Finding motivation in all seasons

Motivation, inspiration, momentum—sometimes these escape us

Originally, I wrote a blog post on this topic back in 2018. 2 cross-country moves, a wedding, 2 houses, 2 babies, and multiple business leaps later, it’s 2024 and I’m back in a similar spot: Exploring ways of finding motivation… especially in more demanding seasons.

The current challenge: Navigating postpartum with baby number 2 and wondering what my work is going to look like when I return for real next month. “For real” is currently looking like client work, re-launching my mastermind, and consistent content creation versus my maternity leave strategy of creating content as I feel like it outside of the previously decided schedule.

I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that it’s a lot to sort through.

New levels, new devils for finding motivation

It’s weird to look back on how your personal brand has grown on the internet. It’s almost like I grew up in public. I started freelancing for very little pay fresh out of university, and now I’m a mom in my thirties with a legitimate business to run. I posted on my blog and Instagram for the majority of that time. Everything is different, yet some things still feel the exact same.

I wrote this in the original blog post:

I’ve experienced a few major changes (and challenges) in the last year or so. I completed my second round of post-secondary education, survived growing pains in my business, moved across the country, and have a set of lofty goals I want to accomplish before the end of 2018. It’s been thrilling and terrifying. I’ve felt extreme highs and lows. I’ve seen new places and old places, all with fresh eyes and newfound mindfulness. I’ve felt overwhelmed by my to-do lists; overwhelmed by my dreams.

And quite a few times on the way to here, I wondered where I was going or if I was doing enough. In those moments, it’s hard to find motivation. The ever mysterious inspiration. Momentum. Whatever you call it—it’s tricky to nail down in a season of change. All I wanted to do was tear up each list, one by one, making my way back to bed where I’d wait for another day. As comforting as that sounds, I know it’s not the best option (I don’t think we can chalk this one up as “self-care”).

The original blog post included these photos of baby business Jill wandering around outside somewhere… I still do that too.

Finding motivation as a mother in business

I’m a typical over-achiever, type A, planner… You get the idea. One thing I wasn’t prepared for: How matrescence would impact my business. I wrote recently about how my business dreams changed in motherhood. But this ripples beyond just the direction I see my business going now.

Like most mamas experience, there were hard days and nights in the first year with my first son. I was very much in the weeds at times. Exhausted from breastfeeding on demand and feeling like I couldn’t catch a break or more than an hour to myself. Overtired from rocking a baby to sleep over and over again through the night. Napped trapped on days my to-do list was miles long. A new identity to process. And learning what life looked like for me on this other side… A side previously foreign to me. And the craziest part: Despite all the hard things, those days felt more rewarding, fulfilling, and exciting than any other role I’ve held before. They were the hardest and the best all at once.

All this to say, there were days when I didn’t feel like doing much other than momming. Or taking a nap. But I had responsibilities and commitments to uphold. I had clients who needed me to turn my brain… Their marketing dollars on the line… So I had to figure it out.

It’s hard to show up for any job when you’re caring for littles. Hard stop.

Leaning into my postpartum season while finding motivation

For postpartum round 2, I’ve been ever more flexible for myself with planning my maternity leave and return to work because I know the above can happen. The baby is always in charge, not mama (as hard as she tries to make a plan A, B, C, etc.). For round 2, these shifts come along with raising an active, growing toddler… Which means I’m expecting nap times to not line up perfectly as my typical office hours. If you’re not aware, I work around my family’s schedule because we don’t have formal childcare and don’t want to deal with the current childcare options.

So while I don’t quite need to worry about finding motivation to return to my typical work yet this time, it’s a place I’ve been before. And something I’m starting to think about as we get closer to the end of my official leave.

Maybe all of that is what’s inspired me to change the pre-scheduled content and add reflections like this into the mix. This resonates more right now, and I’m leaning into the motivation around these topics for women and mothers in business that the postpartum season—and it’s highs and lows—brings. These conversations are motivating me right now.

