3 creative ways to find your motivation

It’s there and then it disappears… Motivation is a state of mind and a lifestyle in my opinion. Whenever you set any goals you will no doubt encounter setbacks, so it’s important to look at motivation as something that becomes part of your everyday routine. Just as we exercise for our bodies to keep fit and healthy, our mind needs the same attention and nurturing. When in balance, you are able to see both sides of any situation and are freely able to make a decision that will impact you towards a positive outcome. This is what the solution driven concept is all about and I strive to believe this comes from our motivation levels.

We are only human however, and when things get tough, motivation can easily slip away and turn into procrastination. You know, that feeling when you say to yourself “Yes I am ready to do this” but within the next 5 minutes you find every possible excuse to postpone it? This happens of course because you are losing sight of your intention, therefore your motivation levels will drop. Fear also likes to make its arrival just at the time when you are about to do something great, and this is because your ego is there to keep you “safe” and in your comfort zone. When you really want to do something because it’s important to you, procrastination will take a back seat because you will feel inspired and motivated to do it. So what can you do to bring yourself back into a balanced state of motivation? It’s important to note that although motivation can be externally or internally driven, the most powerful type will always be from within. Because this means you are not depending on any external factors to guide the way you feel and how you behave. Finding motivation from within can be a long process, and one at which you constantly need to work on. So you need to find ways that will not only rise your motivation, but which will also empower you from within to carry on any task at your optimum performance.

CREATE A MOODBOARD

I was first introduced to this concept whilst studying fashion many years ago. I used to watch documentaries about the lives of the world’s biggest trend setters such as Gianni Versace, Dior, Karl Laggerfield and learning about their creative process. So I felt inspired to start my own mood board full of magazine cutouts which showcased the latest trends, different patterns and colour contrasts. I learned just how powerfully influential a mood board can be and its effects on my everyday life. Later on, as I moved onto studying psychology, I reverted back to my previous habit of creating a mood board, this time showcasing images that represented life ideals for me, inspirational words and phrases and everything else I wanted to have in my life. The best thing about creating a mood board is that it opens up your creativity. And when this happens, you instantly feel a sense of inspiration which turns into motivation. In the moment when you see everything you want on it, you send signals to your unconscious part of the brain to give it a precise image of what it need to start working towards. But of course, this is not a one stop shop, because to maintain it you have to constantly use it as your source of inspiration. You must really look at it everyday and imagine that all of those images are actually part of your life already, they just haven’t yet manifested themselves to you. Use your mood board to give you the guidance in every moment, especially when things are not going the way you want them to. Looking at it will remind you of who you are and what you are striving for.

DANCE DANCE DANCE

Dancing is a great way of physical exercise which helps you find your rhythm. It is often associated with the sacral chakra which represents creativity, amongst other things. Motivation and creativity go hand in hand I believe, because when one is high, the other one will match its pace. When you are low in creativity for example, you will most likely feel demotivated and unbalanced. And when your motivation is low, your creativity will more often than not feel blocked. In NLP for example, there is a concept called The Law of Requisite variety, which states that the more flexible a person is, the more choices they have presented to them, meaning they gain control over the outcome. So in order to find and maintain your motivation, you must first open up the flow within you and become adaptable in your daily approach.

REVAMP YOUR STYLE

The way you choose to dress can actually have a great impact on your motivation levels. The thing about fashion is that sometimes people believe they need to follow trends in order to be trendy. This is such a myth. Your style should be unique to you and the way you wear something has very little to do with the piece of clothing and more to do with how you choose to embrace it. To me it only makes sense that when you look good, you instantly feel good. This also brings out more confidence in you which in turn can empower you to find your authenticity and feel motivated in consistently living by that. Finding your style and embracing it will no doubt help you feel more motivated and comfortable in your own skin to reach towards greatness.