Staying Motivated and Inspired – Eleven Simple Steps You Can Take
After the initial euphoria of learning something new, or starting a new project or new business it often comes down to just you and ‘it’ working together everyday.
Sometimes you may find your enthusiasm faltering and wonder why you are doing ‘it’ in the first place.
Personally, I have hit this wall a few times over the last few months, but have discovered several ways to get me back on track.
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1. Send an email to a friend or mentor – connect with someone who understands what you are going through
- I have found several mentors over the last 18-months and met people at workshops and seminars from all over the United States. many of these people I now have the privilege of calling many of them my friends.
2. Get in the conversation – join a social networking site like Twitter or Facebook (or The Dreaming Café Community) and start meeting new and interesting people who share similar interests
I have met so many wonderful people on Twitter. You can read more about them in my blog post Twitter = relationships and communities
3. Attend a seminar or workshop – a great way to meet new people and learn something new or to just tap into the energy of a room full of focused, excited, motivated people
These are some great workshops I will be attending, thinking of attending or have attended in the past: Follow Through Camp, Creative Dig and Inspired Livelihood PowWow
4. Sign up for a teleclass or online workshop– an amazing way to feel connected and re-energized from the comfort of your home
5. Read for inspiration, knowledge and fun – biographies, how-to books, inspirational fiction, magazines, blogs, etc
some of my favorite blogs: Joyfully Jobless, Inspired Livelihood, Career Renegade, The Art of Dramatic Living, What Are You Giving Away, Dirty Footprints Studio, and Blisschick
6. Sign-up for newsletters from some of your favorite writers, speakers, artists or entrepreneurs – it always amazes me that I find just what I need in my Inbox (or mailbox) when I need it.
Check out the websites listed above and get on their mailing lists…and don’t forget to subscribe to The Dreaming Cafe’s newsletter- HERE.
7. Turn your car into a workshop on wheels and learn while you sit in traffic or drive for miles – listen to audio recordings of workshops, seminars and lectures, and non-fiction books
I have several audio CD’s in my car right now including Guerrilla Marketing in 30-days and Marketing on a Shoestring
8. Take a break – take a nap, sleep in, watch a movie, read a trashy novel, disconnect from all electronic communication for a day
Sometimes I just need to slow down and remind myself to take care of myself.
9. Physical movement – take a walk, run, lift some weights, take a Yoga class – just start moving your body and get your heart pumping and your blood flowing
Again, this is about reminding myself to take care of myself. I tend to live in my head and I forget the rest of me exists.
10. Join a club, association or group related to something you are interested in – Meetup.com is an easy way to find groups in your area and to meet people with similar interests from entrepreneurship to writing to knitting
I have attended a women’s business meeting for entrepreneurs and signed up to attend a writers group meeting.
11. Organize your own group meeting and invite people you know to share what you are doing and learning and invite others to do so, too
I started a Womens’ Creativity Group earlier in the year and although it didn’t work out I connected with some business associates and friends on a new level. I am thinking of starting a new group for creative entrepreneurs.
These are all of the things that have helped me get back on track, reconnect with myself and my goals and dreams and feel motivated and inspired once again.
I am sure you have a few of your own. Leave a reply and share your keys to staying motivated and inspired.
Posts are like that. Sometimes you find them when you need them.
Somehow I missed this post before – but it’s just what I needed to read this week!