When you embark on doing something new, what keeps you motivated? What helps you follow through with a project or new habits even when your goal feels big or hard to reach? I’ve said it before. The pandemic has encouraged experimentation and creativity for many of us. The uncertainty in the world created an atmosphere of trying things we’ve never done before. I’ve noticed a shift, “Life is so unpredictable, what do I have to lose?”

This brings me to a recent lesson I learned about motivation. In the spring, I planted a tiny herb and vegetable garden in our greenhouse. You can read more about it in my post, How Has Uncertainty Inspired Your Time to Be Different? After decades of convincing myself that I’m not a gardener and could not grow food, I felt motivated to try. The effect of the pandemic enabled me to try out a different script. It was a “Why not?” attitude, rather than an “I can’t” perspective.

“Motivation is in the growing.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®

The Story

My motivation to create a garden came from wanting to grow my own fresh food. It turned out that selecting plants, and finding the right spot to place them was fun and straightforward. I opted for a tiny garden, which wasn’t overwhelming. Each day I cared for the plants by touching their leaves, smelling them, saying “hello,” and watering them when needed. My daily reward is that I get to pick fresh basil, dill, or cilantro to add to our salads or mint to my iced tea. The herbs have been immediately available and continue to grow.

The cherry tomato plant, however, needed time. Does that sound familiar? How often do we need more time to grow? So while I was picking my basil and dill, I cared for the tomato plant, fascinated by its growing process. Little flowers appeared. From there, tiny green tomatoes grew. Finally, one single tomato turned a luscious bright red color. I sent photos to my gardener guru friend for her advice. She confirmed that it was picking and eating time. So with great delight, I plucked the tomato, cut it in half, and shared it with my husband. It was delicious, worth the wait, and so joyful to share it with someone I love.

Big Lesson Learned

My small garden has taught me that with an open attitude, care, and patience, not only will the plants thrive, but I will also grow. Motivation is in the growing. As you take on new projects or habits, it is the journey where the magic happens. And when you arrive at your destination, I hope that your ripe red tomato will be waiting for you to appreciate and enjoy.

What motivation lessons have you noticed? What motivates you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation!

Have you noticed that sometimes motivation feels effortless, and in other instances, it seems impossible to get going? Often our motivation, or lack thereof, depends on the circumstance, the day, timing, or what you’re pursuing.  You might find it easy to edit and organize a drawer full of t-shirts, yet challenging to go through the piles of paper on your desk. As an organizer, while I often cheer on my clients to assist them when they get stuck, motivation is very much an inside job. By accident, I discovered a helpful strategy that is especially useful when you’re having trouble with self-motivation.

At the start of every morning, I practice mindfulness meditation. I use the Insight Timer app, where I experiment with different teachers and types of guided meditation. Often the practices I work with are breath-focused, but they can also include a focus that shifts from the breath to the body, to sounds, sensations, or thoughts. During meditation, it’s common for the mind to wander. If I’m focusing on a particular awareness, my mind can drift elsewhere. The practice is to gently bring my attention back to the focus of awareness without judgment. Return to the breath or the sounds, or the sensations in the body.

my big ah-ha

We notice what we focus on at the exclusion of all else. So when your attention is on your breath, you are only aware of the breath. When your attention is on the sounds around you, the breath focus disappears. How does this relate to motivation?

“We notice what we focus on at the exclusion of all else.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®

Consider this. When you’re struggling to get motivated, what are you paying attention to? Are you thinking about how hard it’s going to be to get “x” done? Are you thinking that you don’t feel like doing “x?” Are you concerned that you don’t want to fail, or don’t have the information you need to move ahead? The negative and unhelpful messages you’re focusing on are sabotaging your motivation. 

What if instead of when you lacked motivation, you shifted your attention? What would serve you better? Instead of focusing on how hard something is going to be to get done, what if you thought about the smallest next step? If instead of dwelling on your don’t-feel-like-doing-it ideas, you pondered how great it will feel when you begin?

