If you’re going through a major life transition, the holidays can become fertile ground for doubt or staying comfortable.
You might find yourself thinking (at 3 am) —
- “Maybe I can’t do this” (<my personal go-to 🙂
- “What if they don’t like me?” (get honest, it’s probably in there)
- “Perhaps this isn’t even the path right for me” (after you’ve decided on your new direction)
- “Why am I working so hard to make a change when what I’ve got is good enough?”
This is all super normal, but you’ll want to learn how to manage these thoughts.
Here are five ways to stay committed and motivated over the long haul of your dreams:
- Understand what you need. If you’re feeling run down, unmotivated, ready to quit — slow down. What do you need? For example, I need to prioritize my life ahead of my work for a while. Time to read, get my nails done, see some art. Simply realizing that and acting on it helped me focus my energy.
- Keep your bigger vision top of mind. It’s critical to have a sense of where you’re going and why it matters to you and others. A compelling vision gives your journey meaning, and it helps pull you through the dark moments. Write it, and look at it often. Don’t skip this step!
- Rev up your self-belief. If you find yourself questioning whether you’re good enough, capable enough, or worthwhile enough to do what you want to do, question those beliefs. Here’s a worksheet you can use. If you’re genuinely called towards something, there’s a reason for that. You can trust it.
- Keep a success journal. Our brains focus on the negative, so without tracking your wins, you’ll give your mistakes and setbacks more weight than they deserve. (I fell into this trap last week, and it was super painful) Track your wins and your learnings so you have clear, balanced data to review.
- Keep the long view in mind. Most people overestimate what they can do in a year and underestimate what they can do in a decade. If you’re consistent for the next 5 years on your goal, where do you think you’ll be? Exponentially farther along, that’s where! Effort compounds over time. Just keep going.
Have a fantastic holiday, and I’ll see you in December! Welcome to ‘Notes from Time Away’ for those of you who just joined, it’s great to have you here.
Lots of love,
Kit
