When you embark on doing something new, what keeps you motivated? What helps you follow through with a project or new habits even when your goal feels big or hard to reach? I’ve said it before. The pandemic has encouraged experimentation and creativity for many of us. The uncertainty in the world created an atmosphere of trying things we’ve never done before. I’ve noticed a shift, “Life is so unpredictable, what do I have to lose?”

This brings me to a recent lesson I learned about motivation. In the spring, I planted a tiny herb and vegetable garden in our greenhouse. You can read more about it in my post, How Has Uncertainty Inspired Your Time to Be Different? After decades of convincing myself that I’m not a gardener and could not grow food, I felt motivated to try. The effect of the pandemic enabled me to try out a different script. It was a “Why not?” attitude, rather than an “I can’t” perspective.

“Motivation is in the growing.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®

The Story

My motivation to create a garden came from wanting to grow my own fresh food. It turned out that selecting plants, and finding the right spot to place them was fun and straightforward. I opted for a tiny garden, which wasn’t overwhelming. Each day I cared for the plants by touching their leaves, smelling them, saying “hello,” and watering them when needed. My daily reward is that I get to pick fresh basil, dill, or cilantro to add to our salads or mint to my iced tea. The herbs have been immediately available and continue to grow.

The cherry tomato plant, however, needed time. Does that sound familiar? How often do we need more time to grow? So while I was picking my basil and dill, I cared for the tomato plant, fascinated by its growing process. Little flowers appeared. From there, tiny green tomatoes grew. Finally, one single tomato turned a luscious bright red color. I sent photos to my gardener guru friend for her advice. She confirmed that it was picking and eating time. So with great delight, I plucked the tomato, cut it in half, and shared it with my husband. It was delicious, worth the wait, and so joyful to share it with someone I love.

Big Lesson Learned

My small garden has taught me that with an open attitude, care, and patience, not only will the plants thrive, but I will also grow. Motivation is in the growing. As you take on new projects or habits, it is the journey where the magic happens. And when you arrive at your destination, I hope that your ripe red tomato will be waiting for you to appreciate and enjoy.

What motivation lessons have you noticed? What motivates you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation!

Have you noticed that sometimes motivation feels effortless, and in other instances, it seems impossible to get going? Often our motivation, or lack thereof, depends on the circumstance, the day, timing, or what you’re pursuing.  You might find it easy to edit and organize a drawer full of t-shirts, yet challenging to go through the piles of paper on your desk. As an organizer, while I often cheer on my clients to assist them when they get stuck, motivation is very much an inside job. By accident, I discovered a helpful strategy that is especially useful when you’re having trouble with self-motivation.

At the start of every morning, I practice mindfulness meditation. I use the Insight Timer app, where I experiment with different teachers and types of guided meditation. Often the practices I work with are breath-focused, but they can also include a focus that shifts from the breath to the body, to sounds, sensations, or thoughts. During meditation, it’s common for the mind to wander. If I’m focusing on a particular awareness, my mind can drift elsewhere. The practice is to gently bring my attention back to the focus of awareness without judgment. Return to the breath or the sounds, or the sensations in the body.

my big ah-ha

We notice what we focus on at the exclusion of all else. So when your attention is on your breath, you are only aware of the breath. When your attention is on the sounds around you, the breath focus disappears. How does this relate to motivation?

“We notice what we focus on at the exclusion of all else.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®

Consider this. When you’re struggling to get motivated, what are you paying attention to? Are you thinking about how hard it’s going to be to get “x” done? Are you thinking that you don’t feel like doing “x?” Are you concerned that you don’t want to fail, or don’t have the information you need to move ahead? The negative and unhelpful messages you’re focusing on are sabotaging your motivation. 

What if instead of when you lacked motivation, you shifted your attention? What would serve you better? Instead of focusing on how hard something is going to be to get done, what if you thought about the smallest next step? If instead of dwelling on your don’t-feel-like-doing-it ideas, you pondered how great it will feel when you begin?

The next time you are struggling with getting motivated, listen to what your mind is saying. How can you shift your awareness to focus on productive, supportive thoughts? Do you think this strategy will work for you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation!

For years, possibly decades, I spoke with my mom at least once a day. Over time, as her dementia worsened, the phone was no longer a viable way to communicate. I miss our conversations. Our calls frequently were about the people we loved and the time spent together. She’d say, “That’s the good stuff!”  She always communicated a deep sense of gratitude for her family, friends, music, art, and the preciousness of time. 

As the world begins to start, pause, and restart, so much uncertainty and distress exist. What life will look like a month or year from now is impossible to know. Yet, each day we forge forth with work, family, projects, and life. We move ahead despite the considerable uncertainty. It can feel exhausting, overwhelming, or scary. In your mix of doing, are you making time to notice and embrace the “good stuff?”

