Stay Motivated

Stay Motivated

Stay Motivated: Getting and Staying Motivated

Do you ever feel like you’re stuck in a rut, unable to make progress towards your goals? It’s a frustrating feeling, but the good news is that you can take steps to build momentum and start making strides towards the life you want.

Whether you’re working towards a big career change, trying to get in shape, or aiming to improve your personal relationships, there are strategies you can use to overcome obstacles and stay on track.

One of the keys to building momentum is identifying the obstacles that are holding you back. Maybe you struggle with procrastination, or you have a hard time staying motivated when progress seems slow. Perhaps you’re dealing with external factors like a lack of resources or unsupportive people in your life.

Whatever the case may be, it’s important to recognize these barriers so you can develop an achievable plan to overcome them. By breaking down your goals into manageable tasks, establishing a routine for consistency, and focused, you can start to build the momentum you need to achieve your dreams.

Identifying Obstacles to Progress

It’s much easier to reach your goals when you identify the obstacles standing in your way. Many people set goals without considering the potential setbacks they may encounter along the way. However, it’s crucial to recognize these obstacles to progress if you want to build momentum towards your goals.

By acknowledging the potential roadblocks, you can create a plan to overcome them.

Overcoming setbacks is part of the journey towards success. It’s inevitable that you will encounter obstacles and setbacks, but it’s essential to remember that these challenges can actually help you grow and become stronger. Instead of allowing these setbacks to discourage you, use them as an opportunity to learn and improve.

Seek out support from friends, family, or a mentor who can offer guidance and encouragement during difficult times. Seeking support is another crucial aspect of building momentum towards your goals. Trying to achieve your goals alone can be overwhelming and discouraging. It’s important to have a support system that can hold you accountable and offer encouragement along the way. This support can come in many forms, such as a mentor, a coach, a friend, or a community of like-minded individuals.

Surrounding yourself with people who believe in your vision and can offer support and guidance can make a significant difference in your ability to overcome obstacles and achieve your goals. Identifying obstacles to progress is a critical step towards building momentum towards your goals. Overcoming setbacks and seeking support are two essential strategies that can help you achieve success.

You are learning and growing and support will provide the encouragement and guidance you need to keep moving forward. By acknowledging the potential roadblocks and creating a plan to overcome them, you can build the momentum you need to achieve your goals and create the life you desire.

Break Down Goals into Manageable Tasks to Stay on Track

By breaking down your goals into smaller, manageable tasks, you can effectively plan and take action towards achieving them. Goal prioritization is crucial because it helps you determine which tasks to tackle first.

When you have a long list of goals, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. However, by prioritizing your goals, you can focus your attention on the most important tasks and make progress towards achieving them.

Time management is also an essential factor when breaking down your goals into manageable tasks. It’s important to allocate enough time to each task, so you don’t feel rushed or overwhelmed. You can start by setting specific deadlines for each task and creating a timeline that outlines the steps required to achieve your goals.

By doing so, you can break down your goals into smaller, more manageable pieces and create a plan that you can follow to achieve them. Breaking down your goals into smaller tasks can also help you stay motivated.

When you complete a task, you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment, which can motivate you to tackle the next one. This can create a positive feedback loop that helps you build momentum towards achieving your goals.

By focusing on completing smaller tasks, you’ll also be able to measure your progress more easily, which can give you a sense of satisfaction and keep you motivated. Breaking down your goals into manageable tasks is a powerful strategy that can help you achieve your objectives.

Goal prioritization and time management are key components of this strategy. By focusing on completing smaller tasks, you can stay motivated, make progress towards achieving your goals, and ultimately achieve the success you desire.

Remember, every journey begins with a single step, so take that first step today and start breaking down your goals into manageable tasks.

Establish a Routine for Consistency to Create Success Stories

Get into the habit of establishing a routine for consistency, so you can increase your chances of achieving success. Building momentum towards your goals requires discipline and commitment. Consistency is key to making progress, and creating a routine helps you stay accountable. When you have a set schedule, you’re less likely to procrastinate or give up on your goals because you’ve developed a habit.

Creating accountability is crucial to establishing a routine. When you have someone to hold you accountable, you’re more likely to stick to your plan. This could be a friend, family member, or mentor who can check in with you regularly. Sharing your progress with someone else also helps you stay motivated and focused. When you have someone cheering you on, it makes the journey towards your goals more enjoyable.

