How I stay motivated

Motivation, motivation and motivation…. This word is everywhere, but does it really mean anything? Motivation is a word that I use often, is a word that I see everywhere- in hashtags, articles, books, blogs (cough, cough) the list goes on and on.

The truth is that staying motivated can be extremely difficult. You will find many blogs, articles and people that tell you if your goals are important enough you will find it easy (ier) to stay motivated but let’s be honest life doesn’t work like that, our brains do not work like that. Staying motivated takes work.

Personally, I try very hard to ensure that I stay motivated and that I keep a positive outlook on my life and the things that I do. I try hard because staying motivated is not something that stays constant because life is so unpredictable. I guess motivation depends on many aspects of your life. For example, there are weeks I just can’t get enough sleep because I have so much to do and this can lead in me becoming frustrated faster than usual. Also setbacks and failures can hit hard and it takes a lot to emotionally recover…. I guess what I’m trying to say is that life can get in the way, setbacks can knock you down and motivation can take a tumble!

So, here are my top 4 ways for staying motivated

Before I start I must say that in order for me to stay motivated I need to know why I need to be motivated, I need to have a clear goal (s). If I don’t know why I’m doing something I can guarantee you, motivation will not last!

1. I surround myself with positive and encouraging people

I find that if those around me are positive, I am more positive and the feeling stays for longer which helps me stay motivated. I find this so important when I experience self-doubt. Most of us will doubt ourselves at some point and then If you are anything like me, super tough on yourself, you will need a positive reminder how well you are doing, even a small kind word can help lift you up.

2. I try to be consistent, even when I don’t want to!

This is a tricky one because in order to be consistent I need to be committed. Committed to do the same thing often, to build routines and stick to them, commitment to change something or study the same subject! Alas, it’s not that simple. In order to be able to stay consistent I need to remind myself of the long-term goal and I need to be able to measure gains or improvements. The best example right-now is my goal to improve my wellbeing, I am having to force myself to go to bed early enough so I can get 7 hours sleep even if it means not finishing my daily tasks. I have been doing this for two weeks and the first 5 days were tough and I used to worry that I was failing if I didn’t finish my household chores. However, two weeks on I am feeling so much better and when I wake up I feel like a new person. I also like to have a nice routine in the morning as it starts my day off right. I wake up, get dressed, eat, drink, take a supplement that keeps my brain healthy (this dopamine supplement on Amazon) and I’m ready to face whatever the world has to throw at me.

3. I Turn negative thoughts around

Mmmm we all experience those negative thoughts, right? I do, not often but sometimes. I might not feel like I am making progress or I could just be doubting myself personally or as a mother. I now know that these feelings are normal and the way that I deal with them is to have conversations with myself, I know, sounds a little crazy! I think it allows me to take responsibility for my feelings, thoughts and emotions which then leads to my though process changing. So, just before Christmas I felt that my job was stagnant and I started to question my abilities. I remember so clearly, I was exfoliating and talking to myself. I started by saying all the things that I thought were not going so well BUT I also forced myself to state my work achievements and what I’ve learnt and the KEY part – repeat, repeat and repeat the positives… this really helps me but it’s a little crazy!

4. Have time to myself

Sounds obvious but we are living in such a fast-paced world and surrounded by social media, responsibilities and expectations that if we don’t look after ourselves we are risking burning out physically and mentally, I know this first hand. As a mother, I want to have it all, I want to spend time with my family, I want to work, be successful, feel and look good, I want to have a social life, travel and I often push myself to do all these things in such a short time that one day I just breakdown from physical and mental tiredness… The past few weeks, I have scheduled time for myself and I stick to it, even if it is for a walk or a coffee, in order to take care of my wellbeing and I feel is really helping reconnect with myself.

Oh, in case you are wondering I have only noted down four steps because I fear if I had too many steps to stay motivated it will just become too much and perhaps a knock to that motivation motor before we all get warmed up.

Love, Julie

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