Where is My Motivation? - MJ Blehart

There are days where finding my motivation is particularly challenging.

I cannot tell you why, or how…it just happens. I strive to do a thing, and my motivation goes out the window.

One of the biggest challenges I face is reclaiming my motivation. When I do, more things get accomplished, and I achieve more.

I am going to apologize in advance for this post. It is probably going to be rambling, because that’s where my thoughts are as I write this.

One place where I have maintained motivation lately is reading. For a long time, I wasn’t really reading. And even though I listen to audiobooks a bunch, I do not consider that “reading,” no matter what I may gain from it. Overall, though, I have gotten through far more books in the past year than I had in a while.

Reading is an amazing stimulus for the mind. On multiple levels. I mix up reading fiction and non-fiction/motivational/self-help/mindfulness stuff.

I have, over the years, encountered the quotes of Marcus Aurelius. So I decided to download and read his Meditations. Well, I tried.

Maybe the translation I acquired is bad. Or maybe his work really is just that super-dry…but it was not holding my attention. I had to put it down. Because it was the third or fourth non-fiction I had read in a row, I decided to switch to some sci-fi.

Much more reading is happening, and I am enjoying the book I chose.

Motivation for reading has been easiest to come by. There are, however, three other places I need to motivate myself better, because it will make me feel better.

Motivation is a nonstop process

For years now, I have been practicing meditation. I find that when I meditate, it stills my mind and helps me center myself. Meditation also has been good for depression, because it allows me to just sit still and breathe, and while that might seem scary when coping with depression, it is actually calming.

Daily meditation is challenging for me. I have a tendency to make excuses and busy myself in ways that interfere with this practice. Chances are, this is another form of self-sabotage. Even with my daily reminder on my phone, meditation has not become a daily habit.

Writing happens a minimum of twice a week, because of the blogs. Positivity on Monday, Pathwalking on Wednesday. The former is now five years old, the latter over seven years. The rest of the week, though, is hit-or-miss. Daily writing is a habit I do not always practice – and yet I know that I should.

Again, I suspect this is a form of self-sabotage. I am a writer/author, and I have a couple of different books in my queue for completion and publication. Motivating to get them out there, though, is proving to be another challenging habit to create.

Last, and not least, is my physical health. I need to be better about what, when, and how much I eat. I have a terrible tendency to let myself get out of control, and not be so good about what I am consuming. Along this same line, I need to be better about my exercise. To put it bluntly, there needs to be more.

SO, motivation that impacts my spirit, my mind, and my body. Because I am out-of-balance on these lines, it is no surprise that I am finding myself challenged on motivation overall.

The question is – how do I reclaim this, and get myself on track?

Motivate my motivation

Short answer – I haven’t a clue.

Long answer – I need to find some options to work with. Maybe another go at lists. Perhaps I need to set-up an accountability partner to check in on me, and remind me mercilessly to get it done. Maybe I need a combination of these options.

I also need to follow-through on an idea I keep batting around. It is time to take a step back from social media. I think if I limit my exposure to the crazy, negativity, and distraction that is social media, it’s possible for me to better find my motivation.

Motivation An old boss of mine once accused me of an internet addiction. My evidence that I do not have such was Pennsic – I spend more than a week offline. Could someone addicted do that? But as the tech makes access easier, I find that my escape is no longer total.

Maybe it’s less of an addiction, and more of a codependence. That seems plausible.

SO – motivation. I know what I need to do. The key, as always, is action. Consciousness creates reality. Thoughts, feelings, and actions combined manifest my life. I need to move past thought, into feeling and intentional actions.

Let’s see what I can do with this. Thanks for letting me ramble at you.

Thank you for reading these words, and taking part in my ongoing journey. Thank you for joining me.

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This is the fourteenth entry of my personal blog. Please take a moment to check out the collection of my published writing, which can be found here.

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