Seven Ways To Motivate Yourself

As part of the rehabilitation team, we occupational therapists use our disposition to be therapeutic.  In the purest sense, we must be motivated to move others.  For how can a full-fledged bonfire start without the tiny sparks?  But, of course... we are human as well; and oftentimes in our adult lives, we face daunting situations that leave us feeling dejected.  Even for some, the everyday "normal" lives make us feel dull and jaded - that we are stagnant of some sort.  This slump can go on for as long as you allow it to.  And yes, when you're in that pit of boredom and frustration, you might start to think that that is where you ought to be - decrepit and useless.  As Dr. Seuss said, "Un-slumping yourself is not easily done."

Here I share with you the things I usually do when I'm in a slump.

1. Take a walk 

I've found that when you wake up in the morning and you feel that certain uncomfortable nudge of the slump, it will set out to keep you at home.  If it starts to whisper, then the best thing to do is to GO OUT. Take a walk!  By taking a slow walk outside, you'll be able to give yourself time to reflect. You'll notice small things that you've never concerned yourself with before.  Minuscule circumstances like a child walking with their parents, an old lady waiting for the bus, teenagers walking with their friends on the pavement and cars bustling by as you take your walk.  Random acts of kindness like a man opening a door for the next person or walking by the dangerous side of the pavement to shield a stranger.  And in that simple walk you took, you'll be filled with obscurity of wonders - how people in your small community live their best in small ways.  That your existence may be small but significant and surely, as you traveled from your house to whichever direction you went, you're unmotivated self too shall pass.  

2. Read something inspirational 

I always believe that words have spirit. That whatever kind of words you speak can hold a person captive or unbind them if you will.  It goes the same for whatever you feed your mind.  Words that you read can inspire you into motion or keep you prisoner in your current mindset.  True to my belief, I have survived the adjustment phase in Canada by living on my everyday "inspirational something".  Be it a quote from a scientist of the past century, a contemporary poem or a Dr. Seuss book, I read them and let them linger in my mind.  It's even funny to admit that I look forward to reading Vancouver 24 Hours's horoscope because I find them inspiring.  The way in which they construct their sentences are always so positive and encouraging. I also have this application with lots of motivational quotes that randomizes quotes everyday. I start my day empowered by such words and still do.

Here is a list of quick motivational reads and links to quote sites I frequent:

1. Don't Quit Poem - a very famous poem since I was a child.  Whoever wrote it, kudos to you.

2. If - by Rudyard Kipling - this is a great poem to make you start reflecting on yourself.

3. Mutability by Percy Bysshe Shelley  - a poem that will make you realize the world is never stagnant.

4. On Quitting by Edgar Guest - a poem telling on how hard it is to let go of something you truly love.

5. Brainy Quotes - frequent site I visit for quotes.  They have an archive of quotes in landscape backgrounds.

6.  Think Exist - frequent site I visit again for quotes.  No pictures however.

7. I Like To Quote - an imageboard for quotes that is easy to share with social media.
8. Incidental Comics - I recently discovered the genius of Grant Snider.  He has some really great stuff in his site about a variety of topics.  Well, mostly art but still his works are quite inspiring.

3. Listen to music

Much like how words move you, add melody to that and you have magic.  I grew up in a house filled with song and I've realized how music can generally empathize with you to heal your soul.  To me, listening to music is like breathing, like going back to the basics of life.  There's nothing like a song that can express your remorse and unmotivated self then another different song to cheer you up out of that slump.  Listening to music always has that connection to one's soul.  It hooks deep and fishes out those bad feelings and can patch it up nicely with warm, positive ones.  

Here is a list of some moving songs I like and recommend (may contain Japanese songs):

1.  Closer To The Edge by 30 Seconds to Mars - a song about determination in life and looking past your regrets.

2.  What Doesn't Kill You (Makes You Stronger) by Kelly Clarkson - definitely one of those songs to pump up your day with self confidence

3.  Firework by Katy Perry - an uplifting song on inner beauty and potential.

4.  Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield - I heard this song first from a shampoo commercial and got hooked!  It's about taking the future into your hands.

5. What A Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong - quite an old song that will make you reflect on the bigger picture of everything. You'll be thankful for the small things that make up your life.

6. It's My Life by Bon Jovi - it's a lovely rock song about following your will and pursuing life with unrelented passion.

