Motivation

  • Are you lonely working from home? These 5 strategies will help you overcome loneliness for good.

    I am not one to candy coat things. I believe in authenticity and honesty. I believe that you get more by being direct than circling around what you really want to say. Life is too short for us not to just come right out and say what needs to be said, right?

    Now that I’ve put that out there, I’m going to share a secret that not every work from home professional will admit.

    Working from home can be lonely. The kind of loneliness that can kill my focus, motivation, and drive even when there is so much work to be done. At times, it’s absolutely debilitating.

    Most of us, including myself, didn’t start out working from home. Chances are that you, like me, worked in an environment full of people. Whether it was on your feet serving customers in a retail store, running from table to table at a restaurant, or sitting in a far-too-small cubicle in an office, we spent part of our lives working for someone else in a place that wasn’t our home.

    For me, there is a huge difference in working from home as a solopreneur than working as part of a larger team in a shared space.

    During those times I was oddly comforted by the sounds of others, especially when I entered corporate office working environments. The talking, whirring of copy machines, opening and closing of doors, tapping of keyboard keys, and the steps of my co-workers served as my background music.

    I miss it.

    Personally, this last week has been harder than most. Though I have a lot on my plate and desperately want to crank through it all, just sitting down at my desk puts me into this awful loneliness state.

    Seriously… yuck. I hate this feeling.

    I know I am not alone. YOU are not alone. I have spoken with so many of you who have shared these same exact feelings with me. Maybe we should start a support group (kidding, but not kidding).

    Here’s the thing. We can sit here in our misery and feel sorry for ourselves. Believe me, it’s a choice, and I’ve sadly made it once or twice. Did it make me feel better to do that? No. Though I absolutely gave myself grace, I also realized that sitting in those feelings just made it worse for me. When I am that low, I know I need to dig deep to figure out a solution that helps me move on.

    If I can do it, you can do it. We are powerfully creative and resilient beings. We are more than capable of turning those lonely feelings around. Not only are there ways to shake out the negativity, we can also pivot out of our sad and slow working time into one that is upbeat, positive, and productive.

    I don’t know about you, but saying it out-loud already makes me feel better.

    Here are five of my favorites ways to get back into the game.

    1. Get the music pumping.

    Turn on any music that will get you out of the funk. I am a fan of so many different genres. It really depends on my mood and what I need in that moment. Something energetic like 80’s hits, 90’s hair bands, and classic hip hop pulls me right back into the now. Once I’m there, I use my good friend Alexa to help me adjust my tunes and volume accordingly so that I can continue pushing through with positive momentum.

    2. Get out of your office.

    I’m serious. Get out of your office! In fact, get out of your house. Sometimes loneliness is purely a symptom of being cooped up inside by yourself for too long. Go for a run or take your furry office mate out for a short walk. Better yet, plan ahead and schedule a hike or bike ride with a friend. Getting away from your desk will do wonders to re-energize your brain, clear your head, and make your body feel happy.

    3. Call a friend.

    This is one of my favorites. Many of my friends are solopreneurs, too. They totally get what I am experiencing day in and day out. The best part – they are usually just as eager as I am to talk to another human. I love a good walk and talk (a powerful combo of #2 and #3!). In times when I need to see someone’s face, but don’t have time for a meet-up, Zoom works in a pinch.

    4. Organize and clean up.

    One of my superpowers is organization. I can organize the hell out of pretty much anything. The best part? It makes me feel SO good! There is something about taking a messy space and turning it into a beautiful functioning one. It doesn’t just have to be a space, either. Some of my happiest, most creative moments have been when I grab my bullet journal and organize my week. Knowing what is coming up and what I want to accomplish is so helpful in setting me up for a successful work session.

    5. Meditate.

    Last, but certainly not least, is the power of meditation. When I practice, I experience clarity in the most powerful ways. It’s down right magical. In a matter of five minutes of meditation, I can go from feeling my lowest to feeling calm and ready to work. Like I have a purpose. Like I am no longer lonely. I have practiced meditation successfully in different ways. From sitting cross-legged while listening to guided meditations to lying on my back in the absolute quiet. Meditating each day is a goal of mine for this year. I highly recommend you make it one of yours, too.

  • These 25 quotes will help you light that inner spark

    Do you ever have that moment where you walk into your office and don’t know where to start? It’s the most uncomfortable feeling, isn’t it? There are times when this happens to me that I feel completely paralyzed with what to do or how to get started.

    I cannot stand this feeling. It makes me feel completely useless especially as someone who is from a long line of doers and shakers (our minds and bodies rarely sit still).

    I’ll do anything from organizing and cleaning my office to writing in my bullet journal to bust through my paralysis. Other times I’ll go for a walk, listen to a podcast, or read a few passages in a book I’m currently reading.

