Motivation!

I’m backkkkk!!

I’m back in the blogging world after a much too long break and a few minor life bumps. I hope you have been doing well and I appreciate your continued support. The reader e-mails and comments from friends keep me motivated to blog. Which brings me to today’s topic–motivation. But first, it wouldn’t be Healthy Chelsey Lately without a few life updates and pictures, right?

First off, school is back in session. I recently embarked on my second and final year (for now) of grad school. The assignments and readings have been manageable, but I have noticed a change in my motivation. <–The key word today.

Secondly, I have moved to a new location and acquired a cat in the process! Mac is our new cat and I have been loving him to pieces. He keeps our hearts full as we trudge through the long days working and attending class on campus. Plus, he is super cute, right? Maybe I’m biased. 🙂

Finally, Evan and I are enjoying visiting home together. I love living in the same state as him again (after a summer in Savannah, GA). We recently went back to Milwaukee and took a stroll along Lake Michigan. So getting into the bulk of today’s post. I am curious how you stay motivated? No, really! Has there ever been a more complex topic? I am currently enrolled in a class surrounding a topic called “Motivational Interviewing” which is a set of micro-counseling skills used with clients who are interested in changing a health-related behavior. The class is extremely applicable as a health educator in my work with college students. However, the topic of motivation extends to all of us and our various facets of life.

I started analyzing where I receive my sources of motivation from. I surprisingly had a hard time coming up with ideas. After much to do, I realized that a lot of what I have been doing in the past few years have been related to habit but, how did I get there? I came up with this list, but still felt stuck…

1. Feeling of accomplishment
2. Rewards/Incentives
3. Positive reinforcement from others
4. Positive results
5. My family
6. My friends
7. Evan
8. My work and students I work with

I have to be honest, with the start of a new school year and some recent medical health issues, I have been feeling ambivalent about a lot of things. So I guess I’m looking for a lot of feedback from you. Where do you get your motivation to be healthy or even just to get through daily life? Does it come from inside or out? What renews your energy and keeps you going? Whatever it is–keep it around. It’s important.

As always, thanks for reading. & eat something healthy for me 🙂

Chelsey