Finding support is another crucial aspect of building momentum towards your goals. Having a support system can give you the encouragement you need to keep going, especially when you face obstacles. Surround yourself with people who uplift you and believe in your abilities. Joining a community of like-minded individuals can help you stay motivated and provide you with valuable insights and advice.

Establishing a routine for consistency is essential for achieving success. Creating accountability and finding support are two effective ways to help you stay on track. Remember, building momentum towards your goals is a process and requires patience and discipline. With a routine, accountability, and support, you can make progress towards your objectives and ultimately achieve success.

Staying Motivated and Focused

Stay motivated and focused by finding sources of inspiration and regularly reminding yourself of your ultimate goal. Staying true to your goals requires a lot of discipline and focus, especially when the going gets tough.

To keep yourself on track, create accountability by sharing your progress with others or keeping track of your achievements on paper. This will help you stay accountable and motivated, as others will be counting on you to follow through on your commitments.

Another way to stay motivated is to find sources of inspiration that speak to you personally. Whether it’s reading books or watching videos of people who’ve achieved similar goals, finding inspiration can help you stay focused and driven. It’s important to remember that everyone’s journey is different, so it’s important to find what works for you. Take the time to explore different sources of inspiration until you find something that resonates with you.

In addition to finding sources of inspiration, it’s also important to regularly remind yourself of your ultimate goal. When you’re feeling unmotivated or distracted, take a moment to visualize yourself achieving your goal. This will help you stay focused and motivated, even when the road ahead seems daunting. Remember that every small step you take towards your goal is a step in the right direction, and that success is often built on a series of small achievements.

Don’t be too hard on yourself if you experience setbacks or obstacles along the way. Remember that setbacks are a natural part of the process, and that they can actually help you grow and learn. If you experience a setback, take some time to reflect on what went wrong and how you can improve for next time.

By staying motivated, accountable, and focused, you can build momentum towards your goals and achieve the success you desire.

Celebrating Milestones and Progress 

As you make progress towards your desired outcome, it’s essential to remember that celebrating milestones and accomplishments is just as important as setting and achieving them. Rewarding achievements is a powerful way to keep yourself motivated and focused on your goals.

It’s easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day grind, but taking a moment to acknowledge and celebrate your progress can help you stay on track and keep pushing forward.

Sharing successes with others is another powerful way to build momentum towards your goals. Whether it’s with friends, family, or colleagues, sharing your achievements can help you stay accountable and motivated. It’s also an opportunity to inspire and encourage others who may be struggling to achieve their own goals.

By celebrating your successes together, you can create a supportive community that helps everyone achieve their goals.

When celebrating milestones, it’s important to choose rewards that align with your values and goals. For example, if you’re working towards a fitness goal, rewarding yourself with a sugary treat may not be the best choice. Instead, consider treating yourself to a new workout outfit or a massage to help you recover from your hard work.

By choosing rewards that support your goals, you can reinforce the positive behaviors and habits that will help you achieve them.

Don’t forget to celebrate the small wins along the way. Each step you take towards your goal is an accomplishment worth celebrating. Whether it’s hitting a new personal best at the gym or completing a challenging task at work, take a moment to acknowledge and celebrate your progress.

By doing so, you’ll build confidence and momentum towards your ultimate goal, and you’ll be more likely to stay motivated and focused along the way.

Quick Exercises and Tips for Staying Motivated

These are things that I have done and found to helps me throughout my journey. 

  • Print out what you want and put it where you will see it everyday. For me: I printed out past excursions that I have done and taped them to my office door. I see it everyday and it is a reminder to keep on the right path to continue doing them.
  • Take time for self-care. My self care was planning an afternoon or day to completely hibernate and do nothing. I didn’t schedule it in, but I made it a point to do this at least once or twice a month. 
  • Completely disconnect. Disconnecting for me was going camping without cell service. When it’s not feasible, I would hibernate for a day or a few hours. I kept a sketch book and just doodled or colored and only focused on that, nothing else. 

I found these quick things would take me away when I was overstressed or became overwhelmed. It allowed me to take a step back and literally not think of anything else. Afterwards I was ready to get back on track.

Conclusion

People struggle to keep momentum and that’s okay. It isn’t easy to be on the go 100% all of the time.

