It was hard for me to decide to actually sit down and write this article, I could see it on my list of things to write about āStaying Motivatedā, but I kept sitting at the computer and then saying, āI am the least motivated person I know, why would I write something like that?ā
I realized just this morning that I am actually highly motivated. Iām just depressed and lacking a little confidence right now, because not too many things have been going as planned recently.
Staying Motivated is a funny thing, so often we mistake it for a feeling that we get, or something that some people have and others just donāt. Well thatās not exactly true. If it were, the question āwhat motivates you?ā wouldnāt mean anything. Different people are motivated by different things, and even one person will find different aspects of their lives are motivated by different things. For example; I work by day at Smokemart selling cigarettes and tobacco. I hate my job. But I am motivated to go because we have bills to pay.
I have dreams of writing and singing professionally; part of staying motivated at this stage is because I want to get out of smokemart and have a real life with financial freedom. I am also motivated by the fact that these are things my heart has longed for my entire life, somehow they are a part of me, and as a result I will keep on trying for as long as it takes. The feelings donāt stay. Right at this very moment I feel like my dreams are crashing down around me, my attempts to achieve even little goals are failing over and over again and I feel like an absolute looser. This is why it was so hard to sit down and write, I donātĀ FEELĀ motivated. I feel like crap.
AsĀ I was thinking about it this morning, I started to go over my beliefs about staying motivated, and so I figured I better put what I believe into practice. I believe staying motivated is a choice. Yes it is impacted by our feelings and circumstances, but if something is important to you, you will find a motivation to get it done. Hence Iām writing this article even though I feel like an absolute failure, because currently this blog has two followers, and one of them is meā¦
I also have plans to release an EP. It was originally going to happen in January this year, then I extended it to March, now Iām just hanging in there to see if it happens this year!
I have a song recorded that needs a music video made in Autumn for all the colours and the beautiful weather, but so many things have come into play to make it nigh on impossible, and Iāve started to wonder if my dreams are too big, or if I really should be dreaming at all. If I canāt record this music video, I have to wait another 12 months to try again.
I recently started busking at a local shopping centre, I borrowed a friends guitar because mine has a damaged pickup which needs repairs. I imagined earning the $75 I needed to repair it on my first night. In actual fact I made $48, of which only $20 was profit as I had bought a music stand that morning for the job. A couple of days later, with no money in our bank account I spent the whole $20 on fuel to get me to the job I hate in the hopes of paying our rent.
If staying motivated was a feeling, I think you get the idea that I ran out a couple of weeks ago.
Ā āMotivation is all about ourĀ internal desire to accomplish something that is important to us. This motivation (desire) makes us take action. Motivation is about an unmet need that we want to satisfy; itāsĀ about a goal that we want to fulfill.āĀ May 12, 2018Ā byĀ ROBERT TANNER, MBA
Iām not going to dive too much into the science of how motivation works, but I do know that regardless of how Iām feeling, I can still choose to stay motivated most of the time. I donāt, but I can š
Here are some of the ways I try to stay motivated
Iām not very good at mornings. I wish I was and Iām trying to be better, and I guess thatās the main thing. Iāve been trying and failing for months now to establish a morning routine, but when I do achieve certain things in the morning I feel a thousand times better about my day and I usually achieve more. If I can plan out 3 to 4 things I want to achieve in a day, my motivation to achieve them is so much better. I find it challenging to limit myself on my to-do lists as I always have soĀ much to get through! But when I give myself an enormous list and donāt leave any time for the things that are most important to me in the day, I will achieve a lot of little things and still feel crap about what I havenāt achieved. I try to give myself 1-2 important household chores, and 1-2 more meaningful jobs, like writing music, visiting someone important, or writing a blog post. Sometimes this isnāt enough to fill a day, in which case when I find I have some spare time I can think about some of the other jobs I need to do, or consider rewarding myself with some leisure time. This morning I planned out a few things to get done this week on my weekly planner, which helps me see further ahead, so I know what I can reasonably expect to achieve today.
Iām also not very good at this one. Itās important to remember why you do what you do, and why your dreams are important, and focusing on what youāre really trying to achieve.Ā Sometimes this gets muddied in our brains by too much stress and too much activity in everyday life.Ā Right now Iām a little confused about what Iām doing, I know what my dreams and goals are, but itās hard not to get sidetracked by seemingly easier and shorter methods to variations of success. For example I really need to find a way to get some income flowing in, and I want to do it in a way that I enjoy. This is making me question what I should be doing and if I even studied the right degree at uni. Itās a complicated world inside a womanās mind!
