Restoring the Balance

About a week and a half ago, I was challenged with determining my different triggers for motivation, or lack there of.  I was feeling a bit foggy, mentally, so the exercise was intended to pinpoint the reason(s) why.  I covered this in a previous blog, so you may remember that the number of active "bad triggers" greatly outnumbered the active "good triggers".  I have since restructured various things and am back in a really great space and frame of mind.  The following is that same list of triggers, but I've updated the hi-lighting to show which are in play right now.  Those marked with an asterisk had been hi-lighted during the original exercise.  I can clearly see that I've restored the balance.  

I’ve also been able to recognize that the main trigger that led to the landslide of other de-motivators was the break in routine.  That one seemed to allow the others to creep in and take over.  I need to develop a plan for those temporary breaks to ensure that doesn’t happen again  

If anyone has been feeling this same way, I would highly recommend trying this exercise.  It made things so clear by putting pen to paper.  It also made it much easier to get back on track having a clear outline of what was working against me.

In general, the following are things that really motivate me,

- Specific goals with deadlines

- A well-rounded plan

- Group challenges

- Being accountable to others or having others relying on me

- Personal challenges...but I need someone else to share these with

- Taking part in special events

- Learning new information (forms, techniques, etc)

- Analyzing and breaking things down in order to understand the whole

- Being tested

- Motivating others

- Tracking numbers and hitting milestones

- Measurable progress

- Making key discoveries

- Organizing and planning challenges/events/etc

- Being told I can't

- Blogging (both writing and reading)

- Regular meetings or interactions with instructors/mentors

- Sharing in the success of those around me

- Making lists

- Reading

And in general, these are the things that sap my motivation,

- Breaks in routine*
- Injury or illness
- Ongoing external negative energy or influence*
- Excessive change/uncertainty*
- Personal or professional conflicts
- Long term lack of sleep
- Perceived or actual lack of progress
- A stagnant training regime*
- Extended periods of unhealthy eating*
- Unwanted responsibility*
- Lack of a plan*
- Focusing on too many things at once*