How To Get Your Mojo Back - When I Grow Up

How To Get Your Mojo Back - When I Grow Up This is a guest post from Natalie, who graciously shares 4 ways that she took her mojo back. Yup you gotsta make it happen yourself, people! Inspirational Art Print by Studio Mela I quit my day job in March of this year. At the time, I was constantly busy â€" working a full-time job, then coming home and working a part-time job to help me save enough money to quit the full-time gig. I did tons of different things at the full-time job and my favorite part of it, coordinating events (which was supposed to be the smallest part) took up most of my time. The first two weeks after quitting were great â€" I was able not to work 14+ hours a day and not to have to think about going somewhere that sucked out my energy. And then…I realized that I just wasn’t busy anymore, at least not in the way I liked. I still had the part-time job (now doing full-time hours), but nothing else going on. That’s just not my style â€" I like days where I’m doing different things, moving from one place to another, varying my workflow. Then I found out I was pregnant (!) and that first trimester sapped a lot of my energy and motivation. I was glad, temporarily, that I only had one obligation. But now I’m back and itching to get started on new projects, finding a job that I love, and generally feeling like I’m contributing to society and my family. So this post is about getting my mojo back â€" a shortlist of what works for me when I need to get motivated: 1. Taking opportunities â€" this is huge. I don’t buy “The Secret”, but I do think the Universe works to give you what you need. This opportunity to guest blog for Michelle is one that I’m taking! I’ve been trying to blog regularly (which fell by the wayside) but I’m seeing this as a great chance to get me back to writing. I’ve also had â€" just in the last few days â€" the opportunity to work with a local organization to consult in arts programming and events coordination (my dream job!). You can bet I want in on that! Do I think it’s the perfect fit? Maybe not, but I’d rather take this chance and be one step closer to my goal and learn something than watch “American Pickers” all day. 2. Resetting goals â€" things change and that means goals change. It’s useful to reevaluate goals as needed â€" maybe it’s every six months for you, or just whenever you feel stuck or blah. Six months ago my goals were to leave my job and to save enough money to make leaving possible. Obviously, those goals have changed by now! 3. Schedules and Lists â€" I’m a scheduler and listmaker. Maybe this is because I’m a big picture person who likes doing work that involves a lot of details (event coordination) so I need tools that will help me get organized. Scheduling with deadlines keeps me motivated since I’m clearly working towards something and a to-do list works because I love crossing things off! 4. Following through when there’s momentum â€" when there’s energy and momentum I find I have to just ride the wave. It’s the same idea as the two minute rule â€" if it takes two minutes to complete something, just do it. Usually that feeling of accomplishment will carry you through to the next thing. So that’s my plan for getting re-motivated! How do you get your mojo back? Natalie is a returned Peace Corps Volunteer, event coordinator, and co-founder of a programming and event consulting business. She blogs at whatrhymeswithorange.org.