Do you ever wake up and just feel incredibly unmotivated to deal with life?
Where the idea of seeing your students doesn’t put a fire under you, but instead makes you want to stay in your pajamas all day and eat chips. I definitely have days where I am not feeling the work life.
A little background on my work life.
I moved to Germany a couple years ago and decided I wanted a shot at being a freelance English teacher. I got an apartment in a city, a few jobs and some experience. Do you know the idea of “overworked and underpaid”? That was my life. Leaving the house early in the morning and not coming home until 9:00 PM was not my idea of “happy work/life balance”.
I quit.
I wanted to develop my own lesson plans and business ideas without the influence of others. And I am telling you, I wasn’t just complaining. I realized my worth because of my educational background and experience and valued my knowledge higher than what they were willing to pay me.
This will be a topic that I will touch on in another article, but until then, think about your worth to a company or business and never belittle your effort and time that you put into something.
And NEVER LET SOMEONE TELL YOU THAT YOU AREN’T GOOD ENOUGH TO DO SOMETHING!
Now I am working online during times that I choose, and working on several projects that I find are interesting and fun. So I do not have a 9-5 job anymore (although my fiancé jokes that I had a 5-9 job because of my work hours. :'D), but I used to, so I know the struggle.
In this article, I will use my experiences to show you how motivation influences my life and work.
Why do I get unmotivated?
1. Bad Day: We all have them. Nobody ever has all good days. It could be because of a fight you get into with someone you care about, or you didn’t sleep well, or you just are having simply a bad day.
2. Tired: Ughhh! I need sleep. I could sleep all day if I could. I am a complete introvert, so I like to stay home and be with my fiancé, dog, and books. And taking naps is my favorite past time activity. I tell my students that and they laugh……I am serious though. :S
3. No Time for Self-Care: You don’t take a shower, exercise, eat right, meditate, read books, do the things you love to do. This is self-care. Taking care of your personal desires and needs is important.
4. Just Not Feeling It: Some days I wake up and I think, I wish I could retire at 26. I would move to Montenegro. Live on a Yacht. Never speak to people again. Hahaha No. Just kidding. I can’t afford a yacht yet. :’D
How do I spark creativity?
1. Take Care of Yourself: This is the first and foremost. How can you expect anyone to listen to you, if you are not able to take care of yourself? This means that you need to find self-care routines that you love and stick with them. For me, I journal, exercise with my dog and fiancé, and try to drink two liters of water daily. I’m not perfect, but when I am having bad days or unmotivated days, doing these things helps me get back on track.
2. Watch a Kids Movie or videos: This is one that I love. Kids movies are innocent and purposely made to bring joy and teach a lesson. I find that if I focus in on a kid’s movie, it often motivates me to work with younger children. I teach 4 – 6-year-old children a lot, and I am often dancing around and jumping to keep up with them. When I watch a kid movie before class, like Coco, I will feel energized from the music and wonderful storyline in the movie.
*My favorite ‘go to’ movies and videos: Coco, Ballerina (Leap), Inside Out, Brave…basically any Pixar film. I also watch funny babies and cute kid videos. 😊*
3. Read a Book: I am a huge fan of reading. I am reading a ton of different books at once and loving every one of them. I read books of meditation, funny books, novels, etc. Any book is a learning opportunity and sparks creativity. Use this as an opportunity to expand your mind and maybe inspiration will hit you!
4. Pinterest: This app is amazing for inspiration. You can find all sorts of activities and things to do here. The ideas are limitless, and the memes are hilarious.
5. Find Something that Brings Joy: In general, find something that sparks the joy inside of you. We all have things that inspire us to create and allow us to dream of bigger and better things. So, find what puts a fire under your butt and start to work towards that project a little bit. My fiancé and I are learning about how to build projects by creating atomic habits (which is a book that we read together and love! You should definitely read it as well). Find something that gives your soul purpose.
(Another good movie I recently watched, Soul. This one is super cute and meaningful.)
What are my priorities?
1. My Health: Eat right. Sleep enough. Exercise everyday a little bit. And make time to take care of your hygiene.
2. My Family: Spend time with loved ones and create long lasting, healthy relationships.
3. My Career: Create a better world for students and develop my teaching skills. Pass on my knowledge.
How do I inspire my students when I am uninspired myself?
This is incredibly difficult to do when you are not feeling 100%. It can be like walking through knee deep mud. Using the above advice will only get you so far. You have to decide and figure out how to unstuck your sticky self. :D
Let me know how you get yourself out of unmotivated mindsets and what habits you enforce to create an atmosphere of growth in your classroom and home. 😊 That is all for now! Take care. Bye! 😊