GETTING MOTIVATED | SAREES & FLANNOS | RMCSA CLASSIFIEDS | BIGGEST LIES ON THE INTERNET | NETBALL RECAP + FESTIVALS

T H E V O I C EE D I T I O NF O U R

no matter how fulfilling your work, there’ll be days when you just can’t summon any enthusiasm for it. What makes undermotivation espe-cially frustrating is that the solution seems obvious: what you need, is more motivation; but undermotivation digs in its heels, making progress harder than ever.

There’s a reason for this, trying to ‘get motivated’ can often make matters worse.

The real problem isn’t that you don’t feel like taking action; it’s the underlying assumption that you need to feel like taking action before you can act.

As research by Harvard psychologist Daniel Wegner and others has repeatedly demon-strated, our efforts to control our emotions through sheer force of will can end in self-sabotage: resolve to get ‘psyched’ about some unappealing task, and it’s all too easy to end up fixating on the gap between the emotion you feel and the one you wish

you were feeling. By internaliz-ing the idea that you need to ‘get motivated’, you’ve inadvertently placed an additional hurdle be-tween where you are and where you want to be — now you don’t merely have to accomplish cer-tain tasks, you’ve set yourself the much harder task of feeling like doing them, too.

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The Key to Getting Motivated: Give UpWriter Oliver Burkeman {sOURcE: Behance – 99u.com}

TRYING TO ‘GET MOTIVATED’ CAN OFTEN MAKE MATTERS WORSE

look outside for a few seconds — and just feel the negativity, without trying to banish it. Then take action alongside the emo-tion. Usually, the negative feel-ings will soon dissipate. Even if they don’t, you’ll be a step closer to a meaningful achievement.

This approach is one aspect of what’s known in Buddhism as ‘non-attachment’. As James Hill, a contemporary practitioner of Morita Therapy (http://www.to-doinstitute.org/morita.html), points out, many of our most significant achievements get done despite the absence of enthusiasm: ‘Is it accurate to assume that we must ‘overcome’ fear to jump off the high dive at the pool, or increase our confidence before we ask someone out for a date?” he asks. “If it was, most of us would still be waiting to do these things.”

Morita himself had some startling advice for those afflict-ed by procrastination and other woes: “Give up on yourself” What he means is that trying to stop being ‘a procrastinator’ or ‘a lazy person’ is a distracting waste of time. What matters is action: “Go ahead and be the best imperfect person you can be,” he went on, “and get started on those things you want to ac-complish before you die.” Don’t worry about getting motivated.

Just get going •

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Oliver Burkeman is the author of The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking, and writes a column on psychology for The Guardian.

Fortunately, there’s a powerful alternative, crystallised by the psychology writer Julie Fast in a pithy eight-word phrase: ‘Don’t wait until you feel like doing something.’ When you’re stuck in negative emotions about work, resist the urge to try to stamp them out.

Instead, get a little distance — step away from your desk,

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Writer Avanti Joshi (cUlTURal REp)Photos Rushfique Hamid & Roger Lee

This much-loved evening lived up to expectations, and was a great success

for all involved!

Mouthwatering dishes from around the world were prepared by our very

own RMC Members, and deftly served by the RTs. As voted by our Panel, the tastiest dishes were the mini pizzas, double award-winning

chicken curry (crowned Chef RMC for 2014), and the bannofee pie.

On top of these delicacies, were the delightful performances enjoyed by all. There was a range of Dances — from African (courtesy of Prince Byron), to Indian (‘saree for party

rocking’); even Belly (a highlight of the Night)! Other wonderful acts in-cluded Naomi’s lovely French song,

Megan and Alex’s divine perfor-mance, as well as the surprise item of

Peta playing the bagpipes.

Finally, a very big thank you to our MCs — Mac & Evie — for their at-tempt at speaking French, and to all of you who came along and dressed

up for the occasion •

International Night ’14

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- CLASSIFIEDS -

THE REVUEchapel

fri 23 may, 7.30 pm

Menzies wants you to perform at the Revue!

To show off some skills you wouldn’t normally doBoys, fly your flag

and dress up in dragor simply show up and perform with your swag

Come through to the Chapel and set up your spot

Because, let me tell you, it’s gonna get hot!

What better way to finish off RMC Arts Week (19 ~ 23 May 2014) than with music, dancing and cross-dressing! See the Cultural Committee if you’re interested in performing, or simply come along to the Chapel and support your fellow Col-legians. Looking forward to seeing you there!

