Doing the "impossible"

We all have aspirations. Big or small, at some point they may seem impossible to accomplish, leaving us feeling un-motivated. Some days seem more difficult to manage than others, whether we have things or people that get in our way - or if we do a pretty good job all of "getting in our own way".

One thing that I can say from experience that helps me to get around my lack of motivation, is remembering where my aspirations and goals come from to begin with: What is my "why" in this situation? Establishing your "why" is important. Although getting the things done that are necessary to achieving our goal can seem mundane, remembering your passion for what you want to do, regardless of how impossible attaining the task seems is all part of the process.

Walt Disney had a talent fostered from a young age. A talent for drawing. This ability of his became a passion throughout his life, a driving force. During his life's journey, he endured setbacks and financial woes that changed the course of where he was going - or how he was going to get there. I imagine that he felt at times that his aspirations were quite lofty, even out of reach. The things that he did accomplish were grand, and best of all, many generations have been able to enjoy the fruits of his labor.

As Disney said: "It's kind of fun to do the impossible."

Think about that. When you've accomplished something difficult in the past, how did you feel during and afterward? Did your emotions change during the process?

What task or adventure are you going to embark on this Monday, that seems "impossible"? How will you approach it, so that it will be easier to manage? What tools will you employ to keep yourself motivated? Are you going to find joy and fun along the journey?



Lorrie Shaw is a professional pet sitter, regular pets contributor to annarbor.com and pet blogger in Dexter Twp, MI. She participates in Motivated Mondays along with writer, speaker, mountain bike rider and author of Backroads & Byways Of Arizona, Jackie Dishner. #MotivatedMondays is a culmination of inspirational notes, blogs and tips to help motivate and get other ready for each week after the weekend lull - or anytime.

Hello, it's Monday knocking...

flickr photo courtesy of thisisbossi

Yep, the weekend's over. How did you spend yours? Did you languish in the time away from work, dreading the moment that you had to go back? Or is yours the kind of life where work/business related activity goes on everyday? Perhaps you're a stay-at-home parent who is "on" 24/7. Maybe you are in-between careers/jobs right now and you're feeling overwhelmed, frusterated, angry because you need to pay the bills and you're not getting anywhere. You might even be at a crossroads in your life and trying to figure out where to go next - in a relationship with another human being, a career/job, or in the literal sense - where you want to live, or how. Chronic illness is another factor that affects motivation, whether it's you or a loved one who's sick.

One important thing to keep in mind is that we are all struggling at some point every week with lack of motivation and desire to get past difficulties. Everyone of us. One thing that I've learned through the years is that the person standing next to me might look like they've got it all together; but I don't let what appears to be or what that person is saying fool me. They're probably struggling to stay on track, too!

We've all got different patterns to our schedules, but Mondays have always been traditionally a difficult day to "get in gear", to get or stay motivated. So many factors come into play to initiate that feeling of the familiar Monday lag: things, people, illness, our own selves. Sometimes "Monday" is "everyday" - Groundhog Day.

How we deal with the hurdles depends on how we view them, mostly. Sometimes we need to jump over them, walk around them, or knock them over - depending on the hurdle. We at times to need to walk away and revisit that situation at a later time and proceed on a different path. That's ok, too - that might be the best thing in that case.

After a @bikelady's brief comment on Twitter last week, we knew that #motivatedmondays was a great idea. Along with Jackie Dishner, I'll be offering stuff to share about getting and staying motivated - here and on Twitter. I'll undoubtedly be drawing from your experiences, too, so feel free to interject and share.

Read my "maiden" blog.



Lorrie Shaw is a professional pet sitter, regular pets contributor to annarbor.com and pet blogger in Dexter Twp, MI. She participates in Motivated Mondays along with writer, speaker, mountain bike rider and author of Backroads & Byways Of Arizona, Jackie Dishner. #MotivatedMondays is a culmination of inspirational notes, blogs and tips to help motivate and get other ready for each week after the weekend lull - or anytime.