16. How to Stay Motivated
Now that we’re settling into 2023, that glimmer of the New Year isn’t shining so brightly. We all experience difficulty staying motivated throughout the year, but this doesn’t have to be a problem. This week, I’m showing you exactly why we lack motivation and what to do about it.
Designers often talk about motivation as if it’s just something that’s going to come up behind them, tap them on the shoulder and say, “I’m here, let’s go.” It’s great when motivation comes easily and we’re feeling energized, but we all know that isn’t the norm. So, how much time are you spending dragging your feet, waiting for motivation to come knocking?
Tune in this week to discover how to stay motivated, and how to create your own motivation so you aren’t waiting around hoping it will just appear. I’m showing you how to get clear on the thoughts that are leaving you feeling unmotivated, and giving you some helpful thoughts you can use to generate the motivation required to move your business forward.
Out of Overwhelm is my signature six-month program designed to take you from overwhelmed and stressed to profitable, in control, and fulfilled. Applications open in mid-May and we kick off the next round in July 2023, so if you love the topics covered on the podcast, click here to get yourself on the waitlist!
If you loved today’s topic, let’s make sure you never miss an episode. Follow the show now wherever you listen to podcasts. And if you haven’t already, make the time to leave me a rating and review. As a special thank you for taking the time to share your feedback, I’ll send you a little mid-week pick-me-up in the mail, so simply screenshot your review and send me a message on Instagram!
What You’ll Discover from this Episode:
How I hear interior designers talking about the concept of motivation, and why so many of us get it wrong.
Why, if you’re waiting for motivation to just come along, you’ll be waiting a long time.
How, as creatives, we often want to avoid the admin in our business, and why this actually reduces our creative freedom in the long run.
Why just like any other emotion, motivation is something we can create using our thoughts.
3 ways to take control and start generating your own motivation right now.
Listen to the Full Episode:
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If you love what you’re learning on the show, I’d love for you to check out my signature group coaching program, Out of Overwhelm
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A Well-Designed Business Vol. 2 by Luann Nigara & Friends
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Full Episode Transcript:
Hey, designer, you’re listening to episode 16. This is the one where I’m going to be talking all about how to stay motivated and actually create your own motivation, so you aren’t waiting around hoping it will appear.
Welcome to The Interior Design Business CEO, the only show for designers who are ready to confidently run and grow their businesses without the stress and anxiety. If you're ready to develop a bigger vision for your interior design business, free up your time, and streamline your days for productivity and profit, you're in the right place. I'm Desi Creswell, an award-winning interior designer and certified life and business coach. I help interior designers just like you stop feeling overwhelmed so they can build profitable businesses they love to run. Are you ready to confidently lead your business, clients, and projects? Let's go.
Hello, designer. Welcome back to the podcast. As always, I'm thrilled to be here with you. This is a fun week because I'm finalizing some of the details for the next launch of Out Of Overwhelm, deciding when enrollment is going to happen, how it's going to happen, and making my plan. So that's always fun. I love to get that out of my brain and onto paper so I can start working on it.
I was recently chatting with my friend and colleague, Amanda Berlin. We were actually co-authors in the Well Designed Business book with LuAnn Nigara, Volume Two. That was, gosh, I think maybe in 2021 now. I can't remember. But anyways, that's how Amanda and I met.
And we were talking about how I wanted to do something that was really an introduction to Out Of Overwhelm for this next launch. And an idea started coming together for me. And I'm really someone who has to write things out or speak them out. Otherwise, I just kind of keep looping in my brain.
So it was so amazing, this back-and-forth conversation that Amanda and I were having. And I ended up getting the launch event all planned out, and now it's completely fleshed out, the content how I'm going to deliver it. And it's going to be a four-week coaching program around time management and scheduling. And I'm not ready to share details exactly what it's going to be, but just know it's going to be incredible, so have that on your radar.