INTER-COLL . FOOTBALLmqu sports fieldssun 25 may, 1.30 pm

Will RMC be able to secure 1st place in the final fix-ture of Inter-college Sport for Semester One? Join us on the Sports Fields to find out — hopefully things don’t get too Messi!

If you’d like to play for Menzies, please see the Sports Committee #PitchesAintShit

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THE TIMEWE GOT A NEW

FIRE ALARM

*At the Astronomy Open Night*

Jon: ‘Look — we got mobiles of the Solar System that we can make!

If only we had some craft stuff to make them cool ...’

Ash: ‘I’ve got glitter — Uranus will be pink and sparkly in no time!’

ASH BROAD, Upon assessing the gravity of the situation, decided to draw

inspiration from Ke$ha

alyse: ‘Hey Ethan! You should ask An-nie [Sandifer] for her hand in marriage’

ethan: ‘I don’t think so. Not today’

ETHAN YEATES,Is way too young to engage in this matter of wife and debt

MAY 1 ~ 19‘BE PRODUC-

TIVE —BUT NOT REPRODUCTIVE

... THAT’S JUST AWKWARD’

KATIE HOST, A Phys-icist and a Biologist had a relationship, but there

was no Chemistry

‘Eat leafy greens at least once, you might find a new marijuana’

KATHERINE WANNAN, Stirs the pot with an idea that is dope

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‘I need a whiteboard on my door — all the cool

people have them. I’m not cool, but I’m aspiring’ MATT SU,

Wants to get on board with this remark(er)able

trend

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‘I love coincidences, they, like, make me hyperventilate —

they’re so much fun!’ANNELISE GREEN,

Proves that it’s often the little things in life that take our breath away

90%

DID YOU KNOW ...

of people will fake laugh when they

don’t under-stand what

someone has said to them

BIGGEST LIES ON THE INTERNET

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Upper hand The Girl’s Team featured many seasoned netballers who passed on their knowledge by coaching the Guys (who, by contrast, had no idea what was going on)

Big moment When Tess could finally tell the difference be-tween Hunter and Declan

It could have changed when The Umpire nearly threw in the towel as a result of the Guy’s blatent disregard for the rules (quote: “Centre — stand aside. Yes you. No, the

clockwise from top: The Guys; Evie M’s textbook defence technique; Sink Sank Sunk; Joey Crane – does squat; The Girls

INTER-COLL.

Netball03/05/14

Correspondant Joey Crane (spORTs REp)

other si-. Whatever, play on”)

Things went swimmingly for ... Katherine Wannan scoring point-after-point against the Village at an astounding rate of accuracy

Not so swimmingly for ... Max Moore who, when trying to intercept a pass, was rewarded instead with a backhand to the face

What does it all mean? We’re now only 6 points away from the top — yes we can! •

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FESTIVALVivid Sydneysydney cbd

23 may ~ 9 june

Sydney will once again be trans-formed into a spectacular canvas

of light, music, and ideas when Vivid takes over the City after

dark. Mesmerising outdoor light-ing sculptures, and spectacular illumination of Sydney’s iconic architecture make for an event

not to be missed!

www.vividsydney.com

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ART19th Biennale of Sydney:

‘You Imagine What You Desire’various locations

until 9 june

Held every two years, the Bien-nale presents Australia’s largest and most exciting contemporary visual arts event. In addition to

the Art Gallery of NSW, venues include two heritage-listed loca-tions: Carriageworks (a former rail yard) and Cockatoo Island (former prison and shipyard)

www.biennaleofsydney.com.au

WRITING2014 Sydney Writers’ Festival

various locations 19 ~ 25 may

Hear from writers including Al-ice Walker, Jacques Roubaud, and Vince Gilligan (creator of Break-ing Bad) and explore writing that challenges, provokes, and ques-tions our concepts of culture,

history and identity.

www.swf.org.au

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PHOTOGRAPHYHead On Photo Festival

sydneyuntil 8 june

Head on celebrates a wide range of photography — from photo-

journalism and reportage through commercial and fine-art. also in-cludes a shipping-container photo booth in Pitt St Mall manned by

top Australian + international photographers

www.headon.com.au

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EVENTArts Week

menzies19 ~ 23 may

Shakespeare, Chalk-Art, Jazz Dancing, and more! Take a break from your studies, and join us in

a Week that promises to get your creative juices flowing!

See the posters around College to find out what’s on and when

WHAT’S ON16 ~ 30 MAY

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