Why I Will Always Choose Slytherin

The art of becoming a French fry, as you can tell I was hungry when I made that title however, it is what I’m going to talk about; having the motivation to become more desirable to yourself (I find French fries very desirable, but please feel free to substitute) by breaking it up into small chunks.

 Motivation is that ever elusive feeling. That surge of energy to focus on completing a task at hand. That prideful sense of accomplishment when it’s done. And then it goes away, and typically, for most of us, it goes away for a significant amount of time. This is no Bueño. How in the world are you supposed to hang onto motivation when your bed is soooo comfy?

 I will admit I am a total couch potato, and yet I like the idea of having motivation and accomplishing so much with my life. And I’ll guarantee I’m not the only one. Us,  humans, we’re weird.

Well we’re in luck, there are some cheat codes that have worked for me and hopefully will help any of you:

1.  Be Hermonie Granger. Yes, my life will ALWAYS be summed up by the world of Harry Potter. I have many role models that I admire but, Hermonie is the first and foremost. Anyways, the point I am trying to make is: who is your hero? Define what you like about this hero. Why do you like them? How do they motivate you? Why do you look up to them? How can you use their traits that you admire and incorporate them into your lifestyle? Don’t become them, they already exist, the world doesn’t need another of them, the world needs you but how can you use this admiration to help you?

2.  And if you need more motivation; cosplay for a while. I know just thinking of a hero or thinking of abilities you would like to possess are tough to actually put into action. Sometimes stepping outside yourself for an hour or so helps. Again, don’t become your hero/character, but I’ve found cosplaying as some of my favorite characters really does help. It makes it feel like you already possess those abilities, that confidence, that happiness; as long as you pick a good character.

a.    For recommendations: I would suggest Sarah Walker. If you have ever seen the show that use to be on T.V called “Chuck” you know how badass amazing that character is. If you haven’t ever watched the show: for shame. Go on Amazon and buy all the seasons, watch them and be educated. Sarah Walker is a hot, highly skilled CIA operative. If that’s not motivating I really don’t know what else is.

3.  Be organized. This is hard. Almost as hard as finding the motivation to exercise. But it really works! Don’t be overwhelmed. Start small. Plan out your clothes for tomorrow. Do it for a week, maybe two. Then move onto something larger, like what are you going to do tomorrow morning? Or what kind of breakfast are you having tomorrow? Again, don’t get overwhelmed. I see a lot of posts of morning routines about having coffee and/or water, morning yoga, reading a chapter of a book, getting their kids ready, conquering the world etc. and honestly I really love them. I can’t do them, but I love them. One day I would like to get to that level of being bad ass but I need to take it slower. That level of amazing takes time and persistence; which leads me to my next point.

4.  Be stubborn. I have no problem being stubborn with work, or with people, that’s just the Taurus in me. However, I, as well as you, should be stubborn with yourself. Don’t short change yourself because you’re tired today, or you’d rather sit down and just exist. Who you want to be should not take a back seat to life getting in your way. A trick I’ve found when I feel like doing nothing and know I should be doing literally anything is to look in the mirror angrily and say “be stubborn like bull”. It’s silly but it makes me feel happier and more motivated to finish a task.

5.  Don’t wait for motivation, go find it! I try to search every corner of the internet to get myself motivated. Searching LadyBosses, NerdFitness, etc, it’s all out there. Also listening to a handful of Ted Talks (and now I’m addicted) is a great source not only for motivation but also to keep up in what is happening in our lifetime. Life goes fast, and we miss a lot of information and connections in our day-to-day, and personally, I really don’t want to miss it. A lot of those Ted Talks help not only with inspiration but they have a lot of talks about improving your quality of life, and how to try to stave off diseases. It’s amazing how much information and inspiration there is if you look for it.

6.  Set challenges. You can only see how truly amazing you are and the progress you’ve made if you make mini challenges for yourself. My go to source for this is Pinterest. Cleaning challenges, organization challenges, work out challenges, there are so many to try! I like to see if I can get through a whole list or if I need to come back to a list to try again. Another great place to challenge yourself is to check out Blogilates. I love Cassey (founder and host). I found her a few years back on Youtube and I subscribed immediately. She emails out monthly workout challenges which is really nice and organized. I haven’t been able to get through an entire month straight yet but I keep trying every month.  

7.  Last point; don’t be so hard on yourself. Sometimes you have lazy days. Sometimes it’s just not enough to get you off the couch. It’s ok, it really is. Staying motivated is like lifting weights; you’re not going to start lifting 200 pound weights day 1. It’s the same with motivation, and if you put that kind of pressure on yourself right from day one you’re not going to even make it through the day. Just like the point above of being organized, start slow. Try to stay motivated for one day, then take a break. Then try to stay motivated two days in a row, then three, then four, then forget how many days you’ve stayed motivated for.  

Striving for motivation is a long long journey. Make yourself a priority in your own life, take breaks, and don’t be so hard on yourself. You got this.