It is so easy to get distracted by the things going on in your life. Other people try to pull you into their issues. It seems like every time you think you are getting back on track, something pops up that tears your attention away from what you really want to do. I read this article this morning and it adequately describes what I have been going through: Distraction is a 4 letter word. I wrote in the post before last about getting back to the repeat stage. I realized that the reason that I was stuck was due to my lack of drive and motivation. I thought I knew what was motivating me, but when I really stopped to assess what I was doing, I did not have a clue what my motivation was. I was feeling lethargic and unable to find a real reason to get out of bed other than work. I had to take a real look at what I was eating and how I was exercising and sleeping. I did not like where I was. I remember thinking “Why does it take crisis for me to take action?” I was distracted by the things that I thought I needed to do and was pulled away without continuing to focus on the things I knew I needed to do.

I like to write things down. I have little black books of my thoughts and things that inspire me. So I went back over the things that I wrote down over the past year, what my thought process was and how I was feeling at that time. I realized that while I could never recreate those exact experiences, I am in a different environment now, there are some constants that can still be applied.

1. Have a set schedule for the time that you wake up and the time that you go to sleep. Make sure to include time to decompress from the day. I read this article last week about sleep that helped me remember what is important about sleeping: How much sleep do we really need to work productively?

2. Setup a schedule for exercising. And FOLLOW IT! This is so important. Many people say they are going to exercise, but they never follow through. The follow through is important even if it is a little bit at a time. What you are doing with the small steps is building a habit. Once you get started, it is easy to add on to until you get to the point where you are repeatedly doing what you have set out to do.

3. Work on a project that excites you. This goes along with the article I read this morning. This should not have anything to do with work. It should be purely based on something that you are passionate about.

4. Take time to reassess the things that are working and the things that are not. This allows you to figure out what you are doing that is good, how you can improve upon them and the things that you need to change before they become bad habits and you are back in your rut.

5. Surround yourself with positivity. Positive thoughts can stimulate the mind (just my experience) and help you get out of that rut a lot quicker. They can help you find that motivation and foster that drive again. The sources can and should include music, people and what you read and watch.

These are just my thoughts from the experiences that I have been through and I what I have been going through for the past couple of months. It is my hope that I can write more posts and hopefully help someone and inspire and provide positivity in someone else’s life.