Four Rules for Sticking With It, From Someone Who Couldn't: Hinata Kato on Motivation and Consistency
ひなちゃんねる / Hinata Kato
In this video, Hinata Kato answers a cluster of questions that followers sent in on Instagram: "How are you able to continue doing things for so long?", "How do you keep yourself motivated?", "Why are you able to work so hard?" Hina says they used to be someone who couldn't stick with anything. They went through a period of feeling depressed and like a failure because of it. Their position now is that this belief was mistaken, and that anyone can stay motivated and reach their goals. They offer the methods that worked for them, with a caveat. People differ, "just like skin, hair and bone structure," so these methods may not suit everyone. Hina hopes the video at least gives viewers a starting point for finding their own approach.
The recording itself was improvised. Hina normally avoids filming in the evening but shot this at 5 p.m., an hour before going out. At one point they re-recorded part of it in a hurry, and partway through they changed the camera angle as it got dark.
Why choose effort at all
Before the methods, Hina repeats an answer they once gave to "Why do you work so hard?" Keeping at things no longer feels hard to them, but it used to. Their reasoning is that both options are painful. Doing nothing every day is difficult, and so is working hard every day. If you keep not trying, your self-esteem drops and you grow bored with a self that never changes. Since both paths are tough, Hina chose the one that offers the excitement of a new challenge and the happiness of achieving something.
Hina then reframes "achieving goals," which they call too formal a phrase, in terms of what viewers probably want: to lose weight and be cute, be popular, wear cute clothes, and learn to take care of themselves. They promise that viewers will keep going until those dreams come true. They originally announced three methods and said the second and third had changed them most. Two more points were added later in the video.
Method 1: Surround yourself with people who are doing well
The first method sounds simple, but Hina considers it very important: fill your surroundings with hard-working people. That includes real-life friends and the accounts you follow. For the period you've committed to, Hina suggests making a separate social media account used only for looking at such people. Their examples include Jennie from BLACKPINK, Wonyoung, Sashihara, and Minami Tanaka. If you check those accounts when you wake up, you'll think things like "If she's working hard since morning, I'll try my best too."
Hina gives an example from that same day. They had serious muscle pain and planned to rest. They stress that rest matters because muscles grow while resting, and say they felt comfortable taking the day off because their self-esteem and self-efficacy are fairly high. Then they opened Instagram and saw that Aya Nakamachi had been cooking Japanese food since 7 a.m. Nakamachi had just returned to Japan from abroad, remarked that Japanese food is the best after all, and looked like she was enjoying life. Seeing that made Hina want to do their best too.
The same effect comes from friends. Hina mentions Umi Shinonome, a friend of about the same age who has a lot of work every day yet still cooks for herself at home to stay healthy. Seeing friends like her makes Hina want to work hard. Hina also notes that viewers probably already save and like posts like this so they can return to them quickly.
Method 2: Put yourself in a good mood
The second method is to "put yourself in a good mood," which Hina calls very important but very difficult. They say they can now cheer themselves up just before their motivation starts to fade, and as long as they keep doing that, the motivation holds.
To work out what lifts your mood, Hina suggests first writing a list of your dreams, from which the answer should follow. Their own reasoning goes like this. They believe hard work is what changed them into who they are now, and they love discovering new sides of themselves. But hard work takes time to show results. So to stay motivated in the meantime, they do things that pay off immediately. Examples include getting an eyelash perm, changing hair color and style, having a makeup artist do their makeup, trying Korean makeup, and booking a photo studio for cute passport photos. They also copy the fashion of Felix from Stray Kids or of Wonyoung, or make big changes to their own style, doing whatever makes them feel cool that day.
Hina says this raises their motivation dramatically. As a result, the next day they can do what they had been doing best, which is waking up at 5 a.m. and walking to work. Their conclusion is that everyone has to cheer themselves up, but the way to do it differs from person to person, so each viewer should find their own. They add that the method is simple and effective but often overlooked.
Method 3: Do what you can, when you can
Hina describes the third method as involving psychology and as one that "will completely change your life": do what you can when you can. Like the first method, it sounds easy and anyone can do it, but Hina also calls it very difficult.
