Inspiration, motivation, and a heck ton of colourful whiteboard markers
By Sonam Kaloti, Arts Editor
When youâre stuck in a rut or a routine, inspiration can be hard to come by. Paired with a lack of motivation and organization, living like this can be completely debilitating. However, take heart! There are ways to overcome these blocks, or there are even tiny things that you can do to inspire and motivate yourself. To be honest, it all goes pretty much step by step. Just the tiniest effort can start the domino effect. So, letâs begin!
Inspiration
What else does anyone need? Inspiration is what makes us work for our dreams, but what are we without it? Even worse, what are we without a concise idea of what our dreams are?
To combat this first block, hereâs one idea I have up my sleeve to get you back on your feet. Vision boards may sound like a pointless arts and crafts project, but they are definitely much more than that. Whether you believe in manifestation or the law of attraction or not, the constant visual representation of your dreams will have a powerful effect regardless. Being reminded of what youâre working towards can be exactly the push you need on your bleakest days.
Making a vision board is really up to the individual, but to start, you first can choose between a traditional or digital medium. Many people like to cut out pictures, quotes, and anything else that they find inspires them and represents a life they want to live. Vision boards are often displayed in a collage style, but really, the layout is up to you.
I currently have a vision board with pictures of plant-strewn book rooms, LED-lit music studios, nightlife scenes, quiet study areas, and neon quotes reading âItâs only a crazy dream until you do it!â and âScrew it, letâs do it!â
Possibly the best part of making a vision board is that the inspiration you take from it will lead directly into our next step:
Motivation
To be inspired is to be motivated. Not everyone wants to live a hectic life going full throttleâand that desire is just as valid. However, for those who do: motivation is key. Making a vision board will remind you of why you are doing the things you do each day. If what youâre doing each day doesnât align with the representation of your dream future, then I would suggest finding more ways to align your life in achieving your goals.
Itâs a lot harder to motivate yourself if youâre doing work that doesnât have value to you or doesnât align with what your heart truly desires. In this case, remember who youâre doing it for or the positives the work still offers.
Organization
Anyone who wants to conquer their dreams needs at least a bit of a game plan. Try making a detailed list of what your goals and dreams are exactlyâincluding what they physically look likeâand then make an extensive list of what specific steps you can take to work towards this future. Bonus points if you include the exact dates you want to hit certain milestones.
Next, make a list of what obstacles may get in the way of achieving these goals. Then, make an extensive list of ways you can tackle these obstacles. It will go a long way. For your day-to-day life, invest in a journal to write anything from gratitude to your grand dreams and ideas. Also, keep a to-do list and a calendar. I like having a paper to-do list pad and a whiteboard calendar with many different coloured markers. Having all your duties cleanly organized and represented takes a huge weight off of your brain. Using some of these tactics in everyday life will prove beneficial to anyone striving towards achieving big dreams, and even to those who donât exactly know what those dreams are yet.
