What is this all about?

When I was in highschool, I found out I can funnel my pain into a driving force. The first pronounced example I remember dates back to a summer vacation - my girlfriend at the time left for a trip with a bunch of other kids. I was part jealous, part lonely, part insecure. It was nighttime but I couldn't fall asleep - felt almost a physical chunk in my throat. So I picked up the summer math homework - and somehow finished all of it that same night. Every problem solved felt like a blow back - back against the girl who "abandoned me", against my insecurities, against the world.

This mentality proved especially useful during my years at the Technion. The university is famous for it's "unfair" exams and workload. But "fair" is a meaningless word - these are the challenges you're expected to overcome, and if you have a problem: "here's the door". What good will it do if you prove to everyone that it's impossible, that you have no time to prepare for the exams, that the questions are too hard, that you didn't have a day off for months... What's the point of feeling like a victim? Don't give yourself excuses for failure. Don't be so merciful to yourself.

Shut up and work.

You can hate the professor who gave too much homework, rage against the university that demands 92% exam average, but grind your teeth and funnel this hatred - work even harder.

I know that the vast majority of people are built differently. Every teacher, manager and parent will tell you how important positive feedback is, how it drives success. I, on the other hand, am driven mostly by negative emotions. While most people need someone to tell them "Don't worry, it will be ok" before a big exam - I need someone to kick me in the face and scream "Idiot! You're going to fail miserably, you loser!". My instinct is to go "Oh yeah? I'll show you who I am".

I'll show them all...

This blog is a collection of various content: quotes, music, videos, images, stories, articles etc. Some are my own creation, some are bits and pieces that I heard/saw/read and caught my attention. Some are not in English - I keep the original language even when translation is possible. Some are self-explanatory, some are clear only within their context - or within my head...

There is only one rule.

They all make me feel like I should build my own destiny - and I'll break through every wall on my path.

It's not for most people - but if you happen to operate the same way as I do, I hope you'll enjoy my Brutal Motivators.

Michael.