In their own routine, they normally walk on a treadmill at incline 11 and speed 3.5. On low-motivation days they scale down. They might take a flat walk outside and enjoy the scenery, or cut the usual 30 minutes to 5. Sometimes they skip exercise entirely and lie in bed searching for and saving makeup and fashion ideas.
Hina connects this to an explanation they found convincing. Most people have had days when they know what needs doing and still spend the whole day on TikTok, then go to bed with nothing done. Hina says there is a part of the brain called the nucleus accumbens, and that stimulating it produces motivation. In their account, the way to stimulate it is to engage at least a little with the task you have to do, no matter how unmotivated you feel. If a report feels too tedious to start, flip through a reference book while lying in bed. For work, just look at the materials for a minute or two. Hina says it's fine to be lenient with yourself, but even slight engagement acts as an important switch that leads to action.
Hina says this method changed them a lot, and repeats that methods two and three made the biggest difference. Doing them consistently, they explain, helps you keep promises to yourself. That raises self-efficacy, which they define as the belief that you can achieve something. In their view it also raises self-esteem and confidence. People who become confident take better care of themselves, and people who value themselves can value others more, cut ties with those who don't value them, and make their own choices. Hina credits these three steps with giving them confidence and keeping them going ever since.
An added point: keep goals small
Hina then remembers another point. Big goals matter, but don't set them too high. They have big goals of their own, such as definitely getting a beautiful body and succeeding in a certain kind of work. Still, they focus first on small ones. Every morning they decide the day's tasks and include everything, however minor: brushing teeth three times a day, taking vitamin C, massaging certain areas while bathing. They keep these on a list and check them off, and say that doing so raises their self-efficacy.
Later in the video they add an example. They are studying English and read just one page of a reference book per day instead of trying to cover and memorize a lot at once. It takes 75 days to get through the book, but by the end they will have worked through the whole textbook. For Hina, this is why small goals matter.
Method 4: Stop doing things just to lose weight
After a break to look for opinions from viewers (whom they call MABUPINAs), Hina introduces a fourth method they are especially glad they adopted: they stopped doing things only to lose weight.
They admit they do cardio because they want to lose weight, but call that the wrong mindset. Waking up and thinking "I have to walk to lose fat" is something they genuinely hate. They say they can now study cooking, exercise, fashion, makeup, and hairstyling all at once because they recast each activity around a reason they find fun. Their daily morning walk, which they call "PEKO PEKO WALKING," is mainly for maintaining body shape and health. But they now frame it as a chance to set a task, let go of worries, and enjoy favorite books and videos. "I wanted to read the rest of this book, so I decided to go for a walk."
Cooking worked the same way. When Hina felt they had to make diet recipes to lose weight, they couldn't do it. They switched to reasons they found enjoyable, such as wanting to be praised by someone they liked, and now cook for themselves every day. They describe their current motivation as not wanting to age and wanting beautiful skin. The results they report are becoming a much better cook, losing weight, a positive effect on gut health, noticeably longer eyelashes, and much better skin. Hina says this mindset has helped them accomplish everything, and recommends all four methods.
What viewers said
Hina then reads comments from viewers about how they stay motivated. Many mentioned choosing a role model, and some named Hina, which made them happy. Hina agrees that setting a goal like "I want to be like this person" is important. Others said "just get results." Hina relates this to their second method but notes that real results usually take a lot of effort, which is why working on something with immediate results helps.
Hina also encourages viewers to look at their Instagram, where they post about diet, exercise, before-and-after transformations, mindset, and beauty. They say there is no one who wouldn't be happy to meet them, and ask viewers not to take this as self-consciousness. They want to share information with that level of confidence, think it would be bad to appear insecure, and aim to make people happy and provide accurate information.
Other suggestions included using ChatGPT, specifically working on things while being praised by it. Hina thinks this is a good method because it analyzes you while boosting your self-esteem. Some viewers echoed "don't set goals too high," and Hina says they found a comrade. One viewer signed up for Pilates classes to work on body shape, and Hina adds that taking a class someone you admire attends is also a good idea. Another viewer planned to wear a swimsuit on a trip to Ishigaki Island in 100 days, which Hina considers a good target. Hina's overall impression is that everyone seems to be doing it in similar ways.