Build momentum towards your goals.

By identifying obstacles to progress, breaking down goals into manageable tasks, establishing a routine for consistency, staying motivated and focused, and celebrating milestones and progress, you’re well on your way to achieving success.

Remember, building momentum takes time and effort, but it’s worth it in the end. As you continue to work towards your goals, don’t forget to stay positive and stay focused. Keep pushing yourself, and don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it.

With these tips and strategies, you can overcome any obstacle and achieve the success you deserve.

So go out there and start building your momentum today!

Website Redo and Plans – Aug 2022

This website has grown and has gone into too many directions and it’s only been a few months since I have made it a point to dedicated time to this website.

Organization

I’m going to simplifying the header and reorganizing the pages and categories.

Current Header
Future Header (I’ll have the it follow the tagline, then followed with the other pages)

It’ll help keep things organized for future expansion and better user experience.

The Current Header grew from the original and it doesn’t make sense anymore.

I did change the tagline from “Adventure – Professional – Life” to “Adventure – Career – Life”. It flows much better and aligns with what the site is about. There was no reason to have Portfolio listed the way it was.

Rankings

I’m also betting that it’ll help with SERP rankings as well, with the way that I am planning on organizing it. I’m hoping to have the website structure planned and implemented by August 19.

Here’s the global performance report from Google as of today, August 13, 2022. Not that great but it is progressing since I first started working on this site and adding to the site since end of May.

Global Stats

It doesn’t take much time to start ranking in Google, it starts with topic and competitive research and what you can do with a new site.

USA Stats

Action Plan

Once I get the site organized and change update the navigation menu, I’ll focus on internal linking.

From there, I’ll re-index all pages to Google and with fingers tied my rankings should increase.

I’m giving myself till the end of them month, before adding more content. Wish me luck!

Cathy Gray

Cathy Gray is a natural adventurer in her personal and professional life. She adapts to overcome while maintaining an infectious laugh that will make you smile.

Professionally, Cathy currently works for an industrial hose and hydraulics company. While she was a green-horn in the hose business, she spearheaded the company’s eCommerce site from the ground up from a blank canvas to live and selling within 6 months. She continues to grow the company’s online and digital presence while increasing sales year over year.

Articles

My articles categorized into 3 areas: adventures, professional, and inspirations.
I also have a few guides:
Goal Setting Guide
Ultimate Guide to Choose the Right eCommerce Platform
Productivity Strategies for Busy Professionals

Professional

Adventure

inspiration

You Won’t Be Successful Unless you Find Joy

You Won’t Be Successful Unless you Find Joy

Is your work or life in general ho-hum that you are just going through the motions on autopilot. At work, are you just there? If this is you now, there is not a good chance that you will find success if you continue. Success is in your judgement and attitude. Success is doing what it is that you truly love. This does not mean that there aren’t struggles and battles along the way. It does mean that for most of the time, we are happy with what we are doing.

Success Starts Internally

First off, lets discuss mindset and attitude. When your mindset and attitude is positive, you see the good things that are coming, and you don’t hyper focus on the bad. It makes life gentler and easier, not such a struggle all the time. You are able to take appreciation from what you are doing. Your interacting with others in a more confident manner. Your self-talk and your words with others is much more happier and more cheerful and that makes it easier for you and everyone around you to be happier. It makes what you are doing more enjoyable. Work on your mentality and your self-talk. Catch the negative ideas and words then change them to the positive. When you start getting negative about yourself, remember: it’s a trash can, not a trash can’t.

Success Externally

Now let’s discuss what you are doing. To be successful you need to be doing something you love. That does not mean there will be some parts you don’t like so much or don’t do so well. However the majority of what you are doing will be what you enjoy. How do you figure out what that is? Let’s take a hint from your past. Think about the times where you were doing something you were really happy doing. These instances don’t even have to be when you doing anything well. Anything that come to mind are called accomplishments. The goal is to have more of them over a time. Write them out then look for trends and bases affecting what you were doing, how you were doing it, what the conditions were, what you worked with and how you were relating with people. Your list will give you a good idea of what you need to be doing. These will act as bases and trends. The end is just as important as the beginning.

10 ways to Have A Stellar Day

10 ways to Have A Stellar Day

How is your day going? Are you sure it will be a great one?

