5 Ways to Find Motivation

I am currently looking for a job having finished university June 2013 and having just finished an internship in Thailand. During this job hunt I sometimes find myself losing hope and thinking two main pessimistic thoughts. One is whether I will find something that I love to do. The other, during more desperate times, is whether I will find anything at all. During these times I like to resort to different places to lift my mood. 

Gratitude. I like to remember to be grateful for what I have every day. The book ‘The Magic’ by Rhonda Byrne has helped me see things from a different perspective and the importance of feeling gratitude daily, not just when you receive something good, and to not take things for granted. I do believe that the more grateful you are the happier you become and the more good things you will attract towards you. Lately I have been starting my day by making a list of ten things I am grateful for and ending the day with the one memory of the day you I most grateful for. 

Motivational board. When I competed in swimming tournaments I liked to visualize my races before I performed them. My starting position on the block, the push into the water to elongate the dive, my legs and arms during the stroke, the turn at the end, the breathing, everything. I had read that many top athletes did this. I don’t know if it actually helped but I am a firm believer of visualizing what you want to achieve in order to make it happen. Since I am not 100% what I want to do I like to break it down into what I do know. The place; is it a city or sunny place? I want to have time to focus on my hobbies, I want to dance (whether it is on the side or as a career), I want to surround myself with an easygoing friendly atmosphere of people, etc. These are just a few examples. To help me visualize it I created a motivational board (not the most artistic but I did it in an hour :P). 

Do what you love. I’m making a point of continuing to do what I love and not waiting for excuses like ‘I don’t have time with all the job searching and applications’ or ‘I will wait until I have a salary’. For example I don’t have a salary to pay for a good gym so instead I have changed my workouts to follow an ebook with indoor workouts I can do at home which I alternate with runs outside, biking outside, etc. New motto: No excuses :)

Surround yourself with inspiration. If I feel uninspired I like to put on a motivational speaker, watch a TED talk or read a biography about some really inspirational figure. Sometimes it is as easy as going onto Instagram and reading quotes from ‘yoga_girl’ or ‘Kaya Itsines' as they are two very inspiring girls not much older than me who are very down to earth and have achieved so much by being where they want to be. 

Meditate. If things start to get stressful a good way to not let it get too overwhelming is to simply stop what I am doing (or what I feel is getting me nowhere), find a quiet corner and meditate. Sit comfortably for at least ten minutes and focus on my breathing. Whenever I notice my mind wandering I accept the thoughts and gently push them to the side and continue to focus on my breathing. This helps me relax and realize that whatever I am stressing out about is not a big deal.