‘Hundred Capsules of Motivation’: A book review

The endless drive for self-growth and improvement

As social beings, we all need to play different roles and take on various responsibilities throughout our lives. This becomes even more complicated because we often need to switch between these roles simultaneously. In simple terms, recall a situation in which you received a phone call from a family member while you were deeply engaged in an official or educational matter. Such simple examples remind us of the importance of developing emotional intelligence and related skills. Due to similar reasons, many people make considerable efforts to read books, watch videos, and engage with other content that promotes self-growth. In the scholarly world, we often encounter numerous books and publications on topics such as work–life balance and motivation that aim to support these needs.

Recently, a renowned public speaker and respected Guru at the University of Kelaniya, Tharindu Dananjaya Weerasinghe, published an insightful book titled, ‘Hundred Capsules of Motivation’, produced by Vidyalankara Printers and Publishers. In my view, this can shape our thinking and behaviour through its valuable perspectives and style of delivery.

What motivation can and cannot offer

By looking at the title of the book, one may judge this as another book about motivation. However, when I engaged with it, I felt that it guides us to understand and see motivation from different angles. Initially, the book reminds readers of the value of having a vision for one’s own life, rather than merely engaging in day-to-day matters in organisational or personal life. This vision helps us answer the often-emerging inner question, “Do I really need to do this?”. These preliminaries may help us begin something through the role of motivation. However, the author highlights the temporary nature of motivation. Accordingly, the book shows the critical role of discipline and focus in completing the journey, rather than merely depending on motivation. This reminds me of many stories of first-year undergraduates about their expectations regarding academic performance and how they actually perform during the four years. It also recalls the experience shared by a gym owner about how he often sees a large number of new members at the beginning of the year and how these new members gradually give up.

Dealing with the mindset

As I believe, we all continuously battle with our own minds as we navigate toward our desired destinations. For instance, think about a recent occasion when you picked up your mobile phone to check a notification while engaged in an important task and ended up scrolling down for fifteen minutes. Such experiences remind us of the importance of self-awareness and the need to take control of our own minds.

In my view, this book provides valuable insights and practical tools to help readers understand and manage their minds while developing a growth mindset. In particular, the chapter on “Choosing Your Battles Wisely” forced me to reflect on my everyday activities and how I do them. Through this reflection, I found multiple ways in which I burn my energy by responding to tasks that do not deserve my attention. Similarly, the book provides readers with valuable lessons on emotional self-regulation, developing inner grit, and the magical role of habits in our lives. Also, the book shows how small, invisible improvements can produce huge differences in life, rather than waiting for big changes within a short period of time. Accordingly, these insights provide valuable lessons to deal with our own minds and navigate toward our desired destinations.

Clarifying often-misunderstood beliefs

In my opinion, another unique feature of this book is that it allows the reader to revisit certain beliefs in day-to-day life. For instance, almost all of us expect growth in our personal or professional lives. In the case of organisations, this may be a promotion, salary increase, or better working conditions. At the same time, many want to avoid responsibility. When it comes to failures, such individuals often provide excuses and make various efforts to escape from responsibility. However, modern organisations need people who can take responsibility, not members who provide excuses. In the author’s own words, “Excuses make today easier, but tomorrow harder”. So, do you still want to run away from responsibility but expect growth in your personal or organisational life?

We often see various guidance on how to manage time effectively. Although it is important, this book explains the value of managing our energy effectively. Understanding our priorities and devoting our mental energy strategically can produce better results. For instance, what if we devote our fresh attention to checking notifications on social media apps and attending to tasks that require strategic thinking later? Hence, it advises us to protect our energy in order to improve performance. Accordingly, the author emphasises to readers the value of being self-aware of mental energy and priorities and allocating them strategically throughout the day. In this way, time management and energy management could be integrated together.

Prescription: One capsule per day before bed

Through a hundred concise, one-page chapters, the book provides valuable lessons on various aspects of our lives. Based on my experience with the book, I recommend future readers to go through one lesson at a time before going to sleep and reflect on the message until they fully digest its meaning. In this way, these chapters may work as medicine to bring change into our lives within 100 days.

 

(The writer is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Public Administration, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, and is currently reading for the Ph.D. in Governance and Development, GSPA, NIDA, Thailand. He can be reached via email: [email protected].)