You have the option and you have the ability to make the day a fantastic one.

No one can make your day bad one unless you allow them. It is completely up to you to decide how you are going to take how things happen today. You are the captain and you are in charge of the steering of the ship.

Here are some tips to help you make it a wonderful day.

1 A good way to start the day is to have gratitude.

Have gratitude and start the day by being thankful for what you have and for what the day brings. Write down what you are grateful for first thing in the morning or before you go to bed. You may want to start a journal.

Gratitude can help you feel more positive and happy, while also helping you appreciate what’s going on around you instead of focusing on problems or negative experiences.

Try writing down 3 things that happened yesterday or today that made you happy, and then write down something that will make you happy tomorrow!

2 Be aware that you have a choice.

You are able to make a choice on how you are going to perceive anything that happens. Make the choice right now that you are going to look for the positive in everything that comes about today.

You can choose how you want to feel, think and act. You have the power to decide whether or not you will feel good about yourself and your life today. You have the ability to choose how much faith and confidence you are going to have in yourself, your abilities and your future.

When things do not go according to plan, which is bound to happen from time-to-time, remember it is only temporary and make the choice right now that you will look for the positive in everything.

3 It’s time to put on your smile and get happy.

It’s a new day! Let’s make it a good one.

You have a choice to be happy and cheerful, to laugh and play as much as you are able to today. Declare to yourself and the world at large that you’re going to see more of the funny side of life, share your joy with others, and be ready with a joke when someone needs cheering up.

If you’re feeling down or anxious, try this simple exercise: take a deep breath in; hold it for five seconds; then breathe out slowly through pursed lips for five seconds. Now repeat three times (or until you feel better).

4 We’re all about living your intentions.

It’s a great way to make sure that you’re staying on track with what’s important to you and what you want out of life. In order to do this, it’s important to make sure that your goals are in alignment with your values—and that they match up with how YOU want to live your life.

The best way we know how is by staying true to ourselves and who we are as people. If something feels like it might not be right for us, we just don’t do it—even if everyone else seems to be doing it! That way, we can live our lives on our terms and have fun doing it!

5 Today, do something special for yourself.

It does not have to be anything big or expensive—just think of something that would make you happy, and do it for yourself. No reason necessary.

If you’re feeling tired, take a nap. If you’re feeling lonely, call up a friend to hang out with you. If you are craving some comfort food, have a plate of cookies or chocolate-covered bacon (yes, there’s such a thing!). If you want to treat yourself, go buy yourself an outfit that makes you feel amazing—or splurge on some new shoes!

You can even treat yourself by doing nothing at all—just relax and enjoy being alive!

6 helpers high

Did you know that doing something nice for someone else is more likely to make you feel good about yourself than doing something for yourself?

It’s true! It’s called the “helper’s high” and it’s an actual thing. And we’re not talking about just any old thing—we’re talking about doing something unexpected and it doesn’t have to be big, like paying for someone’s coffee or lunch.

The point is that doing something nice will make you feel great—and it’ll also make somebody else smile!

once you start feeling those happy endorphins coursing through your body, we bet that’ll motivate you to do another kind act! You can even take it one step further by telling your friends about how great it feels—and then maybe they’ll want to try it too!

7 It’s time to get silly!

break away from your normal routine and doing something completely ridiculous. Do something that will make somebody laugh at you or with you. It doesn’t matter if other people think it’s weird or funny!

Humor is one of the best ways to do that, because it lets you step outside of your own head and see things from a different perspective—and it makes other people laugh!

You’ll be surprised at how much energy this will give you. You’ll feel like a new person afterwards!

8 Show your affectionate and love

Show your affectionate and love to somebody who might not expect it. There are people in this world who don’t know how much they mean to you.

Maybe it’s your best friend, or maybe it’s your mom. Maybe it’s the person who makes you laugh every day at work.

Whatever their role in your life, if there’s someone who deserves a little extra love today, let them know! Send them a note, or call them up and tell them how much they mean to you.

Don’t let another day go by without showing somebody how important they are to you! Surprise them. Make their day happier.

9 You know what makes someone’s day?

A smile. A big, happy, genuine smile. And a cheery hello.

So today, when you’re out and about and see someone who looks like they could use some cheering up—whether it’s a friend or a stranger or even just the person behind the counter at your local coffee shop—give them both of those things. You’ll be surprised at how contagious happiness is, and how it can make your day just as much as theirs!

