Hi friends, and welcome back to Natalie Belle Blog! I hope you had an amazing week and are enjoying this spring weather. My intention for this week was to write about my trip to NYC, but that was before I accounted for all the photos I would need to upload, which just wasn’t possible with my schedule today. I promise it’ll come next weekend though! In the meantime, I want to share with you a quick perspective I’ve been learning this week.
On Thursday, I had my final presentation and oral defense for my AP research project. Thankfully, it went well, but that’s not to say I wasn’t nervous. I worked on my script for weeks, let alone my entire research process, which took a year. Although my job is not yet completely done (I still need to turn in my paper this week), I felt a huge sense of relief once it was over. Not only because I feel like I did well, but it took a huge weight off my shoulders for something I had on the backburner of my mind for over a year at this point.
Knowing that, I thought about where I was this time last year. I decided that I wanted to take AP Research, but a 15-minute presentation at the end of it seemed quite daunting, especially when I didn’t even know what I wanted to study. By October, I had a topic narrowed down and was in the early stages of beginning my research, but I didn’t quite know what it would look like or how it would turn out yet. After a few tweaks, I started data collection (my most work-intensive part) and felt how everything was coming together, finally.
I think the reason I chose to celebrate after my presentation was not simply because I was able to stand up and talk for ten minutes, but because of the persistence I had that allowed me to complete each individual milestone to put a project like this together. In fact, I know it was! I’m much more proud of myself for those steps I took toward my goal than the presentation itself.
Needless to say, it’s the journey that counts, not the destination. You may have heard that phrase before, like I have. I’ve always liked it, but it was hard for me to appreciate it until I had a real-life example of how rewarding a process can be.
What’s the journey for you? What process are you choosing to celebrate and prioritize? Let me know in the comments below, I’d love to hear!
Hello friends, and welcome to Natalie Belle Blog! I hope your week has been fantastic. Today, I’m going on a road trip with my family, so I am reposting this weekend. It’s a great read, though, especially considering that today is National Vision Board Day! (You’ll understand why this is important later.) I hope this post inspires you to achieve whatever you put your mind to this year. Enjoy!
Once the holiday season ends and reality hits, it’s easy to get caught up in the mundane cycle of everyday life. Just trying to get through each day, achieving what needs to be done and leaving it at that. We’re all guilty of that pattern in some way or another, but how will you escape without big dreams? And how will you make those dreams come true through minimal progress?
Every successful person is a dreamer. You can’t wake up one day and create a company that becomes a multi-million franchise on your first try, for example. It takes years of trial, error, money, and talent. That idea discourages some people, though. As humans, we’re impatient. If we can’t get it now, why are we working for it? Then we decide that it isn’t worth it, or is impossible, and convince ourselves that we really are “fine” with what our life looks like. This quote says it differently, however:
“The path from dreams to success does exist. May you have the vision to find it, the courage to get on to it, and the perseverance to follow it.”
Kalpana Chawla
So how do you make your dreams a reality? How do you even create dreams?
Well, that answer looks different for each person. It’s really up for you to ponder individually, but today, I’m sharing some methods on how you can get on that track!
Create A Vision Board
Today is National Vision Board Day (yes, that’s a thing)- so what better time than the present?! In synopsis, they are personal collages of images, drawings, and words (or anything else you can find) to remind you of what you want to accomplish. The one I created includes things like books to represent my goal of reading more, the word “extraordinary” to remind myself that I am extraordinary and therefore can create extraordinary things, and the words “quality sleep”- so I am literally dreaming big!
In September, I wrote a blog post (How To Make Your Own Vision Board In 4 Simple Steps) that includes why vision boards are crucial to dreams and goal-setting, and how you can easily create your own. I strongly encourage reading it and creating your own!
Think About Your Dream Self
On a piece of paper, write down aspects of your ideal life and who you want to be. What qualities do you want to attain? What kind of person do you want to be? What does your dream life have?
