerse themselves into it.
If I wrote down all the things I have started and been temporarily obsessed with but never followed up on, my hands would get tired and I would be ashamed.
But I’ll give you a few examples:
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu - I lasted about 2 years on and off. I wanted to compete but had multiple injuries and training incidents, so I decided to stop. Martial arts are grueling on the body and quick to discard those with a fever-ish motivation. It won’t last long.
Strength Training - After many years with an irregular routine at the gym, in 2023 I began to work with a nutritionist. This was a godsend, it meant guidance and accountability. For about 5 months I took it seriously. It was hard. I built a considerable amount of muscle and burned fat. I was stronger. People noticed it. I felt better. Then I went on a long holiday and never fully got back to it.
Crossfit - I got obsessed with Crossfit for about a year in 2018. Read books, watched documentaries, consumed any and all media, trained weekly. Then I quit. Powering through those hard workouts relying solely on motivation is a sure way to fail.
Writing - Writing a novel, a short story, a non-fiction piece, a blog, or a screenplay takes immense amounts of focus. Thinking of ideas is fun, exploring genres too. Writing every day for months and feeling stuck most of the time, with impending deadlines? Good luck.
You might read this and say: “Well, you are just lazy.”
To a certain extent, I would be inclined to agree. And that’s all well and good, it is okay that I have failed in many of those. I tried new things. Some I regret quitting and want to pick up again, others I have zero interest in repeating. In some cases I have been lazy.
But that would be too simplistic and you would be missing the point here.
I am talking about approaching things in life differently.
When the time comes, understanding why you are doing something, why you need to see it through, and finding meaning in it is far more important than being disciplined.
Discipline alone might make you show up, and the fever might get you pumped, but none will hold you up when the struggle comes for you and you begin questioning why the hell you did this in the first place.
And because this is not just about hobbies.
A couple in a honeymoon phase cannot comprehend how a serious, long-term married couple operates, and might quit a relationship after that phase has run its course if they are not committed or understand what they want from each other.
Or the way a salary and status might make a job enjoyable, for a while. It will only get you so far. If you don’t find meaning in your work, where you spend most of your time awake, it will eventually catch up with you.
Every time you take a job interview, you should expect some version of the typical question “Why [Company name]?”. I used to think this was corporate BS or HR nonsense.
It isn’t.
There’s a lot to this question. On both sides of the interview, it’s probably the most important one and requires meticulous thought.
Think about it. It shocks me how so many people disregard why they work in a certain role or at a certain company.
So, next time you find yourself in this situation, start with cautious optimism. Think.
You need to have a serious conversation with yourself when you find something important, something that you are passionate about, but that you know will require tremendous amounts of time and effort if you actually want to get it done.
Because if it’s worth doing, you’ll need to build robust systems around it. And if you don’t find any meaning in it, it won’t last.
Don’t trust the fever - that initial rush you get when you think of starting a company, writing a novel, working on a side project, losing weight, etc.
It’ll fade.