Posts tagged expectations
7 Powerful Motivation Quotes to Make You Feel Inspired When You Need a Boost

Motivation. Where is it when we need it? Where does it come from? You’ve probably experienced times when you felt highly motivated. On the other hand, you’ve likely gone through periods of low motivation.

There is a motivation spectrum, and it’s helpful to recognize that:

  • Motivation isn’t guaranteed.

  • Motivation needs to be cultivated.

  • Motivation goes through cycles.

  • Motivation thrives on clarity.

  • Motivation isn’t always instant.

  • Motivation responds to progress.

  • Motivation can be intrinsic, extrinsic, or a mix of both.

  • Motivation strengthens with purpose.

  • Motivation is restored by pauses.

  • Motivation can be reactivated.

  • Motivation flourishes with satisfaction.

  • Motivation grows through resilience.

Based on my personal experiences and working with my virtual organizing clients, I have identified five factors that most often disrupt motivation. They are:

  • Feeling overwhelmed.

  • Lacking clarity.

  • Being exhausted.

  • Having unrealistic expectations.

  • Not having support.

When you face a motivational challenge, use this list of quotes and ideas to help identify what you need at that moment.

  

7 Powerful Motivation Quotes to Feel Inspired When You Need It Most

1. Motivation needs to be cultivated.

You may experience a burst of energy, providing the motivation to get started. However, that’s not enough. Developing consistent habits encourages progress and increases motivation.

As Jim Ryan says, “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.”

 

 

2. Motivation thrives on clarity.

One of the most common motivational challenges is not being clear about the driver behind your actions. Without defining your ‘why,’ it becomes difficult to build and maintain motivation.

Cindy Sullivan says, “Not tuning in to the why behind our actions can translate to a lack of motivation to get the work done.”

 

 

3. Motivation responds to progress.

Don’t underestimate the power that making progress has on increasing your motivation. Redefine what progress means. It can include taking small steps, getting support, and acknowledging your wins.

Greg McKeown says, “Research has shown that all forms of human motivation, the most effective one is progress.”

  

 

4. Motivation strengthens with purpose.

Striving to reach a goal can be either motivating or de-motivating. If the goal is unreachable, you’ll probably feel less motivated. If your goal is right-sized, doable, purposeful, yet challenging, it will strengthen your motivation.

Ari Tuckman, PsyD, says, “Goals that feel impossible are de-motivating. Much better is a goal that may feel like a stretch, but is still possible – and actually worth the effort.”

 

Motivation responds to progress.
— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

  

5. Motivation can be reactivated.

Exhaustion and overwhelm can derail motivation. The good news is that pausing and stepping away from your task to reenergize can reignite your motivation. Struggle no more. Is it time to take a quick break?

Anne Lamott says, “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”

 

 

6. Motivation flourishes with satisfaction.

Have you considered how satisfaction influences motivation? There is joy and gratification in reaching your goals. This pursuit, along with the positive results you experience, nourishes your motivation.

Cassie Holmes, Ph.D., says, “Being a goal-driven species, we aren’t motivated merely by pleasure itself; we also gain pleasurable satisfaction from our accomplishments.”

 

 

7. Motivation grows through resilience.

No journey or pursuit happens without challenges. There will be hiccups and obstacles along the way. Keep pushing forward despite setbacks. Your motivation will grow stronger because of your resilience.

Japanese proverb says, “Fall seven times. Stand up eight.”

 

  

 

Why Does Motivation Matter?

Motivation comes in many strengths, from low to high and everything in between. When your motivation is fully in gear, it can feel like you’re in a state of flow. Obstacles are non-existent or easily solved. However, when motivation is low, it feels more like you’re walking through molasses. Even taking a small step can feel impossible.

It’s helpful to understand and develop motivation strategies. What inspires you most when your motivation is low? Which idea or quote resonates most with you?

I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

 

 

 

How Can I Help?

Do you need support with motivation, activation, or organization? I’d love to help! Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward – Local feel with a global reach.

Let’s talk. You can:

Organizing and sustaining motivation is possible, especially with support.

 
 
3 Ways to Joyfully Prepare for a Compassionate Holiday Season

Are you feeling the fast whoosh of time passing with the holiday season arriving, the elections looming, and the year ending? It’s a lot to take in. You may feel overwhelmed. Perhaps you’re thinking about what goals you wanted to accomplish this year, the time left to do it, and what is actually possible.