Closing: "Nothing beats a shining person"
Hina's final emphasis is that "nothing beats a shining person." Regardless of body type or appearance, they say, what matters most is truly enjoying things and continuing to smile. They invite viewers to share other ideas in the comments.
Before heading out for pizza, Hina shows muffins they made with rice flour. They were inspired by a muffin they had at a Starbucks in Shanghai and wanted a similar healthy version at home. They call this batch a failure because it had too much water, though it still tasted good, and say they will share the recipe if they can make it fluffier.
Hello, I posed a question on Instagram to decide what to talk about today. Then I was asked a lot of questions: "How are you able to continue doing things for so long?" "How do you keep yourself motivated?" "Why are you able to work so hard?" I've received a lot of questions like this.
I used to feel exactly the same way as everyone else and was someone who couldn't stick with anything. There was a time when I felt depressed because I couldn't stick with anything and felt like a failure. But that's a big mistake; anyone can work hard and achieve their goals. Anyone can stay motivated and work hard. I'll now share the method that worked for me.
But just like skin, hair and bone structure, everyone is different. So this method may not suit some people. But this should give you an opportunity to think about and find a method that works for you. Maybe my method will work perfectly for some of you. So I'm really motivated to shoot this video today.
I don't look cute in the evening so I usually don't take any videos at this time of day. It's 5pm now and I'm leaving in an hour. I should calm down, but I'm taking a video. Everyone, listen carefully.
First of all, I once answered the question, "Why do you work so hard?" Now I don't find it hard to keep trying. But there were times when it was difficult. Doing nothing every day and working hard every day are both difficult and painful. If we continue to not try hard every day, our self-esteem will decrease and we will become bored with our unchanging selves. So both are tough. I thought that if both were difficult, the latter would be better, so I chose the path that would allow me to experience the excitement of taking on a new challenge and the happiness of achieving something. I wanted to share that first.
By the way, there are three important things to note. By doing these things, anyone can acquire the ability to persevere, work hard, and achieve their goals. The expression "achieving goals" is too formal. You probably have goals in mind too. You want to lose weight and be cute, be popular, wear cute clothes, and learn to take care of yourself. You probably have many dreams, but you will definitely keep working hard until they come true. I guarantee it.
There are three important things to do. And the second and third points are especially important. Doing these two things changed me, so please listen to the end. Plus, I'll share how my MABUPINAs stay motivated. Let's all win together. Win a wonderful and happy life. So, to everyone in KATOHINA World... What is a "World"? I want you to be happy, so I'm sharing everything. So let's get started.
The first point seems simple but is very important. Surround yourself with people who are doing well, including your friends and those you follow on social media. For the period you decide to commit, it's a good idea to create an account just to look at people. For example, follow a hard-working idol singer like Jennie from BLACKPINK. Wonyoung is also working very hard and I love her. The same goes for Sashihara and Minami Tanaka. Follow people who are working hard like them and check their accounts when you wake up. Then you'll think, "Wait, I'll try my best too," or "If she's working hard since morning, I'll try my best too."
Actually, I have some serious muscle pain today, so I wanted to take a day off. Rest is really important, so I thought it would be okay to take a day off today. Your muscles grow while they are resting, so resting is very important. I thought so because my self-esteem and self-efficacy are pretty high.
But when I woke up and checked Instagram, I saw that Aya Nakamachi had been cooking Japanese food since 7am. Seeing her cooking Japanese food from 7am made me want to work hard too. On social media, she looked happy. She had just returned to Japan and muttered, "Japanese food is the best after all." She has traveled abroad and enjoys cooking in Japan. She was enjoying life so much, it made me want to do my best too. In this way, following hardworking people on social media should motivate you to work hard yourself.
You probably also have friends who are working hard at their jobs, club activities, hobbies, cooking, or whatever. When I get in touch with them or meet them, I feel a strong desire to do my best too. Umi Shinonome is a friend of mine who is about the same age as me and works very hard. Although she has a lot of work to do every day, when she gets home she cooks for herself to stay healthy. When I see my friends working hard like her, I feel motivated to work hard too.