The next round of Out Of Overwhelm will be opening for enrollment in mid-May and will kick off in July, so stay tuned for details on that. And make sure you add your name to the waitlist. You can click the link in the show notes because I always send out a bonus and early access enrollment, especially for the waitlist. So if you've been thinking about joining me, make sure your name is on there.
I thought now would really be the perfect time to talk about motivation because we're settling into February now, and that glimmer of the new year has probably gone away a little bit for all of you. And I don't know about you, but here in Minnesota, it's just been so cloudy. Not seeing the sun really drags me down, so there's that. There's the winter. And then also I think just there's the excitement that happens around January around setting new goals and thinking fresh. A fresh start, new year, new me. And that doesn't last very long.
But let's face it, lack of motivation isn't just an issue with the winter doldrums or the first month of the year ending. Struggling to get yourself to do what you want to do is something we all experience from time to time. And I would say not even just struggling to get yourself to do what you want to do, but actually wanting to do what you want to do.
We say we want to do something, but then there's this part of us that really actually doesn't want to do it for whatever reason. And this doesn't have to be a problem, and I'm going to share with you today exactly why that is and what to do about it.
Before we dive in, I want to take a minute and say thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway for the Jayson Home gift certificates. That giveaway for leaving a rating and review of the podcast is over, and I've been asking myself what would be fun to do next. When I had to pick a weekly release date for the podcast, I wanted to do Wednesdays so it could be a mid-week dose of inspiration for you. And I was also thinking about how I love to get real mail with a handwritten note.
What I've decided I want to do is send you, the designer, a little mid-week pick-me-up in the mail. All you have to do, this is super simple, is leave me a review wherever you listen to your podcasts. Take a screenshot of your review, and then just send me a picture of that review in a DM on Instagram, @DesiCreswell.
And after you do that, I'm going to send you a note card and a little mid-week pick-me-up in the mail. How fun is that? So I can't wait to send you mail. And, of course, leaving a review is such a great way to help other designers find this podcast and get these tools and concepts into more hands in our industry.
Let's start to dive into the topic of staying motivated in your interior design business. So often, I hear designers talk about motivation as if it's just something that's going to come up and tap them on the shoulder and say, “Hey, I'm here. Let's do this.” Kind of like a hype man or a hype woman that shows up at your door, maybe with some really fun pop music playing. Are you getting the picture here?
It's lovely when motivation comes easily, you're feeling energized, and there's very little friction between what you want to do and actually doing it. That's amazing when it happens. But we all know that's not the norm. How much of your time are you spending dragging your feet, finding yourself procrastinating, resisting, or avoiding doing something you know you should be doing and that you also know would be good for you and your business, but you're just not doing it?
Whether you went to school formally for interior design or came to it as a second career and are self-taught, I'm guessing nobody let you in on the secret that running an interior design business is way more about running the business than the interior design work, if not at least equal to it. You've got all that admin, tracking, documenting, you name it. It is not just creative work. And as creatives, we often want to avoid the more structural pieces of our business that are really important scaffolding to allow us to have that freedom and creativity.
And that's why we need this topic of creating your own motivation. These non-creative tasks and projects in your business aren't always going to be what you gravitate toward, which brings me to my point. If you're waiting to feel motivated to send the invoices, write the standard operating procedures, submit the sales tax, set up a new project management system, you name it. You are going to be waiting a long time.
It also means that you likely aren't fully engaged in key parts of your business that are going to make it more profitable, make it run more smoothly, give your clients a better experience, and, frankly, make it more enjoyable for you in the long run too. When we take care of these things that we're not necessarily as motivated to do, it actually creates more space for the things that we do want to do. But we forget this, and more often than not, motivation won't be there without you showing up for it first.
The solution for lack of motivation is to learn to create your own. What I want you to know is that motivated is a feeling we experience. And just like any other emotion you're feeling, motivated or otherwise, it is created by your thinking. So if you aren't feeling motivated, you first have to understand your inner dialogue and the feeling associated with that story first.
