Every once in a while, I lose my motivation. I can be on a high and clean, organize, check all the boxes off on my “To Do” list, exercise and overall get everything done that I needed. But then there are times where I lose it all. I’ll do my laundry; but never put it away, I’ll slowly start piling things up on the table, forgetting to hang my jackets up, not making myself breakfast and getting completely out of sync in my daily life. My mind gets filled with things that I need to do. My iPhone notes overflow with “To Do’s” that suddenly pop into my head, I become overwhelmed, out of sync in my own life, not sure where to start and where to go.
I’ve read articles on the importance of how you start your day and how it can affect your whole day. One thing that always stuck out to me; make your bed. I’ve always made my bed, but I noticed the days I crawl out of bed (usually when my dog wont stop ringing the bell to go out) I forget to make my bed. I’m starting the day unorganized; my bed is a mess from the night before of sleeping, pillows are scattered and my quilt is nearly on the floor. Usually when I don’t fix all that, my day goes downhill. And I continue to be unorganized for the rest of the day.
This reminds me of something my oldest brother had an obsession over. If he went to school in the morning without making his bed, he couldn’t focus at all during the day. He usually always had to drive back home and make it, then he’d head back to school.
I’ve noticed another thing that helps my motivation. I HAVE to go to a coffee shop in the morning. There is something about working in a coffee shop that allows me to focus, make “To Do” lists and get most of my work done. When I did school online, I always went to a coffee shop. Walking in, smelling the freshly ground coffee, listening to the milk steam, and hearing muffled sounds of people talking over the music playing in my ear. It’s the only time I can truly focus. When I was in public school I should’ve asked my teacher if I could take tests in coffee shops; that would’ve helped.
This week, I put off doing my morning coffee routine, twice. And I went down hill. I couldn’t figure out how to get my day started, so I ended up working out a lot. Going on runs, going to the gym, and taking photographs of nature. However, I was lost in my thoughts. Trying to remember everything I needed to do, making me not present at all. Most of the time I noticed my mom talking to me and I wasn’t fully there. I’d just respond with, “yeah, really?, that’s too bad, is that so?, I’m sorry”. I was listening, but I wasn’t FULLY listening to her. I was listening to my own thousands of thoughts, swirling around in my head. Which isn’t thoughtful on my part, she needs to feel heard and that I care what she is telling me.
Being lost in your thoughts, too busy, and losing motivation not only affects you but it can also affect the people around you.
I woke up, took a hot shower and packed my bag to go to a coffee shop. Trying to get myself back on track (I can’t just workout for the whole day to avoid doing things). I have my “To Do” list and a few things checked off, that’s a start. But I forgot to make my bed this morning… Before I get further into my day, there is a lot I need to finish at home.
Sometimes there are things I need to do that seem overwhelming and stressful, and I end up having a hard time finishing them. For example, I have fraud on my debit card. I’ve tried to contact the bank and explain to them I have fraud and to stop the recurring charges. I wasn’t getting anywhere with them. I was told it would cost me $70.00 to stop the charges, but since I have more than a few, it’s going to cost me more. She then said “you probably wouldn’t want to do that” and “you should call the company that is charging you”. I got so upset, I hung up and just cried. I wasn’t getting anywhere and the charges keep coming. That is the very, VERY first thing on my list to try again. I’ve tried 3 times to get it taken care of, now I’m going directly into my bank to talk with them. I couldn’t keep doing it yesterday, because I got a little emotional over the situation. If I just focus, relax and keep myself on track, things become easier.
Now to end this article, here are some tips on how to stay motivated, which I have found helpful:
1) Make your bed: The state of your bed is the state of your head. Making your bed can set the pace of the day, giving you an early sense of accomplishment and the overall feeling of having put thing in place – all before you even have coffee. And when you go to sleep, the sight of the made bed will put your mind at ease and help you sleep more restfully. You’ll get more done during the day and feel happier.
2) Set your goals for the day; “To Do” list: By sitting down (with your morning cup of coffee or tea) and writing out your goals for the day helps make your day start in an organized way. You can focus on each task and not have to worry about forgetting something or feeling overwhelmed by all the thoughts in your mind.
3) Meditate each day: Meditating isn’t just sitting still in a room. You can meditate in many different ways. Turn off electronics near you; put your phone away, step away from your computer. Walking outside in nature, clearing your thoughts and listening, really listening to the sounds around you. Feel the way your body feels being outside, listen to your breathing, and smile. Another way I also tend to meditate is by listening to music. Music relaxes me, it allows me to truly focus and feel at peace (however it really needs to be positive music – no screamo please). My current favorite music – Us The Duo (they are on spotify). Nature and music are my main ways to meditate during the day. I go out everyday and just sit in nature; breathing in the air, listening to the sounds and enjoying my thoughts.
4) Feed your mind positive information: Make a point to read inspiring books, listen/watch videos on inspirational positive things; like ted talks. Reading positive books/articles is a great way to bring positive energy into your everyday life. Spending time on personal development each day will help to build your belief in what is possible for you. In a world where so many people are negative we need to counteract it with positive input every day, not just now and again. I try to go to the bookstore once a week and pick up a new inspirational book. I tend to read quite fast, so I need a new book every week. At night I go to bed and read. Instead of falling asleep looking at my phone or being on my computer, I try to focus more on reading a positive book before bed. I’ve currently finished reading books on; marriage – love and respect in your relationship, faith and spirituality, living an organic pure life, and currently I just bought two books by Deepak Chopra – “The Path To Love” and “The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire”.
5) End your day on a positive note: Go on a walk, eat dinner at the table (not watching TV or standing up in the kitchen), do calming yoga and have a cup of relaxing tea before bed. Don’t go to bed angry, if you have an argument with someone; your spouse, parents, siblings, resolve the issue before either of you go to bed. Going to bed angry keeps the issue “protected” inside you. Meaning when you wake up in the morning you are more likely to have the same bad reaction to a similar situation. Plus being mad at someone is a terrible feeling. Always try to stay happy and positive. Being angry affects us in negative ways and it doesn’t feel good.
Those are the 5 things that keep me motivated and on the right track; all in a positive attitude. When I stick with those 5 things, my life is in sync, I’m more relaxed and organized, everything flows like a loving, positive stream into a beautiful meadow.
Make your bed, set goals, meditate, feed your mind positive information, and end your day on a positive, loving note.
A girl who’s gaining motivation back and staying positive,