Remaining Driven : Domestic Cents

Driven: being under compulsion, as to succeed or excel.

Everyone wants to be driven, to achieve their goals and get things accomplished. I’ve never spoken with anyone that told me they really didn’t feel the need for drive in their life. However, just as many people have a tough time remaining focused or grasping the deep motivation which is necessary to continue. For some, the risk of failure is enough to ward off even trying. While others quit quickly once the excitement of beginning has waned.

For those of you in the fast lane of life, climbing the corporate ladder at the expense of all things, this post is not for you. I’ll write about slowing down another day.

In the area of being driven. I think there are two types of people.

People that lack the drive to begin in the first place
People that lack the drive to continue

It’s important to identify which is more of a problem for you. If you just say, “I can never get anything done,” then you aren’t pinpointing the problem. WHY can’t you get anything done? Do you have trouble beginning or do you give up quickly?

There are two general reasons to be driven toward something.

It needs to be done
You want to do it

As far as the two reasons, some things are a combination: play with your kids. While others are pretty obvious: cleaning the toilet. Figure out the reason behind what you’re doing and pull your motivation from that. I need to clean the toilet because I will be completely mortified if a guest has to use it looking like this. I want to spend time with my kids so they know they are important to me. Whatever the end, it’s the getting there that’s the trouble. Whether you’re working on a personal goal like losing weight or you’re just trying to improve your productivity I think the same principles apply.

You need to begin well. Don’t dive in unprepared. Sticking with the examples above, don’t just decide to lose weight; decide HOW you’re going to lose weight. Don’t just jump into your overwhelming day, make a plan. I love Simple Mom’s Daily Docket. Find the tools, resources or morning routine that gets you off to a good start. Putting thought into your actions and giving them purpose will put you in the right place mentally. For instance, I stay home with the girls most days and those days begin early. It would be easy to throw my hair in a ponytail and wear my comfy clothes all day because no one else even sees me (with the exception of my adoring husband who, apparently, likes me in my comfy clothes). I don’t do it though. I shower, put on a tiny bit of make-up, dress like I’m going out of the house, and do my hair; and I do all of that before 7 a.m. Why? Because that’s how I begin well. Getting myself ready for the day puts my mind in going-to-work mode. Comfy clothes and hair in a ponytail puts me in sit-on-the-couch mode.
Eliminate the distractions that pull you away. Are you trying to lose weight? Don’t buy the food that makes you cave (I know, I’m brilliant). If I have cookies in the house I will eat them … constantly. I literally can’t stop. So, I don’t always have them in my house. If I have the TV on something I like I’ll probably watch it, so I don’t turn it on. You get the idea. When you find yourself giving up, what is it that pulled you away? Identify it and eliminate it. Disclaimer: this does not give you permission to eliminate your spouse if they are the distraction. It does give you permission to fill them in on your goals and ways they can help you achieve them.
Keep yourself accountable. If you are reporting your progress then you will have more incentive to boost it up. This can go along with the disclaimer above. Let your spouse or close friend in on what you’re doing. They can support you, encourage you and hold you accountable. Having an ally can go far in keeping you driven. Are you a stay-at-home mom who can’t seem to keep motivated? Create a reasonable checklist of things that you want to get done and show it to your hubby. My husband and I lost weight together. It was great to have someone to be accountable to because I also had someone who would really appreciate my progress and celebrate with me.