7. Have A Nice Day by Bon Jovi - another Bon Jovi song that string up the daily dose of courage you need.
8. Defying Gravity (from Wicked) by Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth - from a broadway musicale about fighting for what you believe in.  There is  a Glee version but I prefer this better.

9. One Step At A Time by Jordin Sparks - a song about reaching your goal by taking one small step after another.

10. Skyscraper by Demi Lovato - Demi's comeback song rising up after failing many times

11. Who You Are by Jessie J - a very powerful song speaking of loving yourself as you are.

12. The Climb by Miley Cyrus - Disney Miley's song on facing obstacles in life.  

13. Try by Pink - a new song by Pink about taking chances in love.

14. When You Believe by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey - a classic song by two unbeatable divas of our time regarding having faith.

15. Bad Day by Daniel Powter - probably the most famous song in the list if I might say so. The most empathetic song in the list too. Who would've thought it was released a decade ago?  

16. Complain by David Archuleta - a song from Archie's 2nd album which moves you to action.  

17.  That's The Way It Is by Celine Dion - a love song released almost 15 years ago that never fails to uplift my mood.  It's about not giving up and working hard in your relationship.

18.  Chances Are by Five for Fighting - actually a love song but speaks of taking chances on life.

19.  Warattetainda by Ikimonogakari  LYRICS TRANSLATION - a song that describes strongly moving into an optimistic future .

20. Dareka ga by Puffy AmiYumi  LYRICS TRANSLATION - a popular song from the anime Naruto that speaks of supporting each other in fretful times.

21. Muteki no Kimi by Fukuyama Masaharu  LYRICS TRANSLATION - a song by my favorite J-artist about independent women and their courageous souls.

22. Against Wind by Akutagawa Jirou - a song from the anime Prince of Tennis about adversity and how you could overcome it.

23. Brave by Sara Bareilles - a fairly new song about standing up for yourself.  The video is quite interesting as well like here "Uncharted" one.

24.  Makenaide by ZARD  LYRICS TRANSLATION - an old Japanese song from the 90s about not giving up.

25. Uncharted by Sara Bareilles - I love this song!  It speaks of moving forward from where you are now to your goal.  

4. Do something productive

Unbeknownst to many, accomplishing a little task everyday could greatly improve your disposition.  Setting a small goal such as arranging your clothes in the closet or trimming your house plants and finishing it can help you feel fulfilled throughout the day.  Take a moment to think about the time when you are in an upsetting mood, then you engaged yourself into something that produced results. There is a certain satisfaction in that. The feeling is small but its effect in your soul resounds through your body - like a raindrop creating a ripple in a larger body of water.  Start by doing small things a day then proceed to bigger tasks to complete.

5. Keep a hobby

There is nothing comparable to immersing yourself in things in which you can express yourself freely. In the midst of the almost maddening effects of the slump, you'll find that engaging in your hobbies will keep you sane.  It is entirely different from other activities which we "put effort" in most of the time, as the motive to do them comes intrinsically.  The motivation to do them comes out naturally as though the hobby was already part of you even before you were born.  Thus, we rather than expending energy and getting tired, we become emotionally charged when we do our hobbies.  If you don't happen to have one or feel like you need a hobby change, then try looking at the community board and find something that may pique your interest.  

6. Self-reflect and move on

I confess to my abysmal habit of reflection.  Most especially towards myself.  I have always been delving in thoughts of queries and answers.  At times when I feel unmotivated, I try to look inside myself to find the reason as to why I am in such state.  Why do I feel down?  What events lead to me feeling suddenly unmotivated?  What did I do to remedy those?  If there weren't anything I can do about those things, then what am I supposed to do?  Those kinds of questions come up and somehow, through the long process of rationalizing with yourself, you'll be able to know just where you stand right now in life.  And from there, you'll pick up on your trail.

A beautiful art about self-reflection found in Incidental Comics!

7. Pray

I find that at times when everything just falls into chaos and that no matter what I do, I can't seem to relieve my restlessness, I pray.  When you've tried all of the things that can possibly cure your seasonal slump and still it won't go away, perhaps it's time to surrender your mind to a Higher Power.  You'll find the peace you need.


