There’s no better experience during your personal journey than the times you have epiphanies–honest realizations about where you are supposed to go and what you are supposed to do or who you truly are.
Those moments are the easy part, however; the hard part is what happens a year after your revelation when you are used to it, maybe even bored with it.
You have to learn to stir up that fire on the inside again, let it burn brightly once more.
As hard as it is for me to admit it, I am in a place like that in my own journey, so this is just as much for me as it is for all of you.
Last year I had the biggest wake-up call I had ever had in my life. At 37 years old, I was pre-diabetic, suffering from a slew of health problems, and had gained an incredible 80 extra pounds. I was in a small town called Sheldon, Iowa when I had the realization that what I was eating was negatively affecting my body. I left Iowa and changed my life. I cut out wheat, soy, dairy, and GMOSs. It drastically changed my life. Within three months, I was down 35 pounds and had never felt better.
It was easy at that point to burn so brightly for what I believed and how I felt.
Fast forward to present day. It has been a year since I was in Iowa, and as great as I feel, I have to admit that I need help stirring up that fire. That fire has become something I’m now used to; it doesn’t always have the same power to excite me that it once did. Not because I don’t believe in it but because I am human, and sometimes we forget that initial feeling.
It is similar to a relationship. Those first few months are amazing. It’s fresh and new, and everything about it is exciting. After fifteen years? Yeah, you may need to work on recapturing that spark. You better be stirring that fire every day!
So you ask, what am I doing to stir up my fire? I took a road trip back to Iowa to see what I saw last year and to feel what I felt. Is it working? You bet! I am more fired up than ever. As I stand here in the center for Big Agriculture, I feel more strongly than ever about our food. I know my mission and am willing to proceed with this fire inside me once again.
Sometimes driving half way across the country isn’t practical for us, so here is my advice.
Five Ways to Reconnect with Your Motivation
1. Spend some time alone. Disconnect from your reality, and sit in the silence. In the silence, you will hear so much. Let your soul speak to you and fan those flames you once felt.
2. Research and Read. Get back in touch with what you realized. Chances are others have learned what you have or experienced something similar so read about their stories, and it will surely inspire you.
3. Fake it until you make it. Sometimes you have to go through the motions of something until you feel that passion again. If you are doing it, you will feel it. It just might take some time so stay in peace and stay hopeful.
4. Find someone to help fan those flames. Sometimes all you need is a nice long talk with someone who truly understands and respects you. You might find that afterward, you feel that fire again. Never underestimate the power of a flame-fanning friend.
5. Stay focused! You had that experience for a reason and if you do what you can to keep that fire going, you are bound to get to the next step in your journey.
Until next time, Flame On!
How do you reconnect with your motivation?
Also by Ange: How I Become Organic Vegan, Lost 40lbs, & Changed My Life
5 Road Tested Recipes for the Traveling Vegan
Related: 5 Most Effective Ways to Beat Boredom
Get more like this—Subscribe to our daily inspirational newsletter for exclusive content!
__
Photo: Pexels
