Tips for Finding Motivation

I'm in the midst of a lovely mid-autumn day.  The sky is clear, the air crisp and my desire to do anything besides stay in my pajamas drinking coffee strong.  On days like these I know that I should be up doing something - working out, writing, connecting with others but my motivation for doing so is, or until a few hours ago, lacking.

Some days when I experience these feelings, I am able to power through.  I'll convince myself to go for a run because that is what I 'should' do.  I come back from my run feeling energized or a least as though I accomplished something positive for my body.   Or I'll convince myself to just write one page and see how I feel afterward.  Typically, I'm able to fill that page and my ideas flow into more.

But then there are days that I experienced today.  Where I just don't want to do anything beyond crawling back into bed and pulling the covers over my head.  At least that is where my external desires lie.  But another part of me knows I should and could accomplish more in my day. 

So I did allow myself an extra bit of time to linger over my coffee this morning.  But then I gave into one of my biggest motivators to accomplish things - my youngest daughter.  She regularly asks for 'Mommy and me days'.  She has for years.  These days involve time for just the two of us and she plans out a day of fun stuff for us to do.  My daughter has been asking for a mommy and me day for almost a month but our schedules have not been free for a few hours together.  So when I felt like doing nothing today, I thought of how lucky I am to have a daughter who helps me see the fun side of life wanting to hang out and planned for a day outside doing stuff together.

On our little excursion I took a lot of pictures of our time out together.  Normally I would try to be fully present with where we were, but it was my daughter's idea to share our time in a blog post...

Here are my tips for finding motivation to do more in the day when the inspiration is lacking...

•   have a shower and use citrus shampoo or soap – that scent is invigorating

•   get dressed in something beyond sweats - a nice shirt or scarf; clothing that makes you feel dressed up

•   get outside - fresh air has a wonderful way of waking up all of the senses

•   do something that gets your blood pumping even just for 5 minutes - exercise stimulates the body and the mind

•   spend time with someone (or an animal) who helps you find joy in everyday things (or be that person for yourself)

•   be grateful for the opportunity to immerse yourself in something you love