This may seem simple but it's still important, so I shared it as the first method. I'm sure you too save posts like this and hit the like button so you can come back to them quickly. So that's all for now.
The second method is also very important, and that is to "put yourself in a good mood." In fact, if we just cheer ourselves up, we can quickly raise our motivation. I now have the ability to cheer myself up just before my motivation starts to wane. As long as I keep doing it, I can stay motivated. This is really important, but very difficult.
First, you might be wondering how to cheer yourself up. Your goal... I again used the formal term "goal." First, make a list of your dreams. Then you should be able to easily derive the answer. I believe that it was because I worked hard that I was able to change and become the new person I am today. I love discovering different sides of myself. Of course, it takes time for hard work to produce results. So, to motivate myself, I do things that give me immediate results.
For example, I get my eyelashes permed, change my hair color and style, and get my makeup done by a makeup artist. Lately I've been putting on Korean makeup and booking appointments at a photo studio to get some really cute passport photos. I like Felix from Stray Kids, so I sometimes copy his fashion. Or I copy Wonyoung's fashion or I make big changes to my own fashion. I just do what makes me feel cool that day. This allows me to dramatically increase my motivation. As a result, I am able to do what I was doing best the next day—waking up at 5am and walking to work.
In conclusion, we all have to cheer ourselves up, but the way we do this is different for each person, so try to find your own way. This seems very simple and is a very good method, but it is often overlooked, so please give it a try.
The third method involves psychology, but it's so important that I'll get straight to the point. Do what you can when you can. This also seems simple but is very difficult. But this is just as easy as the first method and anyone can do it. Just doing this will completely change your life, so give it a try. Literally, do what you can when you can.
I usually walk at an incline of 11 and a speed of 3.5, but on days when I'm not feeling motivated, I do something different. For example, I enjoy walking on a flat road while enjoying the scenery. Or, instead of walking 30 minutes each day, I limit it to 5 minutes. Instead of exercising, I lie in bed and use my smartphone to search for and save makeup and fashion ideas to make me look more stylish. This is exactly what it means to "do what you can when you can." I emphasize that this is very important. So I'll repeat it.
As I explain this in more detail, you might be wondering, "Is Hina okay?" But there is one saying that I found to be very reasonable. Even though I know I have things to do and I know I should be doing them, sometimes I end up spending the whole day looking at TikTok. Have you ever had a day like that where you just went to bed without getting anything done? How can we be motivated?
There is an organ in our brain called the nucleus accumbens, and stimulating it can motivate us. To stimulate the nucleus accumbens, the method I mentioned earlier, "doing what you can when you can," is particularly effective. No matter how unmotivated we may be, we should at least get involved in the things that "have to be done." This is the trick to stimulating the nucleus accumbens.
For example, let's say you have to finish a report. But you find it really tedious and can't get started. In that case, just flip through a reference book while lying in bed. If it's work-related, just look at the materials for now. Just try doing this for a minute or two. It's okay to be lenient with yourself, but try to get involved in it even if just a little. This will be a very important switch that will motivate you to take action. Just keep doing what you can when you can and you'll really get things done.
To make matters worse, it was getting pretty dark out here. I don't look cute. I changed the angle of view.
Anyway, it's okay to be pretty lenient with yourself, but it's very important to start doing what you can when you can. This method has changed me a lot. Again, the second and third methods have made a huge difference for me. Doing this consistently will help you keep your promise to yourself. This significantly increases self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is the belief in yourself that you can achieve it. That will improve it considerably.
This not only improves our self-efficacy but also our self-esteem, making us more confident. When we become more confident, we start to take better care of ourselves. When we learn to value ourselves, we are able to value others more and cut ties with those who don't value us. We get to make our own choices. This is very important, isn't it? These three simple steps helped me gain confidence and have kept me going ever since.
I remembered one more thing. Big goals are important, but don't set your goals too high. I also have a big goal: to definitely get a beautiful body. I also have a goal of "doing this kind of work and being successful." Of course, those are important, but first, focus on small goals.
