Most people feel ashamed about being smug but I think smugness has its uses as one type of motivation.
Christmas provides a great opportunity for feeling smug. If you can get your Christmas cards sent out early in December you can deservedly feel smug. I have never yet managed this but I will give it a try this year!
One dictionary defines 'smug' as 'excessively self-satisfied' or 'complacent'. Another describes 'smug' as 'being irritatingly pleased with oneself'.
Smugness is generally thought of to be a bad thing. It can close your mind to new ideas and alienate everyone around you.
However, smugness is not all bad. I think feeling smug, provided the feeling is kept to oneself, can be an effective motivator.
We easily forget how weak and uninspired we feel when we do not stick to our plans for exercise or diet or anything else.
We also forget how energetic, self-satisfied and even smug we feel when we carry out our plans or at least make an all out effort to achieve them.
However, we can make effective use of both of these negative and positive feelings if we make a point of remembering them vividly and using them to motivate ourselves.
Most self-improvement writers do not recommend dwelling on the unpleasant memories which accompany failure because we tend to become obsessed by them and end up programming our subconscious with thoughts which will attract failure and feelings of incompetence.
But, we all have an ingrained wish to flee pain and embrace pleasure. Dwelling on a vivid memory of the pain of failure can motivate us to take the necessary action that will make such failure unlikely.
Recently, I heard someone mention how he had been ripped off by a roofer. When he realised he had been conned, he felt 'horrible'. But he also expressed the benefit of remembering this feeling:
"I will never be conned again."
I, too, have been conned massively once and, in a less devastating manner, twice. The feeling of being a complete idiot is not a pleasant one, although it is one I have experienced quite frequently! But I don't think I will be conned in the same ways again.
A few days ago, two of my neighbours drove through France on the way to Spain. Their car broke down en route and they hired another one. While they were sunning themselves on the beach in Spain,
their hired car, containing their clothes, passports and money, was stolen.
They were left on the beach with nothing but their swimsuits and beach towels. The feelings they experienced will probably stay with them for life but will also help them avoid a similar situation in
the future!
The memory of feeling good or smug after you have done your best or have achieved your goal is also worth remembering. It will motivate you to repeat the performance.
On October 7th 2006, Scotland beat France 1-0 in the qualifying rounds for the European Cup of 2008. I was surprised by the comments of one Scottish player who said:
"I was not pleased by the win so much as the fact that we did ourbest and everyone played for each other."
Winning is not necessary for feelings of pleasure and satisfaction. Doing your best is enough. Helping others is enough. Of course, winning is an extra bonus. The memory of a glorious victory in the
past will encourage even more effort in the future.
The memory of feeling self-satisfied can be used on a daily basis to help us to stop procrastinating and get on with whatever we should be doing.
I feel smug when I conquer my laziness and tiredness and go for a walk as planned. I also remember the niggling dissatisfaction which can plague me for an entire day when I do not make the effort to
get out into the fresh air and walk.
Another way to use your memory to motivate yourself to take action and do something is to remember the benefits of taking that action even if an immediate feeling of well being does not follow your
first attempts.
The benefits of walking, for example, are enormous even if you just feel tired and ache after your first few walks. For some, the benefits will be obvious immediately. For others, the rewards will show up later.
Remember the following benefits the next time you are hesitating about going for a walk:
Walking burns calories and helps you lose weight
Walking requires no special equipment. Just go out and walk. You would be well advised to put on some walking boots but don't let that put you off!
Walking can help lower blood pressure and prevent heart problems
Brisk walking will give you the benefits of other exercises, such as jogging and cycling, but with less risk of injuries.
Walking at night can help you sleep well
Walking increases the amount of oxygen in your bloodstream
Walking improves your mental performance and your general attitude
Walking helps to boost your immune system
Walking slows the aging process. My granddad loved to walk and was an active gardener, walker and family man well into his old age
Walking makes prayer and meditation easy
Walking allows you to make friends with other regular walkers
Walking gives you the pleasure of meeting a large variety of dogs
Walking allows you to feel smug for the rest of the day!
Just as advertisers can motivate us to buy by listing the benefits of a product and by helping us to imagine these benefits vividly, we can motivate ourselves to take action by imagining the benefits
of taking such action.
Advertisers also tell us how miserable we will feel for the rest of our lives if we do not buy their product. We do not need to go that far but we can remind ourselves that we may well feel miserable for
the rest of the day if we do not take action of some kind.
The dictionary definitions of the word 'smug' suggest that smugness is totally undesirable. However, if feeling smug helps motivate me to take the actions I need to take in order to achieve my goals, I
can live with that! I much prefer 'smug' to 'miserable'! You may feel the same way.
If you do feel the same way, don't be guilty about feeling smug. Enjoy the feeling but keep it to yourself and use it to motivate your best efforts.
I hope you have many days of being able to feel smug!
John Watson is an award winning teacher and 5th degree blackbelt martial arts instructor. He has written several ebooks on motivation and success topics. One of these can be found at http://www.motivationtoday.com/36_laws.php
You can also find motivational ebooks by authors like Stuart Goldsmith. Check out http://www.motivationtoday.com/the_midas_method.php
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