That's it for my 7 ways to motivating yourself. These are the things that work for an introvert like me.   I suggest browsing through the song list!  They are absolutely wonderful. And feel free to suggest things that work for you when you're unmotivated on the comment box!   I might try it out and see if it will fit for me too.  (*^_^*)

Here is a little advice I got from Aboriginal Day (@^ - ^@)

OTepp's Final Bow

For several years now, the Occupational Therapy examination and practice preparation (OTepp) project has assisted a multitude of internationally educated occupational therapists (IEOTs) seeking to enter the healthcare system in Canada.  OTepp has guided IEOTs to achieve the level of competency needed to enter occupational therapy practice here.  In fact, the program serves not only as a government funded program intended to develop IEOTs to the populace's liking but it also serves as a modern-day agora where OTs from all around the world can gather and illuminate each others' mind with cultural diversity.  Sadly, this wonderful program is in its last year.  

A farewell party was held at the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre Hotel in Burrard last July 16.  Most of the current students and even some former ones along with the McMaster University staff were present. It was nice to see and actually meet the people behind the voices during the online classes - Shami, Sue, Colleen and even Nancy to whom I was in contact with since I was an intern. (sorry if I missed some names) And even though I was only able to enroll for the 3rd and 4th module - which is the using evidence in practice and the clinical reasoning respectively - I was welcomed with much warmth.  

Here are some of the pictures from the party:  (courtesy of Miss Pinky Valerio)

Printed invitation for the farewell party

Sue Baptiste giving the opening speech

Group picture number 1!

Group picture number 2!

OTepp has made me realize a lot of things about the passion I pursue - that is occupational therapy.  Primarily, I realized that there is a huge difference of OT practice here and my home country, the Philippines.  Here in Canada, where the local communities play a big part in the overall country's development, an OT needs to know of the resources he/she can access in the community.  If you know your community well, you can better integrate the client into that community.  Like for example, what is the difference of a residential home versus an assisted living home?  And how would you utilize that resource in practice?  Subsequently, an OT does not only present literature as evidence of the management but he/she must also learn how to sift those articles to fineness.  With the lack of access to the large database during medical school, I am surprised how I even learned evidence-based practice.  I definitely learned a lot more about research in OTepp (inspite of the fact that we were best thesis in our year).   Lastly, I have realized that occupational therapy practice in the Philippines will remain stunted unless the government shifts its educational system to cater the Filipino mass.  I am quite inclined on the political situations happening in my home country since I entered College.  (Click this on my post about poverty and another Tagalog post about a 16 year old who committed suicide because of her tuition fee)  And it is easy to see how the social sciences have not grown that well for the past few decades.  What the Philippines needs is to have real identity through the social sciences.  Identity in which we can define the occupations every Filipino engages in.  This in turn will develop an occupational therapy of our own.  But yeah, maybe it's just me being too over reflective again.  Anyway, I think it's a nice brain candy.  

Perhaps we should trace back our roots for OT to thrive

Coming from a third world country myself, where the North American healthcare system seems more like fiction than reality, I feel relieved to know that there is an organization that can help you understand the complex framework of the health care.  And truthfully, with unintentionally jumping the first two modules due to complications with my documents, I have yet to completely understand how the health care system works.  I did a lot of self reads in order to properly engage myself in the online discussions; promptly following Shami's advise to improve my self-directed learning (aka assertive learning).  Still, when I reflect on the past year, I can't imagine starting from nowhere!  OTepp was my "start" sign on the game board of my career (and probably for most IEOTs as well).    

With OTepp's last curtain call, I bid the staff good luck with the program.  I pray you find alternative funding for this wonderful program.  And to those IEOTs I keep in touch with, may we meet in the health care world proudly carrying OTepp's legacy with us.

If I were to die... (Simple Clean Version)

Death is perhaps the most appalling subject I could ever discuss with anyone.   Still, I believe that it is also the most attractive topic I could ever pick to dissert.  Why is death so repulsively beautiful?  That is something I keep wondering myself.   I assume that at one point in time all of you have thought about death  in various ways and yet came down with the same dreadful conclusion - we all die.   It's a sad truth we have to take.  And no matter how indifferent we may seem about the fact, we still do worry and wonder.

Death in plain and simple words - the cessation of all the cells that supports an organism's life force.  How complicated is that?  Six feet under the ground, we'll all be rotting away to join the lifestream once again.  Same as our ancestors that came and lived before us on this bountiful earth.  That is how I thought of death before I turned fourteen.  Easy peasy really.  It's by the book and well supported by science.

All of that changed in an instant...