Every morning when I wake up, I decide what my tasks will be for the day. I include everything in my tasks, no matter how small. Brushing your teeth three times a day, taking vitamin C, massaging certain areas while bathing. I like to keep a list of these little goals so I can check them off as I go. Just doing this will increase my self-efficacy when I do it. So don't set your goals too high.
Please wait a moment as I am looking for opinions from MABUPINAs. Sorry, I'm re-recording the video in a hurry. There's one more thing I'm really glad I did. This is the fourth method, but it's very important. I stopped doing things just to lose weight. This is very interesting, so listen.
Of course, I do cardio because I want to lose weight, but it's not the right mindset. When I wake up and think about having to walk to lose weight or fat, I really hate it. Even I hate this way of thinking. So why am I now able to study cooking, exercise, fashion, makeup, and hairstyles all at once? That's because I turned it into a reason why I found it fun.
I do PEKO PEKO WALKING every morning, but why? Of course, the main reason is to maintain one's shape, body shape, and health. But instead, I decided to do it to set a task, let go of my worries, and enjoy my favorite books and videos. I wanted to read the rest of this book, so I decided to go for a walk.
When it comes to cooking, I find that when I feel like I have to create diet recipes to lose weight, I really can't do it. This is where it gets important. I made sure to do it for reasons that I thought were fun, rather than for the original reasons, like wanting to be praised by someone I liked. Doing something just to lose weight makes it completely unenjoyable. I tried to do it for more fun reasons and it worked.
I now cook for myself every day. I like to do this because I don't want to age and I want to have beautiful skin. As a result, I became a much better cook, lost weight, and had a positive effect on my gut health. I'm happy to say that my eyelashes have grown significantly longer and my skin has become so much better. This mindset has helped me accomplish everything, and I recommend it to you too. I highly recommend you try these four methods.
Wait, I just remembered one more thing. I am studying English now. I also try to read one page of a reference book per day. Instead of reading many pages and trying to remember a lot, I always read just one page a day. Reading one page is a very small goal, but it will take you 75 days to finish reading the book. But if I just read one page a day for 75 days, I'll be able to learn the entire textbook. That's why small goals are so important.
I found some opinions from MABUPINA. How do you all stay motivated? At first glance, one method listed is to "select a role model." I read some very happy things. Some people said, "My role model is Hina." It is certainly very important to set goals, such as "I want to be like this person." Many people cite deciding on a role model.
Some people say, "Just get results," which is the second method I mentioned earlier. I also have the same opinion. But in many cases, it is difficult to achieve results because we have to put in a lot of effort. So it's really good to work on something that gives you immediate results.
I'm happy because everyone sees me as a role model. By the way, looking at my Instagram should really motivate you. I post a lot about diet, exercise, before and after transformation images, mindset and beauty. So, there is no one who wouldn't be happy to meet me. Please don't think I'm self-conscious. I want to convey this information to everyone with that level of confidence. I think it would be awful if I appeared insecure, so I try my best. I want to make everyone I meet happy and provide accurate information, so please take a look at my Instagram.
Everyone seems to be doing it the same way. Some people have mentioned "using ChatGPT." Some people say, "It's very effective to do something while being praised by ChatGPT." Indeed, this is a good method as it analyzes you while boosting your self-esteem.
Some people say "don't set goals that are too high," and I completely agree. I found a comrade. Some people say, "I signed up for Pilates classes to work on my body shape." It's also a great idea to take a class that someone you admire is taking. "Planning to wear a swimsuit, like on a trip to Ishigaki Island 100 days later," is certainly a good idea. Everyone seems to be doing it the same way.
Finally, I just want to emphasize this. That is, "Nothing beats a shining person." Regardless of your body type or appearance, the most important thing is that you truly enjoy things and keep smiling. Don't forget that. If you have any other good ideas, please share them in the comments.
I have to go out for pizza now. But I made muffins, so check them out. I made muffins with rice flour. Take a look at this. This looks very delicious, doesn't it? I had a delicious muffin at Starbucks Coffee in Shanghai. I wanted to have a similar healthy muffin at home, so I made these.
I should go get pizza. This is a failure because it has too much water. But this is delicious. If I can make this a little fluffier I'll share it again. Bye, I'm going to get some pizza.
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