10 You’ve worked hard, and it’s time to celebrate!

You don’t need to have a party or anything like that—just take a moment to feel how good you are, and how far you’ve come. Whatever it is, take a moment to acknowledge the good stuff in your life right now.

And then… get back to doing what makes you happy!

It’s something we all want occasionally: a stellar day.

Maybe you’ve been having an especially stressful week and could use something to perk you up. Maybe you’ve been missing your spouse and kids and desire some extra affection. Or maybe it’s just lunch time and you need a little pick me up during the workday.

In any event, you can’t always predict when these good feelings will hit, but you can set yourself up to have more of them by just giving somebody else a smile or saying ‘hello’ to someone new.

Whether it’s a cheerful coworker, a grumpy old man, or the guy behind the counter at the local coffee shop, it’ll be fun to brighten someone else’s day!

Articles

My articles categorized into 3 areas: adventures, professional, and inspirations.
I also have a few guides:
Goal Setting Guide
Ultimate Guide to Choose the Right eCommerce Platform
Productivity Strategies for Busy Professionals

Professional

Adventure

inspiration

Cathy Gray

Cathy Gray is a natural adventurer in her personal and professional life. She adapts to overcome while maintaining an infectious laugh that will make you smile.

Professionally, Cathy currently works for an industrial hose and hydraulics company. While she was a green-horn in the hose business, she spearheaded the company’s eCommerce site from the ground up from a blank canvas to live and selling within 6 months. She continues to grow the company’s online and digital presence while increasing sales year over year.

Day 1 of 30 Day Writing Challenge

Day 1 of 30 Day Writing Challenge

Day 1 of 30 Days

Today, I decided to start an article called “101 Tips to have an Adventurous Lifestyle”.

You can read it here. This is really a first draft, but it is a complete article with an introduction and conclusion. Throughout the week, I’ll check for grammar and spelling that I missed while writing the article. Article word count is 1354.

While at work, I worked on some content for a sales page for our website. (370 words)
I’m not going to include words written for the daily roundups.

Writing Tip

I wrote a good portion of this on the way to work with voice to text. I tidied it up during lunch.

How did I do it

I use the voice to text in my notes app. It’s not 100% perfect and I needed to correct and edit. However it is an efficient way to get started.

Mandy’s Writing

Mandy did her writing today. She Titled hers Humble Harvest.

I won’t be replicating her work each day. I’ll be mostly covering mine.

30 Day Writing Challenge

If you would like to start with a 30 Day Writing Challenge of your own, then go on and do it! You don’t need a friend or writing group to get started, even though it is more fun. You can start at anytime!

Follow along if you’d like some writing ideas, inspiration if you get stuck yourself or to simply follow along.

30 Day Writing Challenge Links

Getting StartedRunning Topic and Article ListDay 1 Day 2Day 3

Articles

My articles categorized into 3 areas: adventures, professional, and inspirations.
I also have a few guides:
Goal Setting Guide
Ultimate Guide to Choose the Right eCommerce Platform
Productivity Strategies for Busy Professionals

Professional

Adventure

inspiration

Cathy Gray

Cathy Gray is a natural adventurer in her personal and professional life. She adapts to overcome while maintaining an infectious laugh that will make you smile.

Professionally, Cathy currently works for an industrial hose and hydraulics company. While she was a green-horn in the hose business, she spearheaded the company’s eCommerce site from the ground up from a blank canvas to live and selling within 6 months. She continues to grow the company’s online and digital presence while increasing sales year over year.

Running List For Coffee with Cathy

This is a reference for myself and what next steps I plan on for this website.

30 Day Writing Challenge with Mandy

My friend Mandy and I are doing a 30 writing challenge where the goal is to write 1,000 words daily.

  • Create title pics for each day. This is complete. I also created a social media post image where I created caricatures of Mandy and myself. All of this took about 3 hrs at most.
  • Create 30 posts for each day and keep them in draft so they are ready for each day.
  • Same with the social media, but have them scheduled.

Portfolio

Infographics

  • Trekkin with chuck – complete
  • 10 Adventure tips – almost
  • Coffee from around the world – ideation

Banners

  • Coffee with Cathy -Fb cover – complete
  • Trekkin with chuck – Fb cover – ideation