It might sound something like, “This is going to take forever,” and you're experiencing a feeling of dread. Or you might be telling yourself, “It won't matter that much if I don't get to it,” maybe feeling a little apathetic. Or, I know this is a classic, “I'll get to it tomorrow,” which you might be feeling kind of avoidant. When you're telling yourself these stories and generating these emotions, it feels so heavy. It makes perfect sense that you're not feeling motivated.
The story that you're telling about what you need to do or want to do for the ultimate good of your business is not generating a positive emotion. No task or project in your business is inherently motivating or not. There are always going to be things that you have an easier time creating the generation of motivated around, but motivation always starts with you. And I hope you think this is the best news ever.
I want to give you three specific ways that I use and also teach my clients to generate their own motivation so you can start putting this into practice today. The first way to create motivation is to connect the task at hand to the bigger picture.
It's often hard to see how the daily ins and outs are contributing to the greater whole of your business. When this is the case, it's easy to think that what you're doing or not doing won't have an impact, that it's not going to make a difference, or that you can even kind of get away with ignoring it for a bit longer. These are sneaky little sentences that are just kicking the can down the road, and I want you to take back control.
To flip this around for yourself, connect to the vision you're working toward in your life and business. If you're not sure what that vision is, go to desiid.com/vision, the link will be in the show notes, and you can download my guide to creating your own business and life vision. Be clear on where you're headed so that you know what you're doing on a daily basis is contributing to something that you ultimately want.
It's your responsibility as the CEO to actively remind yourself why you want to do the thing. Your future self, the one who has achieved business and life vision, is waiting for you, and present you needs to do their share to make it happen. Let me give you some examples.
It could be that those invoices you've been putting off for weeks actually contribute to a family vacation or are going to be the start of bringing on more help to your business. It's not about just sending out those invoices. It's what the invoices make possible.
Or maybe it's that you think about reaching out to an architect you really want to work with but kind of feel uncomfortable putting yourself out there. There's client work that you could busy yourself with, and it just keeps getting knocked to the next day and the next day. It's easy to put this off because you don't perceive marketing as urgent as client work.
So in some ways, you could justify your way out of doing this. But then, when you start to connect your marketing efforts to the future ideal clients you'll sign, and what that means for your business, it can start to look a lot more attractive.
Another way to create internal motivation is to celebrate your wins, big and small. Show yourself what is going well, where you're making progress when you've gone out of your comfort zone and survived, or even learned an important lesson from a mistake. It all counts. When you recognize yourself in this way, you light up the reward center in your brain. You give yourself a little hit of dopamine, and your brain loves that. It wants to keep getting rewarded.
Think about this, a partner or a friend, telling them what they're doing right is always going to be more effective and more connecting than ignoring their progress or, worse, telling them it's not enough. It's the same for you. In Out Of Overwhelm, we celebrate wins weekly, and frankly, whenever we want to, through the evaluation process that I teach in the program.
Celebrating can be as simple as texting a friend to share what happened, sharing in our community, telling yourself good job, or even thanks for doing that. And it might feel a little weird at first, but you'll get used to it. And it truly is a game changer when it comes to creating your own motivation.
Another thing you can do to create your own motivation is just focus on the next best step. Getting started and in motion can be the hardest part. When you're at the start of a new undertaking or a new project, you're likely to be thinking about the 10 or 20 next things that you have to do and how it's a lot or it's going to take a long time, or if you don't know if it'll work. And this can bring up a lot of thoughts that create dread, the feeling of being daunted when you look at the full scope of what you're setting out to complete.
So when you're lacking motivation, ask yourself, what is the next best step? When you just focus on the next best step in front of you, you start to believe I can do this, and I know what to do. You start to create an internal shift from overwhelmed to clear and decisive. Once you get going, you can lean on the previous tips of celebrating your wins and connecting the next best step to your bigger picture to build on your motivation and momentum.
