‘Make time,’ they say. But it isn’t always about discipline and time management

Katherine Mercurio Gotthardt is a poetry and prose writer who has lived in Prince William County since 1999. She has published six books and is working on a seventh. Learn more about her at KatherineGotthardt.com, and follow her work on Facebook by searching #KatherinesCoffeehouse.

I recently took an online class in strategic thinking in which the instructor asks, “How do you make time for strategic thinking?” Her response was the same one exercise gurus, life coaches and business thought leaders tout: “Make time.”

“Make time” isn’t as simple as people make it out to be. It’s not always about time management and discipline.

It’s more about priorities and your state of mind. Let’s switch up the focus. When it comes to creating inspiration and motivation in your life, how dedicated are you? How badly do you want and need inspiration and motivation?

I’ll argue that you can’t have one without the other, because inspiration fuels motivation better than any catalyst I’ve ever encountered. I’ll also argue that emotionally, we crave both inspiration and motivation if we want to live our best life and move beyond the priorities of survival. Many of us are blessed to be in a place where we can do that.

Maybe you are taking time to read this because, at some level, you crave inspiration and motivation. If so, congratulations. You’ve got an appetite for the stuff.

But what if you don’t desire inspiration and motivation and wish you did? This happens to all of us at some point. Sometimes we call this being in a rut. It’s almost like we have to get inspired and motivated to want more of it enough to make time to nurture it. If you find yourself there, here are some things you can do:

• Go online and read inspirational quotes. (Seriously. Even if they are lame.)
• Why? The messages seep in. (At the very least, you’ll find something stupid to laugh at.)
• List three small, common things you are grateful for.
• Why? Ruts are partially created from taking things for granted. When we do that, we overlook the importance of little blessings, and those can be inspiring.
• Go outside and look up. Examine the clouds or the stars, the birds or the planes. Appreciate them.
• Why? When you reestablish the wonder you held as a child, you tend to get back to the basics of inspiration.
• Plop some paint on a piece of cardboard and swirl it around. Mix in some more colors. Watch how the colors merge and morph. If you feel the desire to fingerpaint, go for it.
• Why? You’re activating the creative side of your brain, fueling inspiration.
• If you have children or friends, no matter what the age, color or draw with them. Or write a silly poem using inane rhymes.
• Why? Group creativity and fun foster an environment where inspiration can grow.
• Go for a short walk. Really note the details: the paint peeling on the fire hydrant, the colors of the wildflowers, the texture of the sidewalk.
• Why? Being observant grounds us in the moment, makes us see things we ignore and brings new understanding, which is inspiring.
• Redecorate your office, even if you just switch out a couple of things or rearrange your desk.
• Why? It forces you to be more observant and create positive change within your surroundings. And it could inspire you to do more after.
• Do something out of the norm, even if it’s just saying hello to strangers.
• Why? It helps disrupt the common and snap you out of your rut. And it makes you think of other ways you can make changes including…you guessed it. Making more time to nurture inspiration and motivation.

You might discover that after reading these suggestions, you say to yourself, “Bull. I know what inspires me. I’m going to do it.” Great! Do what works for you. You know yourself, and engaging in this inner argument will inspire you to understand yourself even more.

When you know what makes you tick, you will know how to fuel your inspiration and motivation.

They told me “Make the time,”

but it felt like doing time,

hash marking days on the wall,

scraping my nails to the nub on cement,

in the same prison that has bricked

unfortunates for ages uncounted.

Instead, I make the rhyme,

using the words in my mind

to meter out the obvious,

the mundane, the cell,

the overwhelming whiteness of it all.

Oh, how they lie,

how they lie.

Until next time, 

Katherine