Five Ways to Motivate Yourself

I’ve always felt lucky that I didn’t lack motivation or get stuck in a creative rut since starting my blog. That is until recently when I found myself so unmotivated it was difficult to get out of bed in the morning let alone sit at my desk and try to think of things to write about. Now I realize this can happen when we hate our jobs and have no idea what we should be doing with our lives. But I don’t hate my job. In fact, being a full-time influencer is my dream job and I find so much purpose sharing tips with you all on how to dress, decorate and live fabulously. So it was astounding to me that even when we love what we do, we can still find ourselves unmotivated and feeling down.

It sucks to not have any motivation and it’s scary as a self-employed person because if you don’t work…well, you don’t make money. Just know that you’re not alone. A lot of people go through this and there are ways to get out of it.

I’m happy to say I am now back to being my motivated, happy-go-lucky self and excited for lots of projects coming up. There were a couple things that helped me get back on track so I wanted to share five ways to motivate yourself.

5 WAYS TO MOTIVATE YOURSELF

1. Know that you’re not alone

A lot of people I spoke to, creatives and non-creatives, told me they knew exactly how I was feeling and had experienced this themselves at one point in time. They assured me that in time this phase would pass. They encouraged me to not be so hard on myself and to see the good in everything. Just hearing that this phase would pass really helped.

2. Take a break to do something you love

I love to travel. It clears my mind and opens my eyes to new things. So one thing that really helped me get focused again was a trip out of town with my girlfriends to Rancho Mirage. I was able to relax and think about things other than work. The 3-day trip helped clear my mind gave me plenty of occasions to laugh. I came back home feeling so much better and ready to work.

3. Think positive

Even when it seems like the world is falling down around you, it’s important to think positive. A positive mindset has immense influence. (Check out my post on the Power of a Positive Mindset here.) Read a book like “The Secret” or my personal favorite “Being a Badass” to help lift your spirits. I also recommend watching a documentary called “Happy.” I had no idea that 50% of our genetic makeup, 10% of social factors (income, social status, etc) and 40% of our own actions are what make up our happiness!

4. Surround yourself with positive and happy people

What really helped me feel not so alone in this depressing state were my friends who understood what I was going through and who had at some point experienced what I was feeling. It made me feel better just to be around positive thinkers.

5. Reward Yourself

Take time to reward yourself for a job well done. Finished a big project? Got a new client? Congrats! Go celebrate and treat yourself to a job well done! Studies show a reward is a great motivator! After getting through 3 big items on my to-do list I would reward myself with an episode of Fixer Upper and some chocolate. Hey, whatever works!

What about you? What are the best ways to motive yourself? Please share them in the comments!