Now you have three solid tips for getting your motivation going. And I also want to give you a bonus tip, and it might surprise you. Are you ready for it? Here it is. You don't have to be motivated to take action and follow through on your commitments to yourself. There are going to be things in your business that are going to feel more challenging, whether that's because they don't align with your more natural interests or they're pushing you outside of your comfort zone. That's when I suggest you don't aim for feeling motivated and instead tap into other emotions to fuel your action.
Consider what it would be like to take action from the feelings of committed or determined, or even resolved. What would that be like? And then, if you were feeling that way, what would you be thinking about the task, about your business, about yourself? Maybe you'd be thinking, “I can do this, even if it feels uncomfortable.”
Getting comfortable with discomfort is a huge part of being an interior design CEO. I talk about this more in episode five, that'll be linked in the show notes as well. You might even be thinking, “This is worth my time.” When I think this is worth my time, I feel dedicated. I feel resolved to get it done. Or maybe you'd be thinking, “I'm going to be so proud when I'm on the other side of this,” and connect to that future version of you who has the thing done or achieved.
To be clear, I'm not suggesting that you push yourself beyond healthy limits or force yourself to do things. That is very different. What we're talking about today is using your brain to support you in achieving your goals, both on a daily basis and in the long term. It's really about honoring your desires and vision for the future.
When you learn to stop waiting for motivation to come and, poof, just appear and learn to create it for yourself, there is truly nothing you can't accomplish. Whether you want to have a supportive morning routine or have your best year financially in your business, learning to create your own motivation is the secret.
It's not just about the external results, either. Imagine the shift in how you'll view yourself and how you show up for your business, even your family and your community, when you have developed this skill. You can, of course, always choose to feel proud and accomplished, whatever you do or don't do, and it’s also really amazing when you align your actions with your goals.
Let's recap the three ways you can create internal motivation for yourself. The first is connecting to the bigger picture. And if you need support with that, don't forget to check out the business and life vision journal I've got linked in the show notes. You can also focus just on the next best step. What's the simplest thing I can do to get myself moving? You can also celebrate your wins, big and small. I highly recommend this. And then that bonus tip, decide to take action with emotions such as committed or determined instead of trying to activate motivation when it's just feeling like too far of a reach.
I want to invite you all to decide right now that you will try one of these tips today. It could even be with the thing you're doing right after you listen to this episode. You'll see what happens. That's what I have for you today. In the next episode, I'm going to talk about being present, both in your personal and professional life.
Not only does feeling present feel amazing, but I'd also argue it's one of your top productivity tools. This is, of course, something I've worked on myself because I'm my first and best client, and it's also something I work on so often with my clients. I can't wait to share that with you, and until then, I'm wishing you a beautiful week. I'll talk to you in the next episode.
Thanks for joining me for this week's episode of The Interior Design Business CEO. If you want more tips, tools, and strategies, visit www.desicreswell.com. And if you're ready to take what you've learned on the podcast to the next level, I would love for you to check out my signature group coaching program, Out of Overwhelm.
Welcome to The Interior Design Business CEO, the only show for designers who are ready to confidently run and grow their businesses without the stress and anxiety. If you're ready to develop a bigger vision for your interior design business, free up your time, and streamline your days for productivity and profit, you're in the right place. I'm Desi Creswell, an award-winning interior designer and certified life and business coach. I help interior designers just like you stop feeling overwhelmed so they can build profitable businesses they love to run. Are you ready to confidently lead your business, clients, and projects? Let's go.
Hello, designer. Welcome back to the podcast. As always, I'm thrilled to be here with you. This is a fun week because I'm finalizing some of the details for the next launch of Out Of Overwhelm, deciding when enrollment is going to happen, how it's going to happen, and making my plan. So that's always fun. I love to get that out of my brain and onto paper so I can start working on it.
