One Step at a Time

Guest Post by Ariana Chotkowski

Increase your Motivation

Are you feeling overwhelmed by tasks and have no motivation to get them done?

You are not alone. It’s easy to worry when we overload our minds with chores and responsibilities that need to be taken care of. We know what we have to do but have no idea where to start.

It starts with changing our thinking in the smallest ways:

Set achievable goals

• Try breaking a big, long-term goal down into smaller steps. For example, applying to college is a very overwhelming process but can be done over a period of time. One step is deciding what colleges to apply to and other is filling out the actual application. Set a day to work on one application essay. Setting small goals helps the larger one become less scary and more attainable.

Change your definition of failure

• Failing at something is an opportunity to learn more about the world and make better decisions for the future. The more you experience, the more you learn about yourself and what makes you happy. It’s better to try something and say you hate it rather than wondering “what if.” Once our thought process changes, we can turn those thoughts into actions:

Change your behaviors

• Once establishing a plan for yourself, be active in your execution. Use a reward system to reinforce these changed behaviors. After you write that essay or do that load of laundry, treat yourself to some ice cream or an episode of your favorite television show.

Become confident in decision making

• Remember your new definition of failure. Be confident in the decisions you make and put all your effort into that decision. Even if it ends up being the wrong choice, be reflective and come out of the experience having learned something and apply it to the next choice.