Maybe your thoughts are occupied with ‘regular’ life maintenance to-dos plus hundreds of holiday-related tasks, including gift shopping, holiday meal prepping, guestroom readying, travel planning, and family and friends’ gatherings.

Breathe. You’re human, and you’re juggling many things.

I often say that life is in the joyful doing and presence of the moment. And while that’s all well and good, when you’re stressed and overwhelmed, accessing that presence can be more challenging.

With so much going on with work and family, externally and internally, this time of year, making tiny adjustments is helpful. Infusing compassion and mindfulness into your thoughts and actions will encourage a more joyful, fulfilling, and happier holiday season.

I offer you a thought, question, and strategy to help.

 

 

3 Ways to Prepare for a Compassionate Holiday Season

1. One Thought: “We don’t have to be perfect.”

Let’s remove the idea of perfection from the holiday season. Why impose more pressure, stress, or unrealistic expectations on yourself or others?

Try channeling your perfectionism energy differently. Focus your energy on one of these options instead:

As the Noom app said about overcoming thought distortions, “…it’s about recognizing that we don’t have to be perfect. We’re human.”

Which reframe of perfectionism (one suggested or something else) is helpful for you?

Breathe. You’re human, and you’re juggling many things.
— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

2. One Question: “Am I putting myself in good positions and creating the conditions for success?”

One of my favorite recent discoveries is James Clear’s weekly 3-2-1 email, which my client told me about. The idea he wrote about last month feels relevant and worth sharing.

Clear wrote, “Forget about the outcome and focus on what precedes it.” He asks, “Am I putting myself in good positions and creating the conditions for success?”

Consider Clear’s question in the context of which actions and thoughts you can focus on to create a joyful, compassion-filled holiday season. They might include:

What will you choose to focus on to create a positive holiday season?

We don’t have to be perfect.
— James Clear

3. One Strategy: “Accept help.”

Do you tend to do everything yourself? Perhaps you don’t want to impose on others. Or, Seth Godin suggests you might think, “Doing the tasks is more efficient than coordinating the help.” Either philosophy results in you doing all the work, which can lead to resentment and exhaustion. Neither of those is a recipe for happy holidays.

Whatever the season, enlisting and accepting help improves your life. We’re human and benefit from the support and interactions with others. What type of help will benefit your life and infuse more ease? Who can you ask for help? How will that change your experience? If you’re having guests over and they offer to help, lean in and say “Yes.” Have tasks ready to delegate. It will make them feel comfortable and reduce pressure from your list.

Godin says, “It’s much more productive to accept help. When we have a project, part of the work is to enlist others in figuring out how to make the change we seek.”

Let me know if you’re stressed and need a thought partner, decluttering and organizing guide, planning help, or accountability buddy. In my virtual organizing sessions, I offer one-hour focused sessions, ongoing support, and personalized guidance to help you with your goals and challenges. I’m available and am ready to help.

 

 

Human Holiday

Do you know the 1953 movie Roman Holiday, starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck? This season, I encourage you to embody a Human Holiday.

  • Let go of what you can.

  • Invite in what you want.

  • Enlist the help you need.

For a less stressful and happier holiday season and beyond, I’m here to help. Please schedule a Discovery Call, email me at linda@ohsorganized.com, or call 914-271-5673. Organization and ease are possible, especially with support.

5 Best Ideas Shared Here by Pros to Help You Make a Promising Fresh Start

We are still at the beginning of the New Year, yet we can embrace a fresh start at any time. You can begin again any moment, minute, hour, day, month, season, or year. Your attitude about ‘new’ can determine an optimistic or pessimistic start. 

While I feel incredibly energized in January, I also regularly experience a positive anticipatory sense at the beginning of each day. Most mornings when I wake, I am energized by the clean slate and promise a new day brings with its plans, surprises, and quiet moments that will unfold. 

To understand other views, I was curious what my thoughtful colleagues’ perspectives were about fresh starts and new beginnings. I reached out to this generous group – Al Bingham, Felice Cohen, Juliet Landau-Pope, Christine Li, and Yota Schneider. I asked them to respond to and elaborate on this prompt-

How do you make the most of a fresh start?

Their diverse responses include having no expectations to delving deeply. My deepest gratitude goes to this inspiring group for sharing their time, hearts, and wisdom with us.