I was recently chatting with my friend and colleague, Amanda Berlin. We were actually co-authors in the Well Designed Business book with LuAnn Nigara, Volume Two. That was, gosh, I think maybe in 2021 now. I can't remember. But anyways, that's how Amanda and I met.
And we were talking about how I wanted to do something that was really an introduction to Out Of Overwhelm for this next launch. And an idea started coming together for me. And I'm really someone who has to write things out or speak them out. Otherwise, I just kind of keep looping in my brain.
So it was so amazing, this back-and-forth conversation that Amanda and I were having. And I ended up getting the launch event all planned out, and now it's completely fleshed out, the content how I'm going to deliver it. And it's going to be a four-week coaching program around time management and scheduling. And I'm not ready to share details exactly what it's going to be, but just know it's going to be incredible, so have that on your radar.
The next round of Out Of Overwhelm will be opening for enrollment in mid-May and will kick off in July, so stay tuned for details on that. And make sure you add your name to the waitlist. You can click the link in the show notes because I always send out a bonus and early access enrollment, especially for the waitlist. So if you've been thinking about joining me, make sure your name is on there.
I thought now would really be the perfect time to talk about motivation because we're settling into February now, and that glimmer of the new year has probably gone away a little bit for all of you. And I don't know about you, but here in Minnesota, it's just been so cloudy. Not seeing the sun really drags me down, so there's that. There's the winter. And then also I think just there's the excitement that happens around January around setting new goals and thinking fresh. A fresh start, new year, new me. And that doesn't last very long.
But let's face it, lack of motivation isn't just an issue with the winter doldrums or the first month of the year ending. Struggling to get yourself to do what you want to do is something we all experience from time to time. And I would say not even just struggling to get yourself to do what you want to do, but actually wanting to do what you want to do.
We say we want to do something, but then there's this part of us that really actually doesn't want to do it for whatever reason. And this doesn't have to be a problem, and I'm going to share with you today exactly why that is and what to do about it.
Before we dive in, I want to take a minute and say thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway for the Jayson Home gift certificates. That giveaway for leaving a rating and review of the podcast is over, and I've been asking myself what would be fun to do next. When I had to pick a weekly release date for the podcast, I wanted to do Wednesdays so it could be a mid-week dose of inspiration for you. And I was also thinking about how I love to get real mail with a handwritten note.
What I've decided I want to do is send you, the designer, a little mid-week pick-me-up in the mail. All you have to do, this is super simple, is leave me a review wherever you listen to your podcasts. Take a screenshot of your review, and then just send me a picture of that review in a DM on Instagram, @DesiCreswell.
And after you do that, I'm going to send you a note card and a little mid-week pick-me-up in the mail. How fun is that? So I can't wait to send you mail. And, of course, leaving a review is such a great way to help other designers find this podcast and get these tools and concepts into more hands in our industry.
Let's start to dive into the topic of staying motivated in your interior design business. So often, I hear designers talk about motivation as if it's just something that's going to come up and tap them on the shoulder and say, “Hey, I'm here. Let's do this.” Kind of like a hype man or a hype woman that shows up at your door, maybe with some really fun pop music playing. Are you getting the picture here?
It's lovely when motivation comes easily, you're feeling energized, and there's very little friction between what you want to do and actually doing it. That's amazing when it happens. But we all know that's not the norm. How much of your time are you spending dragging your feet, finding yourself procrastinating, resisting, or avoiding doing something you know you should be doing and that you also know would be good for you and your business, but you're just not doing it?
Whether you went to school formally for interior design or came to it as a second career and are self-taught, I'm guessing nobody let you in on the secret that running an interior design business is way more about running the business than the interior design work, if not at least equal to it. You've got all that admin, tracking, documenting, you name it. It is not just creative work. And as creatives, we often want to avoid the more structural pieces of our business that are really important scaffolding to allow us to have that freedom and creativity.
