Finding the motivation to do the work to achieve what you want

Some days, wanting something and doing something do not easily align.
Finding the motivation to do the work to achieve what I want requires a lot of effort.
To live a healthy, fulfilling and enjoyable life, I have learned that dreaming is not enough.
I need to be disciplined to achieve my goals.
Life is full of choices
As a digital nomad, I choose to put myself in environments that are beautiful, full of interesting people and have lots of opportunities for new experiences.
Of course, the other thing that is a choice is the work that I do.
I chose to become a software developer so that I could travel around the world.

Cafe coworking at Avocado Resto, Medewi, Bali. Captured by Joy Taylor
Working for a small boutique digital agency means that I have a team that I work with each day, and am allocated tasks to do.
Motivation from learning something new
That makes it easy for me to stay motivated. Plus, the role is still quite new, so every day I am learning something new, and I like that.
When it comes to choosing what other activities will fill my day though, there are so many options it can be challenging to make choices that give me the outcome I want.
Apparently, one needs to actually do the work to see the results.
For example, this morning I did some exercise before work because I want to make my body physically able to do fun things.
To get out and meet people, I worked at Avocado Restaurant here in Medewi. The staff are friendly, and the walls open into big windows that look out over the fields.
I got a massage from Wayan during my midday break as I know it is beneficial to achieving the outcome of remaining flexible and keeping my muscles supple.

Joy after a Balinese massage by Wayan, pictured with her daughter, Mary. Captured by David Masefield
Stretch goals can be motivating
After work, I went to practice yoga with Adinda at Ahimsa Yoga as it helps me to relax and breathe, as well as stretch my body and perception of what I am capable of. Today, I did my first supported chin stand.
I stopped at Padang, a local warung (restaurant) to eat dinner as I do not want to be hungry later or have to go out again, and I do not have access to a kitchen here at West Break Surf & Stay to cook my own meals.

Joy’s first three attempts learning to position for a chin stand. Captured by Adinda from Ahimsa Yoga.
Then came home to West Break Bali, and now, David is in the pool and I am sitting by the pool, watching the sunset, writing this story.
Why?
Well, I could say because I want to, but that would not be honest. I want the story to be written, but I would prefer to be in the pool.
Focus on the feeling the outcome will produce
I want to inspire other people to enjoy their life, and I definitely want to enjoy mine… I do like writing…I just wish there was a way to think of what I want to write down and then export it from my mind into text, with the pretty pictures that my eye captures throughout the day.
Currently, that technology doesn’t really exist. So, I am typing the text and recording the sunset…and in a few minutes I will be finished and then I will hop in the pool.
So, what makes today different to yesterday, when I did not write a story about my day, and just did a quick Instagram post?
Accountability!
Find an accountability group
I have a group of friends who have been sharing on their social media for the last few months, with the hashtag #mydaily300 and tagged @my_daily300
They showed a hyper-lapse video recording of their activity to prove to their accountability group buddies that they have done what they said they would do.
So, a week ago, I decided to join in. Every morning, I have been doing 300 reps of various exercises and capturing them on video and sharing it on my social media.
Today, is 1 March…a new month. The group has put out the challenge to up the ante…to add another level to the commitment.
#JFDI #noexcuses
So, from today, I have committed to doing my 300 exercise reps AND writing a 300-word story for the blog, every day in March. That is 9,300 reps and 31 stories!
Once I get going, I actually find it easy to write…the words do just flow…so, here is the first of thirty-one 300+ word short stories.
I hope you enJoy them more than I like writing them, and as much as I love living them!
What do you do to motivate yourself to do the work to achieve your goals? Let me know in the comments, or drop me a message on your favourite social platform.

Joy Taylor
Joy has been working her way around the world with her kids, solo and with her partner for over 20 years. Her motto is ‘travel cheap, travel deep’. She built a green house and tries to live a green life. 35/196
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Disclosure: Some of the links on this post will take you through to a page with the option to book an experience or buy an item, others may be to another story or general information. If you do decide to make a purchase at the other end of a link, I may possibly receive a small payment from the company you buy from which helps keep the site operating.
Please do not feel obliged to buy things…always consider if you might be able to borrow it from a friend, or perhaps repurpose something you already own to achieve a similar result.
To date, I have not been paid to write any reviews about places or products, so anything I have mentioned is because I decided to use it. This might change in the future (I hope one day some places in locations I have yet to explore present me with an opportunity!), however, my comments will always reflect my honest opinion of my experience.
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