How many times within our lives do we lack motivation, and we tell ourselves, “I’ll get to it tomorrow” or “I’m just too tired”?
We sacrifice opportunity because of this motivational vacuum we create for ourselves, but where’s the line?
Of course, self-care is important. Sometimes we’re smart to not only take our time on a project but to say no altogether. That’s not necessarily because we lack the drive to achieve something, but because we have so much else going on.
My Focus
What I want to highlight are those moments we encounter in between.
My long time friend Kate inspired this post when we talked about going to the gym at an hour so early and despised it’s often synonymous with the evil of “He who must not be named”.
Whining aside, I needed to visualize success if I was going to get my butt out of bed. I needed to remind myself of why I want to go to the gym and what my goals are. I think that’s true for anything we involve ourselves with. We get so wrapped up in the challenges of a project we forget what our intention is. We lose sight of our ability to positively impact student life on our campuses. Whether you need to find someone to encourage your spark or watch a motivational Youtube video, I have some steps that could help with feeling stuck.
Steps To Success
My advice for whenever you’re feeling stuck or a little discouraged would be this;
- Take a deep breath.
- Take a step back from the project and evaluate where you are.
- Break down all of the steps necessary to finish the project.
- Optional dance party would be done at this time.
- Prioritize remaining steps by importance and urgency.
- Set deadlines for yourself on when each task needs to be finished by.
- Delegate if possible and ask for help when needed.
- Execute tasks
- Repeat when necessary.
WARNING you may need to remind yourself you are capable of more than you realize when stress occurs.
Giving up is easy. Telling ourselves we’re not good enough becomes second nature. Whatever the obstacle may be, nothing can prevent you from being your best self. No one can tell you, ‘you can’t achieve that’ if you don’t let them. Working in Higher Education has bestowed an awesome privilege to positively influence students and peers alike. Let’s make the most of it. Let’s make the most of today and every day after.
“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of day that says I’ll try again tomorrow” – Mary Anne Radmacher