And that's why we need this topic of creating your own motivation. These non-creative tasks and projects in your business aren't always going to be what you gravitate toward, which brings me to my point. If you're waiting to feel motivated to send the invoices, write the standard operating procedures, submit the sales tax, set up a new project management system, you name it. You are going to be waiting a long time.
It also means that you likely aren't fully engaged in key parts of your business that are going to make it more profitable, make it run more smoothly, give your clients a better experience, and, frankly, make it more enjoyable for you in the long run too. When we take care of these things that we're not necessarily as motivated to do, it actually creates more space for the things that we do want to do. But we forget this, and more often than not, motivation won't be there without you showing up for it first.
The solution for lack of motivation is to learn to create your own. What I want you to know is that motivated is a feeling we experience. And just like any other emotion you're feeling, motivated or otherwise, it is created by your thinking. So if you aren't feeling motivated, you first have to understand your inner dialogue and the feeling associated with that story first.
It might sound something like, “This is going to take forever,” and you're experiencing a feeling of dread. Or you might be telling yourself, “It won't matter that much if I don't get to it,” maybe feeling a little apathetic. Or, I know this is a classic, “I'll get to it tomorrow,” which you might be feeling kind of avoidant. When you're telling yourself these stories and generating these emotions, it feels so heavy. It makes perfect sense that you're not feeling motivated.
The story that you're telling about what you need to do or want to do for the ultimate good of your business is not generating a positive emotion. No task or project in your business is inherently motivating or not. There are always going to be things that you have an easier time creating the generation of motivated around, but motivation always starts with you. And I hope you think this is the best news ever.
I want to give you three specific ways that I use and also teach my clients to generate their own motivation so you can start putting this into practice today. The first way to create motivation is to connect the task at hand to the bigger picture.
It's often hard to see how the daily ins and outs are contributing to the greater whole of your business. When this is the case, it's easy to think that what you're doing or not doing won't have an impact, that it's not going to make a difference, or that you can even kind of get away with ignoring it for a bit longer. These are sneaky little sentences that are just kicking the can down the road, and I want you to take back control.
To flip this around for yourself, connect to the vision you're working toward in your life and business. If you're not sure what that vision is, go to desiid.com/vision, the link will be in the show notes, and you can download my guide to creating your own business and life vision. Be clear on where you're headed so that you know what you're doing on a daily basis is contributing to something that you ultimately want.
It's your responsibility as the CEO to actively remind yourself why you want to do the thing. Your future self, the one who has achieved business and life vision, is waiting for you, and present you needs to do their share to make it happen. Let me give you some examples.
It could be that those invoices you've been putting off for weeks actually contribute to a family vacation or are going to be the start of bringing on more help to your business. It's not about just sending out those invoices. It's what the invoices make possible.
Or maybe it's that you think about reaching out to an architect you really want to work with but kind of feel uncomfortable putting yourself out there. There's client work that you could busy yourself with, and it just keeps getting knocked to the next day and the next day. It's easy to put this off because you don't perceive marketing as urgent as client work.
So in some ways, you could justify your way out of doing this. But then, when you start to connect your marketing efforts to the future ideal clients you'll sign, and what that means for your business, it can start to look a lot more attractive.
Another way to create internal motivation is to celebrate your wins, big and small. Show yourself what is going well, where you're making progress when you've gone out of your comfort zone and survived, or even learned an important lesson from a mistake. It all counts. When you recognize yourself in this way, you light up the reward center in your brain. You give yourself a little hit of dopamine, and your brain loves that. It wants to keep getting rewarded.
Think about this, a partner or a friend, telling them what they're doing right is always going to be more effective and more connecting than ignoring their progress or, worse, telling them it's not enough. It's the same for you. In Out Of Overwhelm, we celebrate wins weekly, and frankly, whenever we want to, through the evaluation process that I teach in the program.
