Man shares the ‘demotivational’ pencils he gets from coworker—but internet thinks they are just pieces of 'solid advice'
Everyone’s heard about motivational quotes or affirmations that help us go through the day. We might have magnets and posters on our work desks as regular reminders to encourage us. A man who goes by u/FOTOJONICK revealed that he also had quotes on pencils but not the kind one might imagine. Given to him by his coworker, these “demotivational” pencils featured a variety of seemingly negative statements. While it might seem disappointing at first glance, the post, which captures the quotes, has earned 47,000 upvotes and over 250 comments. The internet has been viewing it from a different perspective and realizing they just might be noteworthy phrases.
The man revealed that his coworker gives him a pencil each day. Every day, he reads the words on it only to find a different but ruthless message on it. Sharing a picture of the pencils aligned with all the quotes, one could wonder why someone would ever gift such an item. Some phrases were really upsetting. For instance, one read, “You can do it. But why!” Yet another said, “Have a panic attack, you earned it.” Another baffling one was, “Unfollow your dreams.” Such statements can really disorient a person and take away the energy they brought with them, much less add to it.
However, there was a majority of these words that actually were more realistic than negative. If pondered and reflected upon, they seemed to make sense in the real world. The internet seemed to love the fact that there was something valid and relatable that somehow was also powerful. “Accept yourself for the hot mess that you are,” was one of the statements. Many of us know we’re a mess, life is such, but casually calling on to accept oneself like that? Extraordinary. Another quote read, “You can f**k up anything you put your mind to,” and quite frankly, you really can. It’s really all in the mind and if you put your mind to it, it can go your way!
Yet another phrase read, “Be kind to yourself, a**hole.” A fierce and aggressive call to self-love seems to be more impactful than the regular quotes sometimes. Some of the other phrases read, “It gets easier. Eventually you stop giving a f**k,” and “Stop overthinking, you are the only one who cares.” While they all seem mean at first, they're actually raw and honest statements that many adults could relate to. A few also left people pondering what the real meaning might be. “You are exactly where you need to be. I’m so sorry,” can assure us we’re not behind but the apology sparks worry.
Lastly, “Failure is always an option” left many in deep thought. While some found it to be too harsh, others thought it just meant that we’re trying and showing up. u/Stu_Pididit referred to one of the statements and wrote, “Actually solid advice.” u/foldedturnip observed, “Some of these will get wholesome when sharpened which is clearly a design flaw.” u/Piscine29 remarked, “Ironically, the ‘Failure is always an option’ one makes me calm.” u/360walkaway wrote, “‘Have a panic attack. You've earned it.’ Holy shit. That one cuts deep.” u/echbineinnerd added, “I have followed every single one of these statements. They've made me a happier person.”
A work friend has been giving me one demotivational pencil each day
byu/FOTOJONICK inmildlyinteresting