    But my favorite thing to do is read quotes from amazing humans… especially incredible women.

    Not only can a good quote hold meaning and power, it’s also a bit like receiving advice from a friend. And us work from home types know how valuable advice from a friend can be. ♥

    Below are twenty-five of my most treasured quotes that I hope inspire you to get to work and make magic happen!

    Quotes to live by.

    “Well behaved women rarely make history.”
    ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

    “I don’t go by the rule book. I lead from the heart, not the head.”
    ~ Princess Diana

    “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement.”
    ~ Helen Keller

    “Fight for the things you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.”
    ~ Ruth Bader Ginsburg

    “Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness.”
    ~ Oprah Winfrey

    “You can waste your lives drawing lines. Or you can live your life crossing them.”
    ~ Shonda Rhimes

    “The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.”
    ~ Amelia Earhart

    “I know my worth. I embrace my power. I say if I’m beautiful. I say if I’m strong. You will not determine my story. I will.”
    ~ Amy Schumer

    “Let us make our future now, and let us make our dreams tomorrow’s reality.”
    ~ Malala Yousafzai

    “Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of someone else.”
    ~ Judy Garland

    “Don’t ever make decisions based on fear. Make decisions based on hope and possibility. Make decisions based on what should happen, not what shouldn’t.”
    ~ Michelle Obama

    “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”
    ~ Mother Teresa

    “You will face many defeats in your life, but never let yourself be defeated.”
    ~ Maya Angelou

    “Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.”
    ~ Brené Brown

    “You are the one that possesses the keys to your being. You carry the passport to your own happiness.”
    ~ Diane von Furstenberg

    “Don’t wait for a time when you’re free of fear. Feel the fear and do it anyway.”
    ~ Gabby Bernstein

    “You can’t be that kid standing at the top of the waterslide, overthinking it. You have to go down the chute.”
    ~ Tina Fey

    “Have no fear of perfection; you’ll never reach it.”
    ~ Marie Curie

    “If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one.”
    ~ Dolly Parton

    “Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement.”
    ~ Golda Meir

    “Technique and ability alone do not get you to the top; it is the willpower that is most important.”
    ~ Junko Tabei

    “I didn’t get there by wishing for it or hoping for it, but by working for it.”
    ~ Estée Lauder

    “Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.”
    ~ Gloria Sti

    “I choose to make the rest of my life the best of my life.”
    ~ Louise Hay

    “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
    ~ Jane Goodall

  • Getting started when all you want to do is stay in bed

    Y’all. This morning was rough.

    Last night I went to bed with the best intentions. I had visions of myself getting up early, busting it all out during my virtual workout, then settling down for a focused day of work. I fell asleep peacefully.

    At the sound of my alarm, my body tensed into an anxious ball. Tears began to flow down my face. I knew in an instant, this was not going to be the day I envisioned it would be.

    I laid in bed for a while, letting the chaos of my thoughts race through my head.

    Heavy feelings can have a tendency to throw me off track, sometimes for an entire day. I have to work so hard to calm that part of me so that I may enjoy the day, rather than to succumb to the dark side of it.

    On a good day, I’ll jump out of bed, acknowledge my feelings, accept them, and then get to work. On a bad day, I’ll hide. I burrow myself deeper into my comforter, grab my mobile, and search for answers.

    The latter is seriously the worst habit ever. And we all know it.

    Our mobile holds no answers. Worse? The news and social media accounts that we are drawn to do nothing but make us anxious, agitated, and feeling like we have no control.

    So what do we do?

    The only thing we can do. Live. Feel our feelings. Be present. Enjoy the moments that are in front of us right now. Put down our devices and realize that there are so many other better things to do that get caught up in other people’s drama.

    During the hard times, it’s all about grace. And by this, I mean, giving grace to yourself! There are days that we aren’t going to bounce out of bed right away, and that’s ok. BUT we can certainly resist the urge to hide.

    Give yourself a few quiet moments to collect yourself. Take the time to close your eyes and envision the type of day that you want. Breathe deeply. When you open your eyes, count to three. Then slide yourself on out of that bed. You have people to see, things to do, and a life to live.

    No matter how we wake up, here’s what I know. We are more than capable of changing our mindset. We can take a bad moment and turn it into a positive one. I’m not saying it’s easy. I’m saying we can. Why? Because we are powerful that way!

    If you need a little help with that positive mind-shift, use the beings that exist around you for a little extra motivation. Enter, my sweet chocolate lab, Lilo. I will get up every day of the week for her. And she knows it.

    It’s more than time that we start making the most of our mornings. Let’s make it our mission to get up each day driven with all the determination and spirit we can muster to kick ass as soon as our feet hit that floor.

    Cause I know we can do this. And we can do it together.

    Ready? 1… 2… 3… LET’S GO!