what motivates you?

I am writing this as the sun rises; I am typically not a morning person. So, what has motivated me to jump right into things this early?

Excitement, enthusiasm and anticipation…

Why am I feeling so motivated? I am currently taking an e-course run by Holly of Decor8 and Leslie of A Creative Mint called Blogging Your Way. We are halfway through the course as of today and I have felt a great sense of motivation reading the material, listening to the pod-casts and interacting in the forum.

Motivation can come and go, much like the tide. At certain times it is up and at other times it is at a low point. How can motivation remain more consistent? In an earlier post I suggested that having a tangible image can help motivate us to keep our vision alive.

As part of our course work Holly suggested each student create a mood board relating how we wanted our blog to look and feel. As I was putting mine together it helped me define what was important to include; images and items that represented the desired topics and reason I began this blog. This was a motivating exercise because I now have an image that inspires me to keep moving toward my goal. Here it is…

a sense of purpose…

Motivation can grow when you believe there is a sense of purpose for the actions you are taking. This sense of purpose can be rooted in circumstances that may be uncomfortable or undesirable and you are motivated to change them. Or this sense of purpose can be rooted in knowledge that by refraining from certain action steps your situation may become worse.

an example…

As an example a person may be unhealthy. This may mean they eat a poor diet, rarely exercise and do not consistently get enough sleep. They may be motivated by what they see as an undesirable circumstance and want to change it.

By contrast a healthy person who engages in a good diet, exercises regularly and is well rested, is motivated to continue practicing certain habits to help ensure they do not become unhealthy.

Motivation is like a cheerleader, it gets you moving and prompts action.

Motivation can be found in the words you read, a voice you hear, a project you undertake, music you listen to, people you engage with, a certain place, images that surround you or being still and listening to your heart…

Many times motivation can be found by stepping outside of ourselves and what we feel we need and turn to someone else to help them.

Where do you find your motivation?