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Zemanta, a blogger service that I use to share my posts with other bloggers, has asked me to write about how I keep inspired to write my blog day in and day out. I thought about this question, and to me they are asking about motivation.
How do you stay motivated to do any job day to day, week to week and year to year?
For me motivation is maintained by a combination of factors.
1) Passion: I love what I do, so it is easy to keep doing it. Writing down my thoughts each day helps me to organize and clarify my values and beliefs. It’s a plus that by posting these ideas on my blog they may help other people too.
2) Clear objectives: I have defined the focus of my blog over this year. I went from writing primarily about organizing and frugal living tips... to getting deeper into the philosophy of Simple Living and it’s connection to healthy eating.
I think that whenever you feel stagnate or bored in your job you need to step back from your day to day routine and ask yourself big questions.
3) Be open to change: Try to think of paths to solutions for whatever is making you unhappy in your work. Write out the goals in as much detail as you can, visualize the change, and re-read the goals daily so you don’t forget about them. The only way to really get off of the cow path, to break a bad habit, is to stay focused daily on a goal.
4) Take risks: I have tried new programs and will be moving my blogging platform to a new domain... these things can decrease my readership in the short term, but most likely will increase it in the long term. But without taking these chances I may grow slowly... or stagnate.
I think we tend to believe that the downside of a risky venture is worse than it will be.
5) Commit yourself to a routine: A lot of times when someone undertakes a creative venture, such as in writing, music, or visual arts, he will tell himself that, “I need to go with the flow and work when I’m inspired.” Sometimes you do... but you also need to decide on set times of the day that you just sit down to do your work whether you are inspired or not at that moment... because discipline does matter.
People who succeeded work consistently.
6) Camaraderie: Probably what is the most attractive part of blogging for a writer is the almost instantaneous feedback and dialogue you get with your readers, because people can post comments to you immediately after they read your articles. When you write books or newspaper articles you get feedback, but it takes awhile to get to you, and people who may have intended to write you a letter or send you an email put it off and forget to do it.
The dialogue you develop with your readers and other bloggers broadens your awareness and sensitivity across borders.
I am more aware of the climate and the difference in the seasonal flow of Australia because of the women I interact with from there.
Canadians have showed me how culturally different they can be from Americans even though we only live miles away from each other in some parts of the US.
I have more respect and understanding for different religions because I read about the food and culture around their holidays.
Some folks just make me laugh... and others awe me by their glamourous lifestyles.
Services like Zemanta have also helped me find blogs that I didn't realize were out there, who are passionate about the same ideas that I embrace. Blogging has made me more of a world citizen without having to leave my living room, and that just keeps me doing it... day in and day out.
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