The Zombie Mentality
Horror movies are my least favorite genre of movies, but I get to see them from time to time, especially the ones with Zombies in them. It is quite interesting and intriguing to see the main character(s) fight these zombies to stay alive. While it has always just been a movie, recently a question asked by a friend made me stop to think, then I realized that I had learned something from the Zombies. Hold on! hear me out :) Before you start questioning how I learned something from a zombie, here’s the story…
One day I was discussing with my friend and he asked me how I managed to stay motivated during my coding journey. I replied to him saying ‘I use the zombie mentality’ but before we talk about that, let’s discuss zombies.
What is a Zombie?
A zombie is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. Zombies are most commonly found in horror and fantasy genre works. — wikipedia
Zombies always have one goal and that is to eat non-zombies. They aren’t bothered about the obstacles on their way; they maneuver it as long as the end of these obstacles is their goal. Zombies are relentless. In movies, they could walk through being shot at just to try and reach the non-zombies.
How is being as careless as a Zombie something to learn from?
I knew you would ask that. Remember, I said earlier that I learned ‘something’ from watching zombies in movies and that thing is not to become a zombie but to focus 100% on my goals. This isn’t about being a mindless zombie who would throw away all the care in the world just to achieve a goal but being an individual who once sets a good and achievable goal, goes out of his comfort zone every day to achieve that goal, and would not give up until he is done.
We often get in our own way of accomplishing our objectives because of how we feel on our path and our inner dialogue. External forces hardly prevent us from completing our objectives. Feelings are wonderful; in fact, they are one of the core parts of being human. However, they may also keep us from accomplishing our goals because they may demand us to step outside of our comfort zones or do things differently, which can be frightening. Our emotions want us to be secure, which is a wonderful thing, but being too comfortable may be harmful since it keeps us stagnant.
Big Sean’s song “One Man Can Change the World” included a lyric that asked, “What do you know about getting up every day like you on a mission?” That line has stuck with me ever since I heard it. That actually refers to the Zombie mentality, which is simply doing every single task that you have set out each day regardless of how you feel (this does not include feeling sick or tired, in which case you should rest; feelings here refer to losing interest or doubting your ability to finish what you have started, and other related thoughts).
How to Use the Zombie Mindset
Set a goal for yourself that you want to attain in 7 days. For example, completing 50 pushups every day for a total of 350 pushups in 7 days, or sleeping and getting up at the same time every day without disregarding your alarm, or meditating at the same time every day. Anything goes as long as you get to the finish. I’d want to hear your thoughts on how your achievement made you feel:)
