Needing inspiration?

According to Mary Alice’s last post, it seems like this is the time of year for many of us when fatigue sets in. We lack inspiration. The weather is colder, the days are shorter, our families are sicker. As a result, our motivation wanes and we struggle. This morning I look out the window and see the gloom of rain and am immediately lethargic and uninspired. I run the baby up to her room and find myself completely exhausted at the top of the stairs. Fall is hitting me hard. Not only that, I’m starting to feel the overwhelming burden of the holidays approaching and the many tasks that lie ahead to get there. Perhaps crawling away into a hole and not emerging until March is the best plan for my weariness.

Yet now is the time of year when we have to fight hibernation mode and our tendency to draw in and away from everything. We have to willingly tie our shoe laces and rest in the habits we’ve formed during the cheerier parts of the year. We have to put one foot in front of the other and take one step, then two, and so on. We have to get it done because if we put it off, we’ll be left in a worse place than when we started. We know that. We’ve seen it happen before.

But how do we light the fire?

Here are a few thoughts for how I plan to be successful…

I’m going to find a partner
There’s no better way to get me to the gym or a meeting or even the grocery store than the promise of a friend meeting me there. Friends are the accountability Red mentioned in her comment in the last post.  I’ll find a friend who shares the same interests and struggles and needs the motivation as well. And I know we’ll do a world of good for one another.

I’m going to try to make it interesting
Whether its Christmas shopping in November while holding a treasured cup of coffee (such a treat for me!) or heading to the gym in a new workout shirt and shorts, I need to spice things up to keep my brain engaged. Just at the time when my noggin’ feels like it needs to go down for a long winter’s nap, I have to shock it into interest with something new and unusual and fun. Back when I studied organic chemistry in college, I did homework by candlelight or with pigtails to make it “fun” to study polymers and atom bonding.  I had to do something to survive!  Part of me can’t wait to venture out in the rain today thanks to a new pair of welly boots, a gift from my MIL. Anything to help get me going and somewhat excited!

I’m going to try to make it meaningful
Busyness tends to be the default around here, but what if we spun it in a more meaningful way? How about the family taking on a daily character trait to shine Christ to the world in all the ongoing craziness? Zeroing in on something more profound and meaningful will help to focus my attention on something other than myself.  I’m hoping it will help my children too.  In the coming weeks, we’re going to check out Col. 3, which is chock full of Christ traits and choose one a day for each of us to embody.  This idea came to me at Bible study yesterday thanks to the idea of a fellow mother.  Infusing Jesus into our everyday will undoubtedly make our days richer and of greater value.

I’m going to stay away from “fillers”
When the skies are darker and the weather gloomier, I find myself in front of the computer more seeking warmth and relationships. Unacceptable! My Facebook consumption has increased tenfold in the last weeks and what an empty filler it is. I crave more and more until it has been hours and I’m completely unsatisfied. Beware of the easy fillers in your life that might seem to bring meaning, but leave you aching for more. I’m thinking of making my computer time on a check-in basis only– I can check my email, but I am NOT ALLOWED TO SIT DOWN. This would be a good challenge for me. Join me?