Motivate Yourself!

I remember like it was yesterday...September 1999 I hit the road around 7pm in a U-Haul truck.  Where was I going?  Off to college in Kentucky, nervous as all out, and limited funds to my name.  I recall telling myself along the way, "Tamara, you can do this, girl!  You're smart, you've been planning for this for a long time....you can make it."  Everything I ever wanted was about to start with this drive.  Odd thing is, my dreams, my plans, never included a child.  Well, there I went on my way to start a new journey, a new life, with a three month old son in tow.  I had to build something magnificent; my child was counting on that. 

When the plan changes, we have to dig deep and go back to what initially motivated us.  Why do you do the things that you do?  Why is it important to excel and blow off that glass ceiling?    We have to remember the why for the why.  So if you find yourself in a place, where you are questioning everything around you and looking for that ounce of fuel to move forward, apply these tips to motivate yourself.

1)  Go Back to the Drawing Board:  Recall the goal and initial motivation.  Your path to get to a certain place in life may change, but the end goal does not have to.  A GPS can provide many options to get to a destination, despite the terrain, roadblocks, toll roads, etc.  You may have to take a seat and remember where you're going, but spend more time mapping out an alternative route. 

2) Ask for Help:  Rome was not built in one day, nor was it built by one person.  It is ok to ask for assistance to reach those goals.  We all need a village to remind us, to push us, to encourage us that the impossible is possible. 

3) Turn That "No" into "Know":  Newsflash...you are going to be told no, and more than once in your life.  So what? Let that no be apart of your foundation for a yes.  Know that you are capable, know that you have the strength and perseverance to do ANYTHING that you set your mind to.  Know that life will hit you hard sometimes, but that hard life does not have to be forever. 

So,  my journey did not turn out so bad.  I made it Kentucky the next morning at 2am.  I worked hard, and I graduated (early in fact).  This was made possible by a number of factors, but an important one was that intrinsic motivation to stay the course.

Renew Your Life!