Thinking about these things can be important for staying motivated, however too much deviation from our long-term goals can cause us to lose traction and lose time, when we come back to them we find that we havenāt gotten any further, and possibly even went backwards in pursuit of something else.
Letās face it, we all want a āPinterest Worthyā life, an ā#instaperfectā version of everything we do, so in order to stay motivated we spend hours scrolling through Pinterest and collecting little images of what we think we want to be, and spend precious moments trying to get the perfect photograph for Instagram to make sure that people know how excellent our lives are. One little picture with a few likes we think will keep us motivated, knowing that our image is right and people think well of us, but itās never enoughā¦
Iām not saying we should ditch these altogether; we live in a digital and online world itās hard to let some of that stuff go, and Pinterest is sooooo useful! Not to mention fun and inspiring, it can also make me cry when I look at too many dog picturesā¦ It can also make me really depressed because one picture can portray a lifestyle that is in reality so far out of reach. And since when did a photograph that makes it look like youāre living a life youāre really not, actually ever help you in staying motivated? The truth is weāre wasting time and emotional energy on a facade, and filling our heads with fantasies of a life that does not exist. Remember to keep things simple. Use Pinterest when you need to find a recipe or a hairstyle. Photograph your reality on Instagram, not specially staged photos. Letās stay focused on our goals, and keep it simple by clearing away the clutter of creating an image, and instead letās live the life we are living, and share it as it is, one day weāll be living the dream and I want to be there to see it!
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This is so important! Iām an extrovert and I need people to stay motivated and energized so it can be really hard for me to find ways to appreciate my alone time, or even to schedule it in. Iām not talking about the times when youāre home alone doing the chores and getting the house in shape before your next trip or social event or work day, Iām talking about time spent with yourself alone, doing something that you appreciate.
This can be taking a walk, reading a book, journaling, taking yourself out for a coffee (an excellent motivational tool) gardening, or simply enjoying some sunshine while you sit and breathe. These moments, away from the hustle and bustle of life, can sometimes seem like a waste of time in pursuit of your goals, but itās here that you collect your thoughts, understand your emotions, re-evaluate your direction, and gather some mental peace that will help you for the rest of the week and help you stay focused. Without it, the busy that is your life, clutter that is your home, and stress that is your work, will all become a busy cluttered and stressed out mess of a heart and mindā¦not ideal for staying motivated! In fact in my experience, itās a recipe for depression, anxiety, and becoming overly dependent on others for emotional stability and peace of mind. No one should be responsible for all of that for another person!
One of my favorite things to do is to take a bike ride, when the weather is nice, sometimes Iāll bring along a good book and ind a peaceful spot to sit and read, and soak up the sunshine.
This one can be hard, and it may sound similar to taking some ME time, but Iām actually talking about listening to your feelings. Sometimes you just arenāt feeling it and thatās ok, most of the time we need to push through and get stuff done anyway, other times it can be really important to listen to your own feelings and give yourself a break. Staying Motivated is hard work and it can be a strain on your mental health and on your emotions especially when weāre talking about staying motivated to chase your dreams. This doesnāt mean you have to go sit in a spa until you feel motivate again, or put your feet up and sip a glass of wine until the urge hits you to try againā¦
Truth is itās taken me a week to write this, because I had to stop and take some breathing space for my head and heart, and I can assure you I wasnāt soaking in a spa waiting to feel motivated again! I was just busy with other things that take up less head space, like organizing my linen cupboard, and trying to find a new job, and general jobs that donāt always get done when they should.
Itās about learning your limits, knowing when to push yourself and when to give it a rest for a while. We all know the old saying ācome back to it laterā, well itās true, come back later and youāll be ready to try again!
There is so much more that could be said for staying motivated, so maybe Iāll have to do a part 2 down the track! A common theme in these tips for staying motivated, is that your mental health is of the greatest importance. Take care of it and staying motivated will come naturally. Hope this week is looking up for you!
Staying Motivated ā ChasingĀ Dreamsā¦ It was hard for me to decide to actually sit down and write this article, I could see it on my list of things to write about "Staying Motivated", but I kept sitting at the computer and then saying, "I am the least motivated person I know, why would I write something like that?"
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