1187: Use your beginning as motivation

It's so easy just to stare down the finish line, that we forget some of the most helpful motivation can come from the start.

Episode transcript:

Good morning, Daily Peppers, and a very happy Wednesday to you. So this week on the Daily pep, we are diving into all things creative process. And creative process is on my mind because next week I'm doing my annual Creative Harvest workshop, which is a really good chance to just pause, sit down, look at the creative seeds you've planted, look at your harvest, and really give some time for you and your projects. You can find out more by going to therebelrousers.com/creativeharvestworkshop that's also in the show notes. But today we're really diving into your why. So yesterday we started talking about the messy middle, and I just want to stay here a bit because I think it's a place where a lot of us get stuck and a lot of us give up. Now I am all for quitting things.

I love the Barbara Sher quote about not finishing things where she says, maybe you got what you came for. And that is sometimes the case. If things don't feel right, if they no longer align with your values, or if you're in a different season of your life, maybe it is time to let it go. But in the moments where you feel like giving up because you lose confidence or faith in yourself and you can't see that you're making progress, here's something that I find really helpful, and it's to spend more time on thinking about why you started rather than where you want to get to. Our brains can get so caught up in the end result, and a lot of the time the reason we're feeling disheartened is because all we can see is how far we have to go. But if we look at the younger us, at the version of us that started the project, we can start to get really inspired by the fact that we're actually doing it. And we can see the intangible wins along the way as well. So if you're feeling stuck right now, think about it in terms of feelings.

How did you want to feel by doing this project? What really called you to it in the first place? And how did you think it was going to add to your life and maybe start there? Try to use curiosity rather than judgment. If you're not feeling that thing right now and see how you can add more of that into it, maybe it's time to tweak the plan. Maybe it's time to shake things up a bit based on what you really wanted out of it. And also ask yourself if that's still what you want right now and if this is still the vehicle that you want to use to get yourself there. I know for me, often when I'm in the middle of something, I become so focused on the minutiae and the imperfections that I often forget why I even wanted to do it in the first place. And reconnect into that spark. And even if you have to be pretty intentional about it and take some time out can really help. So go find your why.

See if you can reignite that spark. And remember that this is a phase that we all go through. You are certainly not alone. And I wonder how you can reframe this as seeing how you're honoring your past self. So try these on for size. See how they fit for you. Happy hump day. And remember, as always, that everything changes when you believe you matter. And you, my dear, really fucking matter.

Episode transcript produced automatically by Castmagic.io

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The Daily Pep! is the rebel-rousing, daily podcast for couragemakers, creative, multi-passionate and unconventional women.

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