How to Stay Motivated During the Holiday Season

If you’re here, already exhausted from a big year, and really don’t want to be told how to ‘do more’ – then take a deep breath, drop down those shoulders, and relax!

With worries about the family and in-laws, fitting in all the silly season shenanigans, and thoughts about what you didn’t achieve in the last year that you wanted to – you don’t need yet another article to make you feel bad.

This one is different, and I invite you over the holiday period to jump off the hamster wheel and ‘do’ with intentionality, ‘be’ more, relax, enjoy and consider your purpose and values when making plans, and maybe – just maybe – finish the year feeling good, and go into the holidays feeling excited about the possibilities. Not just for the holiday season, but for the year ahead.

Firstly though, I need to take a step back and explain a few concepts that I want to base this discussion on. Some very key concepts that really shape the way we take action, and the things we do.

Over the holiday period, jump off the hamster wheel and ‘do’ with intentionality, ‘be’ more, relax, enjoy, and consider your purpose and values when making plans.

Having, Being, and Doing

If you hang out with me enough, you’ll hear me talking about BE-ing, DO-ing, and HAVE-ing. Whenever we speak of motivation, goal setting, or trying to figure out how to move forward, we must consider these three concepts; starting with figuring out what we want to HAVE, we then figure out who we need to BE – and finally, we base our DO-ing on that.

Now we’ve got those basics down, let’s talk about using them to have the best holidays ever (oh, and be motivated… if that’s what you want!?).

Whenever we speak of motivation, we must consider these three concepts: ‘Have’, ‘Be’, and ‘Do’.

The ‘Have’

What do you want to HAVE this holiday season? What do you want to achieve?

Maybe there’s a particular hike you want to go on, or a new tramp you’ve been meaning to try and you’ll have some time to over the holidays. Maybe you just want to have a relaxing holiday break, camping somewhere with books and friends, feeling relaxed, happy, and free.

Let’s also keep on topic and say that you do want to have the motivation to continue moving towards a specific goal, in a time full of indulgence, festivities, and holidays. Or perhaps you just want to have peace, calm, and joy in whatever you do – that’s cool too.

Either way, you know what you want to HAVE. Perfect.

Now to HAVE the thing you want to HAVE… who do you need to BE?

What do you want to HAVE this holiday season? What do you want to achieve?

The ‘Be’

When we consider that all the ‘doing’ we do comes from our thoughts, beliefs, and values, this step is the vital one for your success.

The question to ask yourself here is: to HAVE what I want to HAVE, what thoughts and beliefs do I need to hold about myself, the situation, and my goal? In other words, what would that future self who has achieved the goal think and feel? What would they value? How do they show up?

If you want to have that awesome camping trip, try that new tramp, or complete that specific track, you have to believe that you have the time, skills, and knowledge to do it. You have to believe you are capable of doing it, or learning to do it.

This step is about thinking the thoughts that the person who has the thing, thinks! If you want to have motivation, you have to believe you can be motivated, that you can prioritise the thing that’s important to you, and that you are, in fact, motivated!

If you want to have that awesome camping trip, try that new tramp, or complete that specific track, you have to believe that you have the time, skills, and knowledge to do it.

The ‘Do’

When you’ve got a good list of thoughts and a good list of beliefs, you move to the final step: the DO-ing.

What does that person DO? How is that different from the person you are now, and the thoughts and beliefs that might be driving your behaviour currently?

Maybe these days you think there is no time, it’s too hard, you can’t fit it in, and your family won’t understand. Eeeekkk…

Continuing down the spiral of doom, you don’t think you are capable of trying that new tramp, and you don’t believe you have the skills to tackle that new trail. Or, in regards to that relaxing camping trip reading books, you tell yourself you’re no good at relaxing, or it’s a waste of time.

None of this will get you where you want to go – you’ll likely end up feeling bad and heading into the new year thinking you just haven’t got it in you to have what you want.

But you, my friend, now know better!

You know that you need to just try on the thoughts and beliefs that align with what you want to have – and by doing that, you can stay motivated through the holiday season. Heck, you can go one better and set yourself up for a bangin’ new year with your new superpower of BE-ing!

So, you’ll trade the ‘no time’ excuse for ‘I can make time’. Gone is the ‘too hard’, and ‘not capable’, replaced instead with ‘I can learn’ and ‘I’m probably way stronger than I think… it would be fun to find out!?’.

No more spirals of doom – instead, intentionally BE-ing from a place of possibility! HECK YES!

Just try on the thoughts and beliefs that align with what you want to have – and by doing that, you can stay motivated through the holiday season.

The Outcome

The cool thing about starting this process now is that you can create some space over the holiday season to really tune into what is important to you. You can start to show up for yourself and create the experiences you want to create.

So, let’s DO the things that are meaningful in moving us towards our goals, and enjoy the journey. Create the reality you want this holiday season, and have the experiences you want to have by BE-ing the person who has those experiences.

This might just be your best holiday season yet!

Quick Bites

The 3-step process for staying motivated and doing cool stuff this holiday season

Decide what you want to HAVE that is really important to you this holiday season. For example:

• Completing a cool hike or tramp that will stretch your skills
• Camping in a new spot, chilling, and relaxing with friends and family
• Keeping your training going through the holiday period

Figure out the thoughts and beliefs you need to have the goal; who you need to BE. For example:

• I can make time for this
• I am motivated!
• I have the skills I need, or I can learn them
• I can be brave
• My family will understand and support me
• I am capable of anything I put my mind too
• I can find a way

Take action from the place of those thoughts and beliefs, and base the DO-ing on them. For example:

• Actively planning your calendar with the things that are important to you
• Doing the thing you want to be motivated to do!
• Booking the holiday or track, and boldly going to do it
• Researching gaps in your knowledge
• Reaching out to people who can help
• Saying ‘no’ to the things that aren’t aligned with what you want
• Talking to family and friends, and telling them what you want to do – and why!
• Surrounding yourself with people who are achieving what you want to achieve
• Noticing ways of thinking that do not support your goals, and actively changing them

The cool thing about starting this process now is that you can create some space over the holiday season to really tune into what is important to you.

I’m at @runliketanya on socials. Tag me and hashtag #possibilityproject #whatelseispossible, so I can see what you are up to and share the adventures!