What is on your “good stuff” list? Here are some of mine:

• Waking up each morning

• Opening my eyes after meditating 

• Taking the first sip of coffee from my favorite mug

• Holding hands with my husband

• Hearing the sound of rain hitting the window panes

• Walking by the river

• Hugging my daughter, especially after being apart for six months

• Baking lemon blueberry muffins

• Picking herbs from my mini garden

• Capturing images of people, places, and nature with my camera

• Swimming in my friend’s pool

• Hearing birds sing

• Touching a very soft blanket

• Sitting quietly

• Biting into a big, juicy piece of watermelon

• Writing with my favorite pen

• Watching the leaves rustle in the breeze

• Having a conversation (phone, Zoom, or in-person) with a friend or loved one

• Relaxing in the hammock

• Eating a chocolate brownie Yasso pop

• Seeing my client experience an “ah-ha” moment during their virtual organizing session

• Writing in my journal

• Watching a good movie, or even a bad one

• Kayaking on any river

• Discovering new tomatoes growing on my cherry tomato plant

• Being still during the last ten minutes of yoga class

• Discovering vibrantly colored flowers

• Reading a good book

• Learning something new

• Getting into bed at the end of the day

“In your mix of doing, are you making time to notice and embrace the good stuff?”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®

Time is a gift. Some of our time will be spent navigating the daily doings of life. Included with responsibilities and commitments are also those things that make your heart sing. Or, as my mom would say, “the good stuff.” What is one thing you include on your list? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation!

Change can be challenging. We often want the result, yet we aren’t ready to do the necessary work. That work can involve rethinking beliefs or letting go of physical or emotional clutter. It’s incredible how quickly change can happen when you harness time, motivation, and opportunity. At home, I recently experienced the confluence of these forces. I was surprised and delighted by what transpired. I hope my discoveries will help you with the change you seek.

The story begins with some context. We had the joy of having our youngest daughter and husband-to-be here for her birthday, our anniversary, and Father’s Day weekend. Due to COVID-19, we hadn’t seen them in many months, and it was incredible to be physically present. My heart is still full. We all quarantined and minimized outside exposure pre-visit, have been healthy, and felt confident being together.

One of our conversations was about their upcoming fall wedding. It’s no surprise that due to the pandemic, they altered their plans. They will have a small virtual wedding hosted at our house. During our discussion about how to accommodate the social distancing concerns, we laid out chairs in our greenhouse, where the ceremony will be to visualize how this will work.

“It’s incredible how quickly change can happen when you harness time, motivation, and opportunity.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®

A bit of background is helpful. Our greenhouse has been used for many things. It was a space to ride tricycles or do rainy day picnics when the girls were young. We used it for Cajun dance parties, a place to display the porcelain sign collection, and the bar location for holiday gatherings. It is a workspace for my husband’s woodworking machines and tools, a place to keep our Barber’s chairs, and, most recently, a room to actually grow plants. 

To allow proper social distancing in the greenhouse for the wedding guests, we needed more empty space. Approximately half of the room was filled with equipment, wood, and miscellaneous items that were no longer working or used. There were “someday” project supplies being stored too. Since Cassie and Matthew were over, they offered to help my husband, Steve, and move his equipment so we could increase the floor space for guests.

My husband is a talented man with many skills and hobbies. He’s also a collector of numerous things, including large equipment. And while he’s willing to let go, this isn’t easy for him. He enjoys collecting, and the Boy Scout in him likes to be prepared. Also, he has emotional attachments, as do I, to some things from the past. Believe me, I get it.

However, to my great surprise, during our discussions about moving “the stuff in the greenhouse,” it became clear that he was ready to let go of a few things. The decluttering began with one or two items and turned into his releasing a large quantity. So many things went. I placed ads on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace for people to pick-up items for free. Within a few hours, most of the curbside piles were gone. 

The Confluence of Three Forces That Encourage Change

Time.

So why was Steve able to let go and allow this change to happen after almost two decades? It turns out that time helped him get ready. You can’t push people before they are willing. He recognized that the items that had been useful and relevant were not anymore. He felt happy and lighter when he let things go. We’re both still smiling. I am so proud of him for his willingness to ask some hard questions, make big decisions, and let go.

Motivation.

Steve was highly motivated because we needed more space for the upcoming wedding ceremony. Never underestimate the value of a compelling motivation such as a significant life event (i.e., wedding, divorce, job loss, move, new baby) to facilitate decision-making and change.

Opportunity.

Cassie and Matthew were physically here, which presented an opportunity to do the work. We weren’t expecting it, but they offered to help. They were non-judgmental and gracious about talking things through, supporting Steve with his decisions, and schlepping stuff to the curb. Thank you, Cassie and Matthew! We feel more wedding-ready.

Enjoy this 20-second time-lapse video Matthew took during a portion of the greenhouse clear out. The actual time we worked took many hours.

Has time, motivation, or opportunity influenced a change you’ve experienced? Are there ideas that resonate with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation!