This year's mantra is...

Two years ago, I decided to start focusing on one mantra to help me in times of anxiety. The mantra was chosen as a result of things I experienced the year before.

This year's mantra is

This is just a moment. Rise above it.

There were a lot of struggles in 2015, many of which built on one another, which was frustrating. Some of those struggles are over, some are still there, and some have gotten worse. So this year, in order to keep me from getting bogged down by anxiety and linking what is happening to what has happened, I've chosen this mantra as a reminder.

I have high hopes for 2016, based primarily on what I have planned, and what Bo and I have planned for our family. There are still great struggles to come, but when we overcome them, things will be very, very good.

Bring it on, 2016. I'm ready.

Renew your spirit with external motivation

My mantra this year is "Keep moving."

With all of the changes occurring this year, I'm using it to remind myself that I have to keep making progress, even if it's only one step at a time. The problem I've been running into lately is that while I have a lot of internal motivation (I have the desire to do what has to be done), I sometimes struggle with external motivation (the actual get-up-and-do-it part).

So I've been trying to focus on external motivation lately, reminding myself of why we have the goals we have, and why I have to do what I have to do. I've been reminding myself about the benefits of taking care of things immediately, breaking things into smaller parts when needed, and using every trick or tip I can think of to help me get through this challenging spot.

The desire to be productive is there. I'm excited about the long-term goals we have, the benefits of using the processes I have in place, and everything else that's involved. I just have to keep reminding myself (for now, at least) that it's worth it to keep moving. 

I'm glad that's my mantra this year. Maybe it will help me improve my external motivation.

Do you struggle with external motivation? How do you deal with it?