Celebrating can be as simple as texting a friend to share what happened, sharing in our community, telling yourself good job, or even thanks for doing that. And it might feel a little weird at first, but you'll get used to it. And it truly is a game changer when it comes to creating your own motivation.
Another thing you can do to create your own motivation is just focus on the next best step. Getting started and in motion can be the hardest part. When you're at the start of a new undertaking or a new project, you're likely to be thinking about the 10 or 20 next things that you have to do and how it's a lot or it's going to take a long time, or if you don't know if it'll work. And this can bring up a lot of thoughts that create dread, the feeling of being daunted when you look at the full scope of what you're setting out to complete.
So when you're lacking motivation, ask yourself, what is the next best step? When you just focus on the next best step in front of you, you start to believe I can do this, and I know what to do. You start to create an internal shift from overwhelmed to clear and decisive. Once you get going, you can lean on the previous tips of celebrating your wins and connecting the next best step to your bigger picture to build on your motivation and momentum.
Now you have three solid tips for getting your motivation going. And I also want to give you a bonus tip, and it might surprise you. Are you ready for it? Here it is. You don't have to be motivated to take action and follow through on your commitments to yourself. There are going to be things in your business that are going to feel more challenging, whether that's because they don't align with your more natural interests or they're pushing you outside of your comfort zone. That's when I suggest you don't aim for feeling motivated and instead tap into other emotions to fuel your action.
Consider what it would be like to take action from the feelings of committed or determined, or even resolved. What would that be like? And then, if you were feeling that way, what would you be thinking about the task, about your business, about yourself? Maybe you'd be thinking, “I can do this, even if it feels uncomfortable.”
Getting comfortable with discomfort is a huge part of being an interior design CEO. I talk about this more in episode five, that'll be linked in the show notes as well. You might even be thinking, “This is worth my time.” When I think this is worth my time, I feel dedicated. I feel resolved to get it done. Or maybe you'd be thinking, “I'm going to be so proud when I'm on the other side of this,” and connect to that future version of you who has the thing done or achieved.
To be clear, I'm not suggesting that you push yourself beyond healthy limits or force yourself to do things. That is very different. What we're talking about today is using your brain to support you in achieving your goals, both on a daily basis and in the long term. It's really about honoring your desires and vision for the future.
When you learn to stop waiting for motivation to come and, poof, just appear and learn to create it for yourself, there is truly nothing you can't accomplish. Whether you want to have a supportive morning routine or have your best year financially in your business, learning to create your own motivation is the secret.
It's not just about the external results, either. Imagine the shift in how you'll view yourself and how you show up for your business, even your family and your community, when you have developed this skill. You can, of course, always choose to feel proud and accomplished, whatever you do or don't do, and it’s also really amazing when you align your actions with your goals.
Let's recap the three ways you can create internal motivation for yourself. The first is connecting to the bigger picture. And if you need support with that, don't forget to check out the business and life vision journal I've got linked in the show notes. You can also focus just on the next best step. What's the simplest thing I can do to get myself moving? You can also celebrate your wins, big and small. I highly recommend this. And then that bonus tip, decide to take action with emotions such as committed or determined instead of trying to activate motivation when it's just feeling like too far of a reach.
I want to invite you all to decide right now that you will try one of these tips today. It could even be with the thing you're doing right after you listen to this episode. You'll see what happens. That's what I have for you today. In the next episode, I'm going to talk about being present, both in your personal and professional life.
Not only does feeling present feel amazing, but I'd also argue it's one of your top productivity tools. This is, of course, something I've worked on myself because I'm my first and best client, and it's also something I work on so often with my clients. I can't wait to share that with you, and until then, I'm wishing you a beautiful week. I'll talk to you in the next episode.
Thanks for joining me for this week's episode of The Interior Design Business CEO. If you want more tips, tools, and strategies, visit www.desicreswell.com. And if you're ready to take what you've learned on the podcast to the next level, I would love for you to check out my signature group coaching program, Out of Overwhelm.
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