Blaugust: Week Four – Staying Motivated

Blaugust is getting closer to the end. This has been one of the more rewarding events I’ve taken part in. It has also been difficult, but that’s entirely on my end. I chose to post every day without any preparation—as a newbie blogger. This weekly prompt is all about staying motivated, something I need to be thinking about, because I’m pushing my limits. I think these questions may have been meant for picking one to write about, but I quite like answering them all in one post.

What tricks do you use to keep yourself motivated when something feels impossible?

My favorite trick is splitting my goals in half. I tell myself I only have to do half two times. Like with Blaugust I’ll say, I only have to post every day for 16 days. When I make that smaller goal, I start telling myself I only have to do 15 more. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t.

What are your blogging goals? Do you think participating in Blaugust is getting you closer to where you want to be?

I’ve wanted to blog for many years, but I never sat down to do it. My mind was too focused on wanting to be a blogger instead of wanting to become a blogger. Slowing down to take things one step at a time has never been one of my strengths. Blaugust has helped me get out of that mindset by letting me dive in to a big goal. I haven’t had time to daydream about the big picture. The goal closest to my heart is writing in general, and I think I’ve proven to myself that I can do that now.

What do you think you’ll get out of completing your Blaugust goals?

I’m not sure completing my goals is necessary. I’ve already gotten so much out of what I’ve put into those goals by blogging consistently and meeting people in the blogosphere. The only thing left is to just be able to say I completed my goals—which is like a nice cherry on top.

What drives you to blog?

I just love words. They take a great deal of logic to put together and to decipher. Humanity’s greatest accomplishment was figuring out how to make sounds and shapes hold so much value and variety. We use words to solve problems, create art, persuade, educate, soothe—and so much more. I want to consistently be using my mind to create more words, and I don’t want them to be hidden away from the world.

Are you happy with your Blaugust so far? If so, why? If not, why not?

Absolutely. I’m the type of person to create something just to throw it away because it’s not good enough for my impossible standards. Blaugust has helped me let go of perfection. It’s either post something of questionable quality or fall behind. There are two wolves inside of me, one who wants quality and one who wants to keep up with daily posting this month. Both want perfection, but I’m learning that it takes a bit of both.

How important is goal setting & reaching your goals to you overall?

Honestly, I love giving up when it’s what I really want to do. I have a bad habit of making goals that are too hard or starting tasks that I only have mild interest in. The fact that I’m still hanging on to my Blaugust goals is proof to me that I really care about what I’m doing. So, I also love not giving up. Whether I meet my goals or not, I always want it to feel like a choice.

Did you read any posts during Blaugust (or before) that you found particularly inspirational? Share them!

You bet I did.