To Find the Ultimate Motivation, Lean Into Your Fed-Upness

If you need a push to become a content creator, it might be time to admit things aren't going well.

There’s a recurring scene I remember from my days as a PhD student in computer science.

I spent my time staring at a computer screen, battling technical problems, and fighting self-doubt. Then, I would collapse into my train seat as if it were a cradle, feeling a desperate sort of relief.

I was momentarily free from the pressure but painfully aware that it would all start again the next day. Worst of all, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t the path I had imagined when I first chose a future in academia.

But I didn’t quit. I earned my title, then I pivoted.

I saw how miserable I was, and that realization became the fuel for a major life change. I became a blogger. I’ve never had a traditional job since.

If you need motivation to finally invest in your dream of becoming a content creator. Focus on your frustration with your current situation. It may be the push you need.

Here's how I did it.

The trap of least resistance

Every day, I speak with, coach, or read about people who want to become creators.

They can’t push themselves to publish consistently, to reach out to other creators, to launch a product, to appear in a video, or to do anything that could move their project forward.

This is what Steven Pressfield calls “The Resistance”: a self-defense mechanism that kicks in whenever we face a meaningful challenge. And of course, everything meaningful is a challenge.

Fear and doubt will never disappear. You WILL make the wrong decisions, waste money on tools or courses, and get judgmental looks from friends and family who think you’re crazy. (At least, that's what happened to me)

But nothing important in life comes without risks or downsides. Unfortunately, it often takes less effort to stay in a miserable but familiar situation than to step into something that appears to be riskier.

There's a saying in Italian: "chi lascia la strada vecchia per quella nuova sa quel che lascia e non sa quel che trova." That's the equivalent of "Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t."

We're programmed to pursue survival, not progress and growth. We need to stop adjusting to the cold, recognize we're freezing and start moving before turning into ice statues.

That's what I did.

Turning on the floodlights

I hate quitting. The excuse is: "have I tried everything possible to make this work? Am I fleeing from the battle?"

I could have stayed in academia. Forever. I saw many others doing it.

The safe path was there: moving from one research grant to another, hoping that one day—after a decade or more—I might get tenure. I could have kept telling myself things would get better and tried to savor the rare good moments. Many in my family had followed that route.

But I took an honest look at how I felt. The gap between what I dreamed and the reality of the PhD was tragic. There was no trace of the excitement of discovery I anticipated. And the moments of satisfaction were almost non-existent.

Damn, I almost craved the train commute at the end of the working day. Could anything be more depressing?

But I don't trust my gut. I want to be sure I analyzed every situation from all angles. So, as usual, I played devil's advocate.

I asked myself: Is this temporary? Will things improve once I finish my PhD?

The answer was no. The boss, the people, the lack of funding, the commute—none of that would change. So I cut the cord and took the plunge.

If your current situation doesn't feel right, but you can't gather the courage to change, do this:

• Turn on the floodlights. Examine your days, recognize what is going wrong and how dominant it is. Feel the pain.

• Ask yourself: is this temporary? If not, you need to pivot.

It can be very hard to go outside yourself. You may underestimate the gravity of your situation while overestimating the benefits of staying the course.

In this case, picture a friend. Imagine he's just as miserable as you and he keeps postponing their dream of becoming a creator and squandering their talent?

Wouldn’t it make you mad? Wouldn’t you want to shake them and tell them to take the leap?

Ok, now: why don't you feel the same for yourself?

The last bastion of the Resistance

Before graduating, a few consulting firms reached out to me for interviews. They were contacting all the students with top grades.

I didn’t even do the first interview out of curiosity. I was convinced I wanted a life of research and teaching, even if it meant low pay and years of precarious employment.

Leaving academia felt like admitting the worst mistake of my life. That I had wasted four years.

Sunk cost bias and confirmation bias can be a lethal combination. But when I started envisioning my future as an entrepreneur and blogger—being in control of my time, avoiding the dreaded commute, choosing my colleagues or (even better for a mega-introvert) working solo—the winner was undeniable.

So, maybe it's clear for you that you need to change, that working for yourself as a content creator deserves a shot. But maybe you're to proud. You can't admit you were wrong.

Then, ask yourself—what’s worse? Having been wrong and trying to make it right, or keeping being wrong out of fear?

Here's the first step

You might be miserable for many reasons: your boss, your colleagues, the meaningless daily tasks, the lack of control over your time, sacrificing your interests and passions. Becoming a content creator—and, more importantly, a solopreneur creator—can change all of that.

But you don’t have to take a blind leap of faith. Start small:

• find something you’re passionate about,

• create a short video or write something short about it, quickly, in under an hour,

• most importantly,

• publish it,

• block 15-30 minutes every day for this,

• repeat.

A few days will be enough to let you sample how it feels to put your ideas out there. If you're lucky, you'll also start getting feedback from your new audience.

See how it feels to put your ideas out there, maybe even get feedback and connect with others. But don’t depend on that validation.

Now, imagine doing this every day, for many hours, and also making a living from it. How does that feel? Isn’t it better than staying stuck where you are?

Take that feeling and use it as fuel to ignite your motivation. Let’s go.

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