But what if you’re struggling with how to find motivation in business right now? Whether you’re in a similar life spot as me or working through some other pivotal event, there comes a time when you want to get back into your business. It’s just a matter of finding motivation to restart.

Tips for finding motivation

Obviously, I’ve grown as a person and business woman since writing this original list. And I have a new perspective on this now: Is it really about finding motivation? Or practicing discipline?

The original list was fluffy. It should have been titled “basic tips to help yourself feel good” instead. Now, I want to look deeper at what works for finding motivation or discipline or whatever you want to call it… And why.

When I look back at all my years in business and the accomplishments I’ve made, a lot of those wins happened despite challenges immediately prior, wrong turns, and times when I didn’t feel like pushing forward any longer. It wasn’t about finding motivation to keep going, but being disciplined enough to persevere through the tough shit.

This isn’t a fully fleshed idea yet, but I think I’m onto something. In the meantime, I know the point is to focus on tips for finding motivation. So here, sitting comfortably at my keyboard, watching my youngest sleep beside me and my oldest on the baby monitor, and savouring a few minutes to drink my coffee without risk of it being spilled or going cold, I want to explore this idea of finding motivation versus practicing discipline more. And pass on some tips I’ve tried for finding motivation onto you.

Ultimately, I think that listening and living a little more intentionally has made all the difference.

1. Work to change your mindset.

Brains are so cool. The more I grow as an entrepreneur, the more I realize that personal development directly impacts your professional development. You can’t grow and scale one fully without the other.

Why? Because you are what you think. You are what you eat, breath, sleep. You are especially the people you hang around with. Life has your back if you let it. I believe that emotions like happiness are also just perspectives. So when you’re ready to be happy, you will feel happy. My first and most important trick when it comes to finding the motivation that eludes you is to believe that you can. Shift your mindset to include positive, present statements. It’s as simple as thinking “I can do this,” versus, “I’m not sure what to do.”

If you’re stuck on this one, you might want to explore what it means to have a “growth mindset” vs a “fixed mindset.”

2. Move your body regularly.

I’m a big believer that both motivation and discipline start with feeling good. It’s not about moving for the sake of looking a certain way, but moving for the practice in consistency and to improve overall wellbeing. For strength, wellness, and all those other feel-good benefits. When you feel good, you’ll be more motivated to do more. If you feel gross, you’re going to be sluggish in other areas too… Like your business.

When I feel unmotivated, working out isn’t the first thing I want to do. But even if I don’t want to, I don’t think I’ve ever regretted a workout. The science behind it shows that exercise improves focus, productivity, mood, motivation, relieves stress—so many perks to a little bit of regular movement.

3. Set (small) actionable goals.

Actionable goals are ones that include clear steps to track your progression, not those lofty ones you set at the beginning of each year and forgot about the next day. They’re attainable, detailed, and often quite small.

When I’m not feeling motivated, I give myself some easy wins in the form of small goals to kick start things. These can be really simple:

• Clear out my inbox
• Unload the dishwasher
• Make a plan for the week

The smaller the better. One thing I like to do every day that sets me up to feel good is make the bed as soon as possible. I honestly can’t focus on my work knowing the house is messy around me or an unmade bed sits upstairs.

Then write down your goals. Always. Write. It. Down. Hold yourself accountable by putting your pen to paper. Writing down our thoughts is known to help dreams become reality. This small steps makes each milestone a little sweeter when it’s time to cross it off the list.

4. Prioritize yourself even when you’re busy.

This is where self-care comes into finding motivation… It doesn’t have to be elaborate. It doesn’t even need to be “self-care” as the popularized definition of the phrase. Really, it could be as simple as giving yourself space for an afternoon nap, or clocking out early after a long week. Or clocking out on time. Just find ways to prioritize yourself even when you’re busy. For me in my current postpartum and soon returning to work season, that means carving out a bit of time daily to focus on healing my body and mind from the aftermath of pregnancy and birth. Later, that time might be prioritized for something else.

