Motivation can be tricky. Sometimes it’s hard to start a project, keep going or finish, because we don’t always feel motivated.
Know that you are not alone. No matter how you’re feeling, someone else is also feeling the same way. The good thing is, there are ways to hack your brain and get the inner motor running again(or started).
Here are some motivational tips.
Decide how many query’s(or submissions) you plan to send out by a certain date. Make it something that you can easily achieve. The more success you have the more you will want to continue doing it.
Remind yourself of your end goal, maybe write it out so when you go to send a query/submission it is in your field of view. Focusing on the outcome can help you continue with your goal.
Having a long term plan can help manage disappointments or feelings of being stuck. When you get 10 rejections, is your goal to edit your query or to send another 10 submission out? There is no “right” answer, make a plan that works for you and your mindset.
Choose an attainable goal and make sure to celebrate it. No matter if it seems small, you completed a manuscript! You have been working hard on achieving your goal and you deserve to be celebrated. Chose something that makes you happy. The reward can be as simple as buying yourself a coffee, to going to the spa, to purchasing a new part for your bike. Whatever helps you feel good about what you have done and will help you stay motivated.
Learning about other people achieving insurmountable odds can be motivating and help you see your own goals in a new more positive light.
Scheduling breaks can help you enjoy them even more, knowing that you aren’t stopping in trying to achieve your goal, but that you deserve to have some down time from all the hard work you’ve been doing.
Like all things in life, nothing is predictable. We have a plan and goals we want to achieve, but they don’t always go the way we envisioned them. Please remind yourself that finishing what you started is in itself a massive achievement. There are so many things in life we can’t control (including getting an agent or editor)
This is inline with how to Stay Positive. It’s wonderful how the smallest reward can help us feel validated our achievements. Need some ideas? Check out our list of free and low-cost gift ideas.
That’s what we are here to help you with. All of the above but especially to NOT GIVE UP. We believe you can achieve your goals.