Think of a time when you felt very stressed, your confidence was low or things were not going your way. Close your eyes and immerse yourself in this memory for a minute. Then, make notes in the table straightaway about how you felt. Under physical, write down what you felt in your body; you might write ‘exhaustion’. Under ‘mental’ write down what was going on your mind; you might write ‘racing thoughts’. ‘Emotional’ is the space for what you felt, such as ‘sad’ or ‘angry’, and under spiritual write something about your sense of meaning or place in the world, such as ‘lost’ or ‘disconnected’. Now, do the same for a positive memory, when you were happy and confident, and compare the notes. What strikes you as obvious or surprising? What traits could you try to emulate to turn a bad day into a good one?
5. Reflect on what motivates you and what doesn’t
We all experience ups and downs in motivation, but if you have hit a wall it is time to closely examine what motivates you and what distracts you, keeping you stuck where you are. In your journal, make a list of distractions and motivation-sappers, alongside a list of what really motivates you. These lists could look like this:
Distractions
- Checking social media and comparing myself to others
- Reading celebrity gossip websites
- Getting sidetracked while working on a project at home by tidying
- Drinking too much in the evenings
- Binge watching mindless television series
Motivators
- Reading an inspiring book or watching an inspiring film
- Networking with people in my industry
- Going for a run or a yoga class
- Going to an exhibition
- Meditating
By raising the awareness of your distraction tactics and reminding yourself of what keeps you on your track, you can make positive changes in your life to increase your motivation. Keep referring to your list whenever you feel your motivation slipping, and eventually you will naturally turn to your motivators, while being able to put rules into place around your de-motivators.