 

 

5 Best Ideas to Help You Make a Promising Fresh Start

1. Remain Open

“I make the most of a fresh start by trying to have ZERO assumptions about what is going to happen. That way, I remain open to what might be and not wound up by what I might expect to happen when I often have no idea what might actually happen. When I have no assumptions or expectations going in, I can enjoy the process and the eventual outcome without having them mean anything negative about me — and that is a wonderful thing.” 

Christine Li, Ph.D. – Procrastination Coach, Clinical Psychologist, Make Time for Success podcast Host

 

 

 2. Stay Focused

“I think of every day as a fresh start, a new beginning, a new chance to get things done. To help make the day productive, each day starts with a clean To-Do list. A list offers steps to follow, guides you toward a goal, and keeps you on target to avoid falling down a TikTok rabbit hole. (Use TikTok as a reward for finishing a task on the list.) Every task completed, whether easy or time-consuming, motivates you toward completing another. Then another. Remember, you don’t have to get it all done today; there’s always tomorrow.”

Felice Cohen – Author, Speaker, Professional Organizer

 

 

3. Be Present

“Faced with a fresh challenge, it’s tempting to look back, reviewing previous efforts and setbacks. Or perhaps to project into the future, speculating on possible outcomes. While there’s much to be learned from looking back and forward, both drive you into your head, fuelling fears and fantasies rather than forward into action. No wonder over-thinking is a common cause of procrastination. If you aim to boost motivation, adopt a more mindful approach to your present situation. Focus on what matters most, right here, right now. Then identify the very first step and take the leap.”

Juliet Landau-Pope MA, PG Cert AP, CPCC, FRSA – Productivity Coach, Virtual Organizer

 

We are still at the beginning of a New Year, yet we can embrace a fresh start at any time.
— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO™

 

 4. Manifest Attention

“During the big reveal on makeover shows, the heroes don’t endlessly harp on how lousy things were before. Instead, there are tears of joy, wonder, gratitude, and love for the fresh start they’re receiving. Discomfort and dismay may provide sparks that light the desire for change, but they're a lousy fuel source for enacting it. A fresh start involves three primal actions: bringing something forward, organizing it, and releasing something. Each needs careful attention. Love, wonder, and gratitude helps keep things roaring. When these ‘ends’ inform your ‘means,’ your awareness remains open to finding novel paths forward during the refresh process!” 

Al Bingham, e-RYT500, YACEP, FAFS – Yoga Teacher, Author

 

 

 5. Nurture Reflection

"At the threshold of a new beginning, it is important to stay open, curious, and honest. If I don’t want old patterns repeating themselves, I have to decide what to leave behind and how to show up. I love taking long walks and drives and having intimate conversations with myself. I reflect on what I love about this fresh start. Then I ask, what are my fears? What habits, behaviors, beliefs, and attitudes could undermine me? Am I ready to let them go? What’s next? As answers and insights bubble up, I grow more confident, clear, and excited about the journey ahead."

Yota Schneider – Life Coach, Retreat Facilitator, Blogger


While January is almost over, there will be more opportunities for fresh starts. What helps you make the most of a fresh start? Are there specific periods you are more energized than others? Which ideas resonate most with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

 
 
How to Easily Let Go When Your Needs and Wants Absolutely Conflict
How to easily let go when your needs and wants absolutely conflict

What happens when you need to work, push, and get things done, yet you feel like doing the exact opposite? When needs and wants conflict, which one wins out? Are you able to let go? Do you forge ahead despite the competing feelings? Do you compromise? Do you listen to the voice that is pulling you in the ‘opposite’ direction? Does procrastination take hold?

As I’ve described before, my natural tendency is to push myself. It’s not that I’m always working. I’m not. I purposely take breaks, have work boundaries, and make time to not do. However, I can still be hard on myself. It’s this deep sense I have to continually strive and complete. It’s not necessarily a negative thing, but there are times, like now, when my usual mode of operating competes with the loss and grief I’m experiencing. My typically wider bandwidth feels much narrower these days. It is only a few weeks since my mom died, and I have less energy.

I was willing to let go of my expectations and listen to what my heart and mind needed.
— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO™

I gifted myself a compromise. Instead of writing more, I’ll share a video of the places I’ve been exploring with you. I’ve enjoyed being outside in the spring air to walk, see, smell, capture, and experience its beauty and magnificence. It’s just what I needed. Seeing the Hudson Valley landscape green and burst with color again feels beautifully affirming and hopeful.

 

I was willing to let go of my expectations and listen to what my heart and mind needed. Quiet time with nature called. What have you let go of recently? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

 
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