Cutting Onions and Tomatoes Improved my Motivation

“Motivation is the second order derivative of persistence which exists in some form but highly individualistic.”

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I used to find it quite interesting to witness dozens of videos on online platforms in the pursuit of the “true”, “most cited” and “best” recipe for motivation. The plan was to see as many videos and then decide which of them I can implement. Giving such content due credit, it did help me realize that motivation is an intrinsic quality . Fortunately this ignited perspective has evidence behind it, stating that when individuals are motivated intrinsically, a greater level of satisfaction and mental peace is attained, rather than extrinsic motivation which inclines more in the pursuit of rewards and escaping punishment.

According to the Self-determination theory (SDT; Ryan and Deci, 2000, 2017), which is the well cited theory , behavioural assessment of activities give a clear pathway for assessing intrinsic motivation. In short, intrinsic motivation is a prerequisite to achieve even the basic needs of man.

Now you may be wondering, what the hell does this have to do with cutting a bunch of onions and tomatoes in the morning, before sitting in front of a laptop and getting things done for the day?

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Cooking can be an extremely peaceful process. Any activity done in the kitchen, be it as basic as peeling a potato, trying a new version of an existing recipe, hearing the sound of the wok or cutting vegetables, definitely bulks up some peaceful moments in life. Supporting this, it would be worthwhile to observe what different studies show us regarding this basic activity and how it has enhanced mindful living:

1. Empirically, studies indicate that cooking has been used for rehabilitation , improving various physical and cognitive dimensions.
2. Although there is a deficit in research related to cooking and anxiety, a paper in 2018, titled Psychosocial Benefits of Cooking Interventions: A Systematic Review(Journal of Health Education and Behavior) , cooking has been found to heighten your self-esteem and psychological well-being.
3. Mindfulness aims at focusing your attention to a single stimulus per moment. Trevor Schraufnagel, a clinical psychologist at the Anxiety Disorders Clinic at UCLA, says that “Cooking may provide a respite from these processes by offering an immersive and sensory-rich activity to take one’s mind off the perceived dangers of one’s life,”.

In a more ballpark view, the very activity of cooking can sustain your presence in the present and can really create wonders in producing a peaceful space within you. It helps you to be more:

1. Simple- in terms of analyzing what you really need, eliminating any unnecessary ideas, because you are mostly in the present.
2. Economical- A consistency in the mindful approach in cooking really helps in saving resources and you are more likely to save money. Thus, cutting vegetables have a sustainability value.
3. Cultivate a happy environment- Teamwork in cooking can create a happy arena round you. When you discover your strength along with others and have time spent with loved ones in the kitchen, the experience is definitely a lovable and memorable one.
4. Increases concentration and multitasking abilities- This exercise can help organization skills, planning, short term memory and improve eye-hand coordination.

However, this idea would be incomplete if we negate the other side of the story. Schraufnagel says that for some people, cooking causes anxiety and sometimes fails to reduce it. As said previously, this basic activity of cutting onions and tomatoes helped me identify my cave through which I derived some intrinsic motivation, which may not necessarily be the same for you. Exploring this in cooking could be a wonderful option, but it finding your happiness and motivation is possible through some other daily activity /ritual or prowess that you are comfortable and happy with. Putting forth my experience thus, would hopefully motivate you to delve more into aspects that you find interesting and carve out your personal recipe(s) for motivation.

“Now, why is this important?”

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The nature of discovery itself proceeds continuously. But true brilliance and self realization is when you discover this pattern of continuity.

Every individual is dealing with hurdles in their own battlefield. Therefore it is important to find some activities that are a part of your valiant armor, which help you fight your daily battle, yet give you peace and happiness. This takes time (trust me I am still in the process!).

So go ahead and start cutting your own onions and tomatoes. Be sure that you cut it your own way and through this, ignite the fire of motivation in you. Let it not be a bonfire of pressure, but a wok of healthy motivation, where your sautéed onions and tomatoes give you the happiness and satisfaction that you are in the pursuit for!

Thank you so much for reading!