The next time you are struggling with getting motivated, listen to what your mind is saying. How can you shift your awareness to focus on productive, supportive thoughts? Do you think this strategy will work for you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation!

The word motivation is synonymous with purpose, drive, momentum, and determination. I also attribute fast-paced energy and movement to motivation. I don’t normally associate the word, calm, as a motivation descriptor. Do you? Interestingly though, I had a recent experience that shifted my perspective on motivation. I thought my story might resonate with you and be useful the next time you encounter motivation tumult.

Summer is one of my favorite seasons to be outside and enjoy nature. That includes walking along or kayaking on the river, weeding in the garden, stopping to smell and take photos of the flowers, or jumping the ocean waves. I love the intensity of scents, sounds, sights, and sensations. On one of these perfect weather days, my husband and I went kayaking. I loved the sound of my oar sloshing in the water as it moved through the river and pulled me forward. As much as I enjoyed rowing, I also appreciated just being still and letting the current propel my boat and me along.

We rented the kayaks for two hours, which meant that we had an hour to paddle up the river before heading back to shore. We had a destination, a purpose, and a place to get to. We were motivated to get there. But here’s the thing. We didn’t rush. We meandered. We had no concern about arriving and simply enjoyed the journey. We didn’t go quickly. We paddled some, stopped, floated while snacking on cherries, and paddled some more. We felt motivated, yet so very calm and peaceful.

It was also liberating. The idea of having a destination in mind, a will to get there, yet doing it in a calm, relaxed way, was a wonderful feeling. How often do we get caught up in the frenzy that motivation can bring? We can become so focused on getting there, wherever there is, that we miss the joy of the journey. Or, we overlook the fact that our passage can actually be tranquil. 

At one point we hit some rapid water. It was too challenging to paddle forward. Since the river was shallow at that spot, we jumped out of our kayaks and walked them to calmer waters. On our return, we passed through the fast waters again. But this time since we were going with the current, we remained in our boats and rode them downriver. What an incredible sensation to be carried swiftly downstream by the river and then return once again to a leisurely pace. 

Have you ever experienced motivation calm? What were the circumstances? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to our conversation!

The other morning I was walking along one of my favorite meandering paths next to the Hudson River. It was a warm summer day. Since it wasn’t yet a scorcher, people were jogging, conversing, sitting, bicycling, and fishing. Several folks were walking their dogs. I noticed a man at the river’s edge playing fetch with his four-legged friend. I stopped to watch as the pup hyper-focused on the stick, waiting for his person to throw it into the water.

In anticipation of the branch being released, the pooch’s high motivation was clearly visible as he dove enthusiastically into the water to retrieve it. Over and over the dog waited, focused, swam, and fetched. I’m not sure who was having more fun- the dog, his person, or me. 

With a big smile, I finally pulled myself away and continued my walk. Here’s the thing, though. At that moment, my mind made a connection about what I just saw. It occurred to me that motivation becomes almost effortless when the goal is clear. And the more straightforward and better defined the goal is, the easier it is for motivation to flow. 

Let’s look at the stick-fetching example. The pup had one clear goal- retrieve the stick. Nothing else mattered. Birds, fish, or other passersby didn’t distract him. His mission was to return the stick to his friend- over and over again. The pups’ motivation flowed freely with his singular focus to get the stick!

Has your motivation ever been compromised? Has this made it challenging for you to activate? This can happen for many reasons, which include:

• Having too many goals

• Having a lack of clarity around your purpose

• Being overwhelmed by too many steps

• Being unsure of where to begin

• Being unclear about what to do next

• Lacking information needed to continue

• Feeling conflicted with competing priorities

• Being exhausted

• Lacking confidence

The next time you’re struggling with getting motivated, think about the dog-fetching story. How can you simplify your goal, and reduce it to that one thing? After you distill the goal, your motivation will quickly rise from within and propel you forward. So whether you are trying to get organized, planning your next vacation, or preparing to host a big event, think small. Think simply. Think about breaking the big thing into a tiny, more manageable goal. Watch what happens.

What helps you unleash your motivation? What resonates with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.