One of my previous posts introduced the idea of being motivated and I have been reading and listening to a lot of material about how to stay motivated lately. What keeps each of us motivated is so different. Yet, I imagine there are a few similarities. So, I'm going to share how I stay motivated.
So, the most important way that I stay motivated is by reconnecting back to spirit or grounding myself. I do this in so many ways. I do it by being physically active, being out in nature, going home for a good sweat, being around family and friends and filling myself with positive energy. All of which, happens to be other ways I also stay motivated. It is sort of a process for me. They don't always go in order, but this is generally the process and order I motivate myself in:
Staying physically active is so important to not only my motivation, but my overall health; mental, physical, emotional and spiritual. When I am being lazy and eating poorly, laying around my apartment watching all my TV shows on Hulu and Netflix eating Potato chips with my favorite French onion dip....its time to go hike or run!! haha Although, I am a pretty active person, I can be so lazy when I want! haha I now know myself enough to know that when I feel down, lazy, I can't think or nothing is going my way, I need to go hike or run. The hardest thing ever is changing and lacing up my shoes! lol But that's where I start...I lace up my shoes and slowly work my way to the door and then just go. Go for a walk, a hike or a run! It doesn't matter how far or how long I go for...it only matters that I showed up. Then I just listen to my body. So sometimes I run a few miles, or hike a mountain or walk a mile! haha The important thing is that I do it and feel instantly better. The moment I feel myself breaking a sweat or breathing hard, I know that I am on the right track. Its like instant motivation! haha There is something about being out in nature and pushing myself physically that reminds me that I am capable of way more than I am allowing myself to believe. Which leads me to my next motivating factor...being in nature.
It is not about the physical exercise itself, its the combination of physical activity and being in nature. Those two things reconnect me and ground me back to my spirit, the Creator or however you view your higher power. And that is ultimately what starts my motivation kick! haha There is something so powerful about being outside smelling the tree sap and moist dirt on a warm day; hearing the birds chirping and my own breathing; seeing the sun glow onto everything and all the little animals scurry about; and feeling the ground beneath my feet and the sweat trickle down that is empowering and reminding. It reminds me of how really simple life is. I am thankful for those little reminders. And when I can be in a place of gratitude and see how simple things are, it puts things in perspective. All of a sudden things seem more attainable and I feel motivated to do something... anything! lol I use physical activity to process through my thoughts and feelings as well. So, this is a perfect process for me. I can get motivated as I think about what my next step is!
Then, I usually come home all pumped about an idea or plan! haha So, what do I do? I call someone! lol My next motivating factor is relying on friends and family for encouragement. I am a pretty social person, so I like to talk! haha So, for me, it only makes sense that I bounce my ideas and plans off my friends and family for support or advice. Now, I admit, sometimes I am not the greatest at taking advice or criticism..but I'm getting better at it! lol And if it is coming from someone I care about and I know cares about me, then I usually process it over some time and ultimately take the advice to better myself. So, back to calling someone! lol I call my mom, dad, Bro and all my friends. I'll go down my favorites list in my cell phone contacts until I get someone! haha Then, I just talk, visit and share whatever comes to mind. I am so blessed and fortunate to have family and friends that I can do this with. I know sometimes we don't have supportive families for that. However, I truly believe that we can create our own family and support network. It doesn't necessarily have to be our blood relatives, it can be those who we have built relationships with. My parents call them our Spiritual Family. AND, we choose our friends. So, if you don't have that support from family and friends, I recommend adding a few peeps to your family and maybe a few new friends who are supportive. So, I share with my friends and family and they support, encourage or give advice. This is motivating for me because I know I can rely on that support and encouragement even when I might forget.
Friends and family also fall into this next motivating factor....surrounding myself with passionate, motivated people. I am sort of particular about who I surround myself with. Because of some past friendships and relationships in the past, I tend to be limited with who I let close to me nowadays. However, the cool thing about that is that I have ended up with some very amazing people to call friends/family :) The majority of my friends are artists in a variety of fields: acting, music, painting, behavioral health, fashion design, modeling, entrepreneurship, ect. Watching them be passionate about what they do, inevitably motivates me to be passionate about what I do! It is really simple, when I see someone else capable, passionate, energized and motivated, it gives me permission to do the same....and that is awesome! lol I truly believe that is what friends are for. It is give and take. Sometimes I may be feeling more passionate and motivated and maybe one of my friends needs that encouragement. It isn't always 50/50...sometimes friendships are 70/30 or 80/20! haha But the point is, I like to surround myself with people like that. People who are passionate, energized, excited and...yep...motivated!
My last motivating factor is pumping myself full of positive energy. There are so many other ways in which I stay motivated, but these are the main ones for me. So, filling myself with positive energy. Sounds simple...and it is simple! lol However, sometimes I make it so complicated! lol My parents talk about 'spiral down language.' It is language that is negative and ultimately pulls you down. It is so easy to get caught up in that type of language. "I can't." "But." "What will people think." "I'm too fat." "I'm not smart enough." There are so many things that I/we say to ourselves that is so negative and we start to believe it after a while. Over the years, I have noticed that about myself. When I am not taking care of myself by working out, being close to nature and all my other motivating factors, I start to talk myself down. I act like I am not capable of doing whatever it is that I want to do. Also, over the years, I have learned to recognize when I am doing this to myself. Now, I try really hard to stay positive. Sometimes its easier than other times, but the key is to try and create daily uplifting habits. For example, I read all the time. I read The Daily Love: Growing Into Grace by Mastin Kipp. I read inspirational quotes on Facebook. I read The Book of Awakening by Mark Nepo. I read quotes that I post on my little whiteboard in my apartment. I have even gone as far as writing positive, encouraging sayings and quotes on post its! I posted them up all over my apartment. That way no matter where I turned, there was something positive to read! haha I watch encouraging and uplifting YouTube videos and movies. Don't get me wrong, I love a good action movie full of explosives, high speed chases and shooting! haha But I know that when I need encouragement and motivation, those probably aren't the movies I should watch! lol
So, when it comes to filling yourself with positive energy, it doesn't matter what it is or how you consume it. What matters is that you do it on a consistent basis. Sometimes I do it even when I may not fully believe it yet. But I know I will at some point. So I continue to read, watch, write and do whatever I need to fill myself with that positive energy. Which is also another reason why I write this blog. Writing this blog helps me help myself. My parents always say, "we teach what we need to learn." I believe this. I know I need help keeping myself motivated, so what better way than to help others stay motivated and vice versa.
So, there it was! haha The process by which I get myself motivated and stay motivated!
Like I mentioned in the beginning, we all have different ways to motivate ourselves, even though there are some similarities. So, let me know what you do to motivates yourself and stay there! Hope y'all have a great week :)
Blessings,
Krystal Rain
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