Motivated

What motivates you? Is it fear? Desire to succeed? Money? Love? Food?  Perhaps it depends on why the motivation is needed. Is it motivation to get fit? Motivation to just get off the couch? Get organized? Start a new career? Be a better person? At the end of the day, motivation is whatever tool you need to use to remind yourself that when you finally do the thing – the thing you are scared of, are too tired to take on, or too afraid to try – when you finally do the thing – you will get that wonderful feeling. The satisfaction of task complete, a job well done, an obstacle overcome, a soft warm glow of triumph from completing a goal big or small. Motivation is how you get there. It is needed for the smallest thing, like getting off the couch – to the largest thing – starting a new career or buying a house!

Of course, different motivators are needed to accomplish different goals . I started writing today and I realized I have a lot of thoughts on motivation, so I have decided I am making this Motivation Week – with my personal philosophies on Motivation in Life, Career, Health, & Love. Of course, they are all connected, but we will get to that later.

Motivation to live and love your life – the little things and small victories

When I was furloughed in the spring one of my first concerns was that I would lose motivation and slowly become one with my couch, slipping into an irreversible bottomless depression caused by being completely unproductive and isolated. It happens to the best of us. It starts small, with one lazy day, but then another follows. Suddenly, you have not washed your hair in 4 days!

Honestly, that may have been an unfounded fear for someone like me, but it was there. I can usually barely stay idle for one day, let alone days, plural! There comes a point in every day where I simply must get up and do something. I have to get at least one thing done, or the day feels completely wasted. It can be as small as doing the dishes, or one load of laundry. At that time though, I worried, would that be enough?

 I addressed those worries by setting up little routines. I went to Bargain Hunt every Wednesday. I walked down every aisle. I rarely bought anything, except maybe the occasional new toy for the dogs. It got me out of the house. It gave me a purpose for that day, no matter how inconsequential. I signed up to get a new certification in my field. It was a self-paced online course, so I plotted out how much time I would spend on it each day. I spent more time planning my grocery store visits, meal planning, budgeting. I made lists and kept myself busy. One important thing I noticed I did, maybe unconsciously, I planned to do at least one thing a day that I enjoyed; like trying a new recipe or making a favorite, treating myself to a self care at home spa day, or on Wednesdays, my weekly Bargain Hunt.

I know when this year first went crazy and we were all stuck at home – I saw a lot of friends posting about how clean their house was now. I planned to do that too. I didn’t adopt a ‘cleaning schedule’ although I did pin several nifty little cleaning calendars on my pinterest board with every intention of following those helpful little tips. It always seems so totally doable. But then, it just isn’t. Something else takes priority because I do not enjoy it enough. Funny thing is though, sometimes, I do. It is these tiny paradoxes that cause the inevitable chipping away at our productivity and motivation to go on. It is these times when we need to reach deeper into our motivation banks to remind ourselves of what we get out of that activity we don’t think we enjoy. As soon as I get moving, I remember that I love buzzing around my house with my cordless vacuum cleaner and emptying the bin to go back for more. The vacuum tracks! The neatly folded blankets, clear surfaces and delightful scent of Pledge and Clorox in the air and the feeling that I have accomplished something to be proud of that day. While some days it is tougher than others, I do consider myself lucky that getting myself moving seems to be an easy trick for me.

I understand my self-motivation and inability to simply sit still can be counted as more personal blessings that I hope never to take for granted. Surely others have their own ways of motivating themselves, but for those of you who struggle I encourage you to simply start small. Have you been on the couch for 3 days? Stand up. Take a shower. Take a walk around the block. Go to the library and pick out one book. Read one chapter of that book. Do one thing around the house. Do the dishes. Make your bed. Make a list of things you want to do – start one thing on the list. Life does not have to be overwhelming. Just do one thing at a time and see how you feel. I promise the more things you do, the better you will feel. The better you feel the more you will do - and Boom! You’re winning at life!