The Motivation Time Capsule
Well-being 🌿 | Build resilience 🌊 | #TimeCapsule #Revive #Motivation
TL;DR
Losing motivation in a project is common as initial excitement fades over time.
To revive motivation, write a note to your future self, highlighting why you started and any current inspiration.
Show compassion in the note.
Seed
Have you ever begun a new project with lots of excitement but then found your motivation slipping away as time goes by? It's a common experience. The initial excitement is fantastic, but as days and weeks pass, your enthusiasm can fade. Maybe there’s too much to do. Or it started to feel repetitive. Or it’s just not as rewarding as it used to be or as we expected. So here is an idea to help you stay on track and rekindle your motivation when things get tough.
Capture the essence of your initial excitement and motivation by writing a heartfelt note to your future self. Highlight the core reasons why you started this journey. Your eagerness and impatience to begin stem from strong motivations, so jot them down with care. Include anything that currently inspires you, knowing that these feelings might change as the project unfolds. While some reasons may no longer matter later on, others may stay important or turn into new sources of inspiration.
Finally, when you read this note in the future, you'll likely benefit from the compassion you expressed to yourself. So don't be shy to express all the empathy you can. Motivation can ebb and flow, but your written words can serve as a reminder of your initial drive and determination.
Example
When I initially started Mental Seeds, I had numerous topics related to mental health and productivity that I wanted to document and organize for sharing. However, I was concerned that delving into the details of each topic would be time-consuming. How could I ensure that I wouldn't become overwhelmed by this task and still manage to write about all of them? That's when I had an idea: I would write one topic per week. But how could I motivate myself to commit to this schedule? That's when the idea of a newsletter came to mind.
So now, when the thought of writing one Mental Seed per week feels overwhelming, I remind myself that it was a deliberate pace I chose to ensure I could accomplish the task without burning out. Suddenly, I not only remember the ultimate goal (to document and organise these notes for sharing), but I also feel much more comfortable writing one now than trying to tackle a hundred over a single weekend.
Bonus
I mentioned projects in this Seed, but obviously, you can transpose this idea to many other aspects of your life: relationships, career, health and fitness, financial goals, travel, personal growth… Basically any life decision you commit to.