I was talking to a friend the other day, and he was listening to me talk about all the things that I do, and how long I’ve been blogging (which, in the blogging world, is not that long), and I could feel him getting deflated as he listened. I might as well have been sitting in his head, watching as he compared himself to me, feeling like he could never get there.
I laughed lightheartedly and told him that if I can do it, ANYONE can do it. You just have to start, and then stay the course and keep going.
“How do you do it? How do you stay motivated?”
If I had a quarter for every time someone asked me that…
So listen, here’s the real truth about taking on ANY new venture that’s more than just a hobby:
It’s going to take time.
It’s going to take a SHIT LOAD of time. And during a lot of that time, you’re going to ask yourself, over and over again “Why am I doing this again?”
You are going to feel like you’re not having an impact. You’re going to feel like all of your work is going nowhere. You’re going to feel like you suck at everything you do. You’re going to feel like you’re alone in the world because no one in your immediate circle of closest friends and/or family is doing what you’re doing.
KEEP. GOING. ANYWAY.
Dude, I get it. I’ve been there. I AM there, all the freakin’ time.
Passion helps start you off at first, and when you’re feeling good about it, passion is enough to fuel you forward. But what do you do on those days when you’re just not feeling that passion?
When I feel it the strongest, that’s when I need to purposefully dig out my motivation mechanisms.
3 Tools for daily motivation
I’ve grown to understand that there are 3 ways that we incorporate knowledge: Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic. We usually lean towards one method more than the others, but incorporating all 3 will usually be much more powerful. I use all of them to keep myself motivated, day in and day out.
Visual triggers
You’ve heard of vision boards, right? Well, build yourself a vision board, and put it somewhere where you will see it every day. But here’s how I do it differently. I use WORDS, rather than images, and I choose words that are meaningful to me. These words inspire me and keep me motivated to keep going.
Actually, my vision board is a vision wall, and it’s the wall directly above my working area. It just started because there were a couple of things (my Strengths actually) that I didn’t want to forget. So I put them front and center, and slowly it grew. Now, it’s a whole wall of sticky notes with thoughts, inspiring quotes, and just general reminders as to what I’m working towards and why I’m doing it. Whenever I look up from my work, searching for inspiration, or whenever I take an exasperated breath, frustrated with something, I just look up, and read what’s up there. Usually, a particular word, or quote, or thought will catch my attention and it will be exactly what I need to get me back on track.
Go ahead and make one of your own. Have fun with it. Add whatever is meaningful to you, whatever speaks to you.
Don’t allow it to simply fade into the background of your life, however. Your vision board is there to be a constant reminder of what you’re working towards, and why you’re doing it. It should be filled with things that inspire you.
Auditory triggers
I have a full-time job, I’m a half-time mom, AND I’m building this blog and my coaching business as a side hustle. I don’t always have time to just sit and ponder the inspirational quotes I’ve put up on my vision wall. Sometimes it’s days before I have time to sit at my computer and write.
But I still find time to keep myself motivated every day.
How? There’s this marvelous little thing on the Interwebz called YouTube, have you heard of it?
YouTube is FILLED with videos/audios of snippets of motivational speakers sharing inspiring messages. So many people are passionate about sharing inspiring messages and they spend their time finding these messages and curating them by topic, cutting them and putting them together, ALL FOR YOUR LISTENING PLEASURE!! Take advantage of it.
I created a playlist of some of my favourite ones and I listen to them, every day, as I take my shower, get dressed, and get ready for work.
Just because I’m physically busy doesn’t mean I can’t use that time to find a way to fill my noggin with inspiring, motivating content.
Just search “motivational” and let YouTube send you down the rabbit hole. Find the ones that speak to you the most and create your own playlist!
Audiobooks & podcasts on topics that are relevant to what you’re doing or what you’re interested in are another great way to use “busy time” to still keep your mind motivated. I listen to them while I’m doing the dishes, folding laundry, driving to work, or walking the dog.
Kinesthetic triggers
People often think that this one is purely tactile, but in fact, when we talk about people being kinesthetic, we also include emotional senses as well. Can you think of anyone in your life where you can describe them as “touchy feely”? Yeah, now you get it.
I’m not saying you need to get “touchy feely” about what you’re doing, but I AM saying that you need to take some time to get in touch with WHY you’re doing any of it.
Seriously, why are you doing what you’re doing? Is it really just for the money? I’m willing to bet that’s not your main reason. Dig deeper. Why are you doing it?
Why are you putting in the work? Why are you charging through when you’re bored with the work, or you get frustrated because you’ve hit a snag? Why bother? What’s the point?
The more meaningful you can make the answer to those questions, the more powerful it will be.
Why am I doing it?
Because I love it. I love what I’m learning (you’ll notice, on my vision wall, that it’s one of my strengths). I love sharing what I’m learning. I love the feeling of “aha!” when I go through the crap and come out the other side with an insight. Because I love seeing that light that shines in other people’s eyes when they go “aha!” on the odd occasion I say the right thing at the right time.
I do it because I love writing. There’s something about writing that I find soothing, like I’m releasing pressure that’s been building inside my mind. I love how I don’t even know what my fingers are going to write until I see it appear on the screen. I love that sensation of flow that I get in those moments. That’s why I write.
I do it because I can’t help but serve others. Because when I was young, I was bullied, neglected. I often felt alone in the crowd of the schoolyard at recess, like I didn’t matter to anyone. At some point, I don’t remember when (4th grade maybe), I decided that I never wanted anyone else to feel that way. So I’ve spent my life listening deeply, loving unconditionally, finding the gold within each person I connected with and reflecting it back to them, so they could know that they’re not alone, that they mattered, that they had something beautiful inside of them to contribute to the world. That’s why I coach.
Wow, did you feel that? Even writing that out feels incredibly motivating to me right now.
Mel Robbins says motivation is garbage because you’ll never want to do it. I think she’s right – as long as you think it’s something you HAVE to do.
I just think that motivation works much better when you WANT to do something. And in order to want to do it, you have to know (and constantly connect with it to remind yourself) WHY you’re doing it.
Brainwash yourself
So essentially, the way to stay motivated is to brainwash yourself, every day. Really!!
If you don’t fill your mind up with things that are inspiring and keep reminding you of what you’re doing, what you’re working towards, and why you’re doing it, you’re leaving it open to be distracted by all the noise that’s out there – TV, movies, ads, social media.
Losing motivation often happens when life happens. We get sucked into the daily routine or whatever crisis we were just attending to, and we forget what we were working on and why it’s important.
By deliberately creating an environment where it’s impossible for you to forget what you’re working on, and WHY you’re doing it, you brainwash yourself into believing that it’s a big priority (because it is, isn’t it?) which keeps you going when everything else says you should have quit a long time ago.
What about you? What are some of the things you do to stay motivated? Share in the comments below, or let us know on social media.
Stay on track, my friends. Each of you has a unique gift and a unique perspective to offer to the world. We need you to share it.