Chess Motivation Through Purpose
Chess Motivation Through Purpose
It is very important to REALLY figure out why you pursue the things you do. Not only will this give you some purpose and direction, but this is a crucial motivator to fall back on when doubt sets in or things get tough on your journey.
I play chess because I love the game. I also play for the personal challenge and improvement; I recognize not everyone plays for this reason, but this is partly why I don't mind when I lose at times. I play hard every chess game I play but if I lose to a friend like @Gump_forest I am literally happy for them. I've helped them on their chess journey and I want them to succeed; I wish them the best. I feel the same about @B1ZMARK and all of my other chess.com friends I've interacted with over the years (especially the ones I've messaged and got to know in chess.com clubs).
There is a big difference between playing for your own satisfaction upon reaching your goals and passing challenges versus playing to gain social hierarchy only for attention. Let me clarify what I mean.
If your goal is 1500 in chess (or whatever other goal) and you reach it, then we all know how awesome the feeling is 
It is a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction at what you've accomplished after all of the work you invested into it (not to mention social hierarchy you may gain from this rating level). This is great. You should feel happy with your goal reached. Now what? You may choose to set another goal like 1600, then 1700, then 1800 etc. and the cycle continues where you seek personal satisfaction. This is fine if you enjoy the game of chess and enjoy the learning process...but what if this isn't the case? What if you play chess primarily for that satisfaction and social standing only and for the attention that comes with it? This is a dangerous thing because you reach your goal and then you feel empty; not fulfilled.
You set a new tougher goal and the vicious cycle repeats. You hope the new goal will bring you attention and praise, but you know what? Sadly, most people won't care (most care more about their own chess and themselves) and if they do it is only short-term. You could be 2000, or 2100, or 2200 and so on...you could even make it to literally number 1 in the world, but then do you feel happy with the accomplishment, or are you now wondering what to do now?
If you aren't sure which you fall under, let me give this extreme example: Let's say you have a chess rating goal and you reach it (yes!) and then another tougher goal and feel the same personal satisfaction on that goal and so on...until you literally become the best chess player ever, or at least number 1 in the world (not talking about you GM Magnus Carlsen, this is just a hypothetical 
). Okay, are you happy with your achievement? Yeah almost everyone would be. The goal is done and the attention you get from others might be nice...but what if you reached that goal of #1 chess player and now EVERYONE on Earth is dead (or you are isolated from them all)? Are you still happy with your chess accomplishments?
If you are, then you are like me and play chess for the love of the game and the personal satisfaction which comes with reaching your goals. You are comparing yourself to your "past self" and you are improving.
If you wouldn't be happy with your chess when no one else is around, then this means you weren't really playing for the personal satisfaction of reaching your goals and loving the game for itself. It means you were playing (and grinding) chess for the attention of others, but you wouldn't be satisfied if no one was there to give you that praise and attention. Harsh truth.
Now back to real life: everyone on Earth isn't dying instantly, but even if you become number 1 in the world, this doesn't necessarily mean you feel the attention you deserve.
Everyone dealing with this same thought about chess, I recommend finding your love for chess and honing in on that for why to play it. This is a self-propelling motivator when things get tough because you can remind yourself of why you keep playing chess. If you honestly can't find enough reason to keep playing, then don't play chess. That might sound overly simplistic, but there is nothing wrong with acknowledging you'd rather spend your time doing other things. I love chess (and I believe @B1ZMARK and @Gump_forest love chess too), but this doesn't mean chess should be your primary focus in life. I actually consider chess just a hobby for me, despite how much time I invest into chess, but it is time I generally enjoy
I hope this was enlightening for some; this is a complicated topic and I want to give it the quality response it deserves.
(chess.com friend @ninjaswat suggested I convert my original post into a Blog Post. The above Blog Post is a lightly modified version from my original response post in a Blog written by @B1ZMARK. Their Blog and my post can be found here:
