Motivation – By @Edwards92Sophie
By Sophie Edwards
Motivation
Recently I have been struggling with motivation. I get home exhausted. I wake up exhausted. I somehow float through the day never feeling as though I am fully ‘on’. It feels as though no matter how long I am leaving my body to charge it is only refuelling to 40% battery (on a good day).
To try and combat this ‘zombie’ Sophie I tasked myself with walking to school 3 times a week – hoping the fresh air and exercise would wake me from my exhaustion coma. It’s a 2.5 mile walk and takes 50 minutes. I’ve been doing it for the past three weeks and everyday I have started my walk pondering how I can refuel my motivation. (Yesterday I was taught that this tactic of walking, thinking and observing your environment is known as Street Wisdom).
The majority of my walk takes place through Clapham Common. It is littered with trendy dogs being naughty, yummy mummies having one-on-one sessions with personal trainers and nannies walking a herd of school kids in matching blazers on their morning commute.
Why, may you ask, am I telling you this? Well. From my walks it has become clear where the main form of motivation stems from. Other people. People are more easily motivated if there is someone else involved.
The trendy dog owner feels guilty if they don’t walk their pug Oscar.
The yummy mummy knows they can’t cancel last minute on Brad the personal trainer.
And the nanny can’t let Frederick, Augustus and Trevor walk to school alone.
It is easier to motivate yourself when you connect what you have/ want to do onto someone else.
Today is the third day in a row I lay in bed and wrote out a ‘I cannot attend email’. Today is also the third day it has been ‘sent to trash’.
This is because I have attached myself to my partner of the week. Persuading myself that if I’m not in maybe they won’t be able to do the work? Maybe we will lose ground? Tricking myself that if I am not in, I will be letting them down.
When I came into SCA I thought the future for advertising creatives was all around singles. How will creative pairs survive when 1 can do it as well?
I honestly considered framing myself to Marc as a single. Putting my eggs into what I naively considered the ‘future of advertising’ basket. But, luckily I didn’t. Because it has become abundantly clear that not only does your partner fuel your creative ideas but also your motivation.
So a small slice of advice, if anyone else if finding the rapid approach of winter de-motivating. Become a limpet. Attach yourself to someone. Organise your day and time around meeting them to achieve tasks – because it is a lot harder to cancel on someone else than on yourself.