Work becomes easier when you start from a place of rest. Give yourself time to go easy on yourself when finding motivation.

5. Take a step back when you need a break.

I say this all the time: You don’t need to push more or work harder to scale your business. The opposite is true actually. I’ve found more success for myself and my clients by prioritizing the right shit in your business, and letting the rest go. Sometimes that means taking a break so you can come back stronger.

So yes—step back from the problem. If you aren’t being productive, why waste your time forcing it? When you’re ready to face the challenge again really lean into it with your whole heart. It will probably work out better this time (after a bit of a rest!).

6. Say no to anything that doesn’t align with your vision.

When I learned how to say no… To myself, my big misaligned ideas, and opportunities from others… Everything changed. Trim the fat in your business and your life, say no to the shit that doesn’t serve you, and focus on what is working. That’s how you start to work smarter instead of harder. And that’s a crucial step in finding motivation when you don’t feel like doing much at all.

This comes up a lot for my mastermind clients in their businesses: They say yes to things they don’t want to do or are a total waste of time. Why? Often because they’re trying to make others happy, or they’re scared they can’t get any better. It’s a long-time (usually demanding) client they want to keep happy. Or a newer offer they’re trying to sell (and lack confidence around).

A lot of these reasons are rooted in perfectionist and people pleasing tendencies, or a lack of confidence. But the more you say no, the more you open up the possibility of bringing bigger and better into your business.

7. Practice doing things even if you don’t feel like it.

I think this is where the difference between finding motivation and practicing discipline is most apparent. It’s challenging to feel motivated all the time. It’s actually easier, in my opinion, to practice discipline. You can learn a skill to keep going even if you’re not feeling up to it, versus trying to convince yourself to feel like doing something. Do you see the difference? Learn a specific skill instead of battling with your emotions just hoping you’ll win.

I don’t feel like doing certain things in different seasons. In the first year of being a mama that I mentioned above, I didn’t feel like logging into my work some days. A lot of days, if I’m being honest. But I knew that small daily progress was better than nothing, so I leaned on my self-discipline to show up. And it paid off.

8. Refine your reasons why.

More than anything else, you need clarity on why you work. Why do you want to grow your business? What does the life you want to live look like? When we go through different seasons, this reason might change. That’s okay! Revisit and refine your reasons why as it makes sense to you. Then use these as motivation to fuel forward momentum.

Waiting for motivation isn’t the solution

Maybe you hear sentiments along the lines of “I felt inspired” from artist types… And maybe you say this sort of thing yourself. But I don’t think inspiration (and the attached motivation) is necessarily a thing you wait around for. It doesn’t always just randomly show up.

I’ve always been intentional about my work even before becoming a mom. My work requires a certain amount of creativity within a typical project flow. Rather than waiting until I felt like doing something, I’d create a space that often allowed for inspiration to lead.

That starts with self-awareness of when and how you do your best work. Before kids, that meant a lengthy startup routine in the morning. Sometimes I’d take 2 hours doing all the things like coffee, water, yoga, reading, journalling, etc. If you’re a mama like me, that might mean adjusting your ideal environment to work with what you have. You’ll probably be surprised at how flexible you can be. Ex. I definitely don’t have 2 hours to myself every morning right now! I’m lucky if I get 20 minutes.

The point here is to not wait for a random burst of energy to motivate you. Create those moments for yourself.

What are your thoughts on finding motivation?

When trying to motivate yourself, remember that everyone is different and each of our experiences are valid. While motivation might come easier for some, it’s a challenge for others. What works for most might not work for you, and that’s okay. Experiment to see what works best for you.

One thing that helps me stay motivated: Sticking to a typical daily schedule. This eliminates the guesswork of what I should be doing. You can use my exact schedule for inspiration! Learn more about the 6-Figure Schedule here.

For more support on your entrepreneurial journey, check out The Inner Circle Mastermind. This intimate, curated by application only group will help you especially on the days you need more support as you work on finding motivation.