Remember that your ideal self and life are not the same thing. In fact, I think being the best version of yourself is more important- you can have everything you want in life but still not be happy. Personal development is key to both.
Set Goals For Yourself
You’ve probably heard this advice a million times, so I’ll keep it short, but it really is effective. Here are a few blog posts I’ve written about goals:
Think outside the box! Dreams are dreams because they seem unattainable. With effort, perseverance, and enthusiasm, you can accomplish much more than you think. You are the only version of yourself to ever exist, so there are things out there that only you can do! Get out of your comfort zone and dream big.
Find The Value In Each Day And Use It
Every day is a new opportunity to work toward success. It’s up to you how you use it- or don’t. The choice is yours.
Going back to the beginning, it’s so easy to just try to “get through the day”. Once you realize the value of the time you’re given, though, inspiration and motivation come with it. You can do this by something as simple as writing down something good that happened or your goal for the day ahead.
Don’t Chase Perfection
Nothing is without flaw- so why lose sleep over lack of perfection? Acknowledge that there may be adversity. Things may not go according to plan. But that’s okay! Perfect is boring. Failures are preparing you for something the future has in store, which could end up being better than you could even imagine!
I hope this post encouraged you to dream big! What’s one thing you want to accomplish most in life? Comment it below!
Hi friends, and welcome to the first edition of Natalie Belle Blog for the new year! To think that I’ve been blogging since 2020 now that it’s 2024 is crazy. I hope you had a great holiday break and spent quality time with family and friends.
Like quite a few people around the world, you may have a goal or goals you aim to achieve this year. Unfortunately, far too many of us “give up” on our goals or simply forget about them by March. Perhaps this is because people don’t typically consider how they will accomplish said goal, and if they do, external factors such as lack of motivation keep them from persevering.
One of the main keys to achieving goals is consistency. So today, I’m bringing you some simple habits that you can keep this year to give you the mental edge to achieve whatever you set your mind to!
Journaling
If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you know I love journaling for various reasons. It’s a great “brain dump” so you don’t have so many thoughts overwhelming your headspace, helps you keep memories, and have gratitude for every day. Journaling especially helps with goals because you can read about your growth and progress over time to keep you inspired and reflect on your accomplishments. It may take some initiative to start, but once you do, it’ll be hard to stop!
Keep Your Environment Clean
I’m slightly hypocritical for mentioning this one as I’m sitting in my messy room (at least I’m keeping it real), but I find that at least having a tidy area also allows my mind to rest and stay focused. If you take five minutes a day to clean or organize your area, you’ll have a peaceful environment for working on goals in no time!
Spend Time With Others
Even for introverts like myself, community is important in any aspect of life. Find some people that you trust and relate with, and carve out a little bit of time as often as you would like to for connection. You can simply form a positive relationship with them, or even have them as an accountability partner for your goal. Having an accountability partner is very important for tough goals, and the process is more fun if you have someone else to motivate and celebrate you.
Organize Your Time
Time management is crucial to consistency and organization. I recommend buying a planner and setting aside time to invest in your goals so they don’t become forgotten or you don’t “run out of time.” Writing it down makes you more likely to add it to your day instead of just accomplishing your “must-do” tasks. Stick to your schedule and commit some time each day for great outcomes!
Take Care Of & Invest In Yourself
Out of all the habits you could have, self-care is probably the most important! It keeps your mental health in check, which is more valuable than any goal you could achieve. Do things that you love, rest, and nourish yourself. If you feel better, you function better!
Although I don’t have specific goals for the new year yet (I prefer to go by semester instead of calendar year), I’d love to hear your resolutions and goals for 2024! Which of these habits do you think will help you most! Leave it in the comments below!
Something that has been really hard on a lot of people this past year has been motivation (or lack thereof). Motivation to do anything really, like walking the dog, cooking dinner instead of ordering take-out, trying super hard to get an A+ on an essay for school, or cleaning up your bedroom.
