One of the most impressive things about Shonen protagonists is their ability to set a goal that seems bigger than life and make reasonable strides towards it from the likes of Naruto going from an outcast to the hokage to Luffy screaming on the top of his lungs that he is gonna become the king of the pirates. Anime characters inspire me by how they chase their dreams so I decided to write a guide on how to do the same.

Choose a Goal and make it grand

For this to be effective it should typically be something you have you feel is worth losing sleep over something you know you can obsess over, something meaningful to you. For Naruto is was becoming the hokage but it can be anything for you.

Strong emotions are good even though they are negative

Strong emotions are very powerful motivators and what can I say getting started is easier when you are motivated. Did your 5th grade teacher say you wouldn’t amount to anything? Good, now prove her wrong and rub it in her face. It’s important to realize that emotions are neither good nor bad the are just emotions if they can help drive you become a better person then it is foolish to not use them

Rivalry

Nothing quite brings the best out of people like competition. It’s no surprise that it is a recurring theme (motif) in anime. Having someone who is striving towards the same goal as you to compete against will not only improve your skills but also theirs remember however to ensure that this rivalry doesn’t turn to hate. If your rival happens to do better than you, your thoughts should be like; damn! I’ve grown soft how the hell do I get back on track and not how do I kill my Naruto.

See life challenges as quests

Challenges are an unavoidable part of life rather than frowning when life throws one your way think of them as opportunities to grow. A really easy way to do that is to think of them as quests Wanna get better at something? Make it a quest, reframe life’s challenges as quests to become better.

Show off in public, build in private

Say you have a Maths test tomorrow, rather than playing vidya all night and then sleeping around 3 am, studying your ass off till you genuinely feel like you understand the material, sleeping and going to school looking iced out (maybe even arriving a little late), writing the test only to be the student with the highest score is a flex. In the end people don’t give a rat’s ass about the work you do, they just want to see results and well it’s better to look cool when presenting results than looking like a fool.

Find your tribe

Finding people that are as driving as you can make a notable difference in your strive for excellence. Before the internet it was more difficult to find people with the same interest as you especially if your interests are a bit niche now however finding a group of people that share the same interest as you is literally one search away.