When You're Just Tired, Not Uninspired
First of all, I have to give full props to the Instagram account @7eventhcents for posting the following quote. It inspired this entire post and my recent productivity.
"#Goals: Don't work 8 hours for a company then go home and not work on your own goals. You're tired, not uninspired!"
Well if this wasn't exactly what I needed to hear...I have been tired. Even when I'm not physically tired from a long day at work or little sleep, sometimes I'm just mentally tired. Drained. Lacking motivation. And other days I'm just tired's ugly unproductive cousin - lazy.Since reading that quote, I've thought about a few ways to differentiate between tired and uninspired.
The way I see it, tired is sleepy, drained, exhausted, worn out... physical and emotional feelings resulting from the effects of long days and nights.
A typical day for me includes working at my desk, coming home, working out, making dinner, organizing and cleaning, then relaxing. Those are the basics of any given day, give or take, and often those things are enough to leave me tired and feeling less than energetic about working on my personal goals. I don't have kids to take care of, so for that I can be thankful that I am not even more tired.
Then there's being just plain lazy.
Like I said, lazy is related to tired, but not completely. For instance, there are nights where I'm not that tired, but still unmotivated to be productive and make progress on my side hustle. I get sucked into the depths of our couch ("the nook" we call it, it's a vortex I swear), wrap up with warm blankets, and watch my favorite shows until it's already time for bed to get up for work the next day.
On the other hand, I think of uninspired as bored, lacking passion, uninterested, or not excited.
When I think of it that way, I realize that I'm not uninspired. I'm very passionate about what I want to do and where I can see myself in the future, and I'm not bored when I'm working towards my goals of wedding planning and blogging. In fact, I get very excited about all the endless possibilities and my numerous ideas scribbled all over different pieces of paper, just waiting to come to life one day.
So thinking about the word uninspired, do you actually feel bored or uninterested in the projects you're working on?
If so, find new things to get excited about! Get yourself some dreams and goals you're passionate about and start working on them!Maybe your job doesn't ignite a fire in you. Maybe you dread waking up in the morning and can't wait to go home at the end of the day. If that's the case, are you able to find a different job that you love? I understand that timing and circumstance can often work against you when it comes to finding a new job. If it's not possible to switch jobs, is there a side hustle you can start working on outside of work? When I was feeling less than fulfilled through my jobs, that's when I took the leap of faith to start this website and make crap happen.
Or, do you find yourself relating more to the word tired?
If you're feeling tired, I challenge you to define your tired state. Try to determine if you are actually tired and need to rest, or if you are just feeling lazy. This is something I'm working on myself. I love this quote by Arianna Huffington that I recently stumbled upon, which said, "life is a dance between making it happen and letting it happen." In this article, she actually talks about the importance of getting sleep in order to be successful in achieving your goals.Take time for yourself to recharge, but not so much time that it's a vacation from your dreams. Recognize when you're just feeling lazy and think about your goals. When I'm feeling "tired" and start thinking about my own goals, I realize the progress I could and should be making. Maybe I even guilt-trip myself a little, but honestly, it's just a little tough love and a mindful kick in the booty to get working on my projects. Sometimes it just takes getting off the couch, opening my laptop, and cranking out some words. When things get flowing, and the internet tabs start opening, I don't feel so tired after all. I get energized doing research for my projects!So... what's it gonna be? Are you going to give into your tired, or start tapping into your inspired? We're in this together.Sending you happy, energizing encouragement!SaraPhoto credit: Stephanie Wood Photography