I think part of the reason we can’t get motivated is because this year has been the year of “why”.
According to Google’s “Year in Search” video from this year, some of the top questions Googled begin with why.
Since March, it has felt like the world has come to a halt, and we have begun to wonder if what once seemed important actually doesn’t matter anymore.
“Why should I study for this quiz? Does it really matter if I don’t study for this quiz because this years grades won’t count as much as the others?”
“Why should I change my habits today because I’m too tired? Does it really matter if I wait until tomorrow because it is just a day?”
“Does it really matter if I withdraw some money from my travel fund to use on something else because I’m not going to travel any time soon?”
“Does it really matter if I take a few days off from working towards my goals because I can’t achieve them now anyway?”
These are just a few examples of “whys”, but I bet you can think of what yours is.
And to be clear- it is A-OK to be unmotivated sometimes. The problem is when it’s excessive, motivation gets smaller and smaller and smaller.
I’m not a total expert on motivation, but if you are feeling unmotivated lately then I would definitely find ways to fix it- which is what you are going to read right now!
Find Something to Become Invested In
I’m not talking about financial investments, but I am talking about finding something that adds a little bit of purpose to your day.
Having something each day to look forward to refreshes your mood so much!
It can be something like planning out a self care activity for each day of the week (check out this blog post for ideas! Self-Care Sunday), write a card or an email to someone for each day of the week, try a food that you’ve never had before each week, write part of a story each day, pick up a new hobby to get better at, start a garden- the list goes on and on!
Personally, I have made a goal with my sister to play one game of Scrabble every day when we have a break from school or at least once every weekend. I also invest in learning geography and doing my devotional + scripture reading every day.
Having a daily activity that adds a little bit of spice to your normal routine gives you something that not only boosts your motivation, but gives you something to do while being home all day.
Remind Yourself Of Your Goals
Everyone has hopes and dreams, and most likely big goals. I find that when I’m not motivated, sometimes it is because I forget what I really want my life to look like.
Write down your goals somewhere like a file on your phone or in a journal, and set a reminder to look at them often. It can be every morning, every week, or every month.
Writing down your goals also makes your mind think, so you can consider what you need to do to actually achieve your goals instead of just naming you goals.
Pinterest
I know what you’re thinking, “Pinterest? Really?”. Actually, in some specific uses it can be helpful.
I have a Pinterest board saved of quotes- some are motivational, some are funny, and some are deep.
If you take the time to search for quotes and compile them, then you can look back on them any time when you open up Pinterest and they can remind you of your why– not your “Why should I?”, but your purpose why.
Reward Yourself!
Sometimes all it takes to become motivated is a little reward. Rewards give you something to look forward to, and lets be real- who doesn’t like rewards?
The more specific your goal, the easier it is to set up a reward system. Make it affordable and reasonable- don’t reward yourself every week for reading 3 chapters of a book or go on a shopping spree after every soccer game played.
For small goals: Reward yourself once its done, but don’t go overboard. Ex. If you want to get to work earlier, once you have developed that habit for a month you can treat yourself to an ice cream cone.
For medium goals: Reward yourself either halfway or at the end. Ex. If you want to grow your Etsy store by x amount of purchases, get a manicure or a fancy dinner once you have gotten x amount of purchases.
For big goals: Do a quarterly reward that gets bigger each time. Ex. If you want to learn a language, find rewards you can do once you get to a certain milestone, and once you are fluent treat yourself to an overnight stay at the beach.
I know these are only a few ideas and resources, but I want to make sure that I am telling you true and accurate information that I have found to be successful for me.
Motivation is the key to success! Remember, practice makes perfect and goals take hard work to achieve- as long as you are trying, you are progressing!
Also, if you have any tips for motivation I would love to hear them! Email me at nataliebelleblog@gmail.com
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