My bestfriend Melanie Avila died in January 11, 2005.  (If you are a close friend of mine, you probably know about this fact.) I have, in truth, adapted quite healthily in coming into terms about her death. Although, at the other side of the truth, I have not quite forgotten everything about her death.  Adaptation is not forgetting.  It is acceptance.    In a span of seven years, I slowly learned to accept the painful truth - she is gone.  But there never was a day that I wouldn't think about her.  I always do.

Just wanted to share a magnificent artwork about life and death I found on 9gag

When death falls near you or your loved ones, you'll perceive it differently.  At the age of fourteen, I learned about it.  Isn't that a reality check too early?  Heck no!  Think about a 9 year old boy who has seen his mother close to dying two times in a freak accident.  Now that is a wake up call to mortality too early.  That same boy, believe it or not, came up to the World Vision booth and picked a child to sponsor.  In turn for the ordeal, he has developed empathy and compassion at such an early age.  That is something only a person who has met and/or glanced death before their eyes can understand.  

So if I were to die, and die very young, I would like to bring with me memories of happiness.  That in every smile I give, I touch a heart with sincerity.  That in every word I mouth, I bless a soul with kindness.  That in every action I do, I move a person into action.  Life is short, I have learned.  I don't want to waste my time in nonsense.  I don't want to wait in a corner and mutter endless excuses.  I will do, not brood.  If I were to die, and die very young, I would like for my friends to talk not only of good things about me but as well as my faults.  For I am not a god, I am human and err I do.  I am nice to the point of bad but I am not perfect.  I am not a messiah who will save humanity - I am just plain Akemi.  Same as everyone else.  If I were to die,  and die very young, I do not want any awards of any kind.  I have always thought of that as silly.  You can't take that to your grave nor can you proudly say you have earned it.  If I were to die, and die very young, I'd like to apologize to those I have left.  I can imagine how hard it would be for you guys.  Especially for my two little sisters whom I love dearly.

Lastly, if I were to die...I would like to be remembered.  Just that.


And no I don't want to be sent away with words of a love song :)

Just be you...

You learn something new everyday.

If there was one statement that could greatly describe how I perceive this new life I'm trekking, that will be the quote right above.   Somehow, with all the foreign things surrounding me, I can't help but feel like a kid.  Getting out of your comfort zone has never been this extreme!  Believe me. There are what we call basic "awkward~" situations where you get a little uncomfortable. But with simple and basic socially awkward situations at least more or less you are self-aware of the comfort endagering situation.  You have at least a marker on this one.  You know, like crossing the imaginative line of personal space or going out of your house gate when you were still a child.  Think about leaving that marker and venturing out into an unknown place, where people speak different languages and everything just seems so...NEW!  Right now, after all the nerve-wracking (and not to mention painstakingly humiliating) awkwardness I have been secretly carrying on my back, I have reformed to being a child.  So socially awkward sometimes that I have no care if I have acted rather ridiculously - like a child telling a green joke by accident.

The thing is immigrants like us are welcomed here in Canada and being awkward is fine.  Hey nobody is perfect!  You can't be all good at mingling with people right away.  But you can try.  Just try and try and eventually you'll get better.  Like a baby learning how to walk.  You have to risk falling before you actually learn.  And I bet that didn't just happen overnight.  You had to learn how to turn over first, sit unguarded, stand with the help of furnitures and practice letting go.  You can't just skip it all.  Take risk and be awkward.  Be you.  Afterall, you're building relationships so as much as possible honesty must be present.  They may find you weird at first or ...well, I can't think of anything except for weird so we'll just go with that. That's just how it is!  I tried to talk "casually" as soon as I got here and woah...you wouldn't believe how excruciatingly awkward I was to those people I have talked to.  I stuttered, mumbled, went out of topic and in the end I was talking in one word descriptors.  Talk about desperate communication right?   Nevertheless, I tried because I know that that is the only way to go.  I'm glad I did strike up those childish conversations though.  I can say that I have gained confidence in speaking and the stuttering is almost gone. My flightiness is a little hard to deal with but I think I can manage that through PGH style modification.

Hooray for Sir Jerry and Ma'am Ai~!!!  Thanks for straightening me out when I was still in Ward 7.   It's a great help now.

So view everything like a child - without prejudice and malice. I bet you'll find the world a better place.  Let me tell you it is easy if you try.  Just let His wisdom guide you (or you could just go with the weather topic.  Yes, it always works.)

Give yourself a day

Here  is a poem I've written last May 24, 2012.  I wrote it when I felt really helpless and it perked me up after.  I pray to those who read it to take time for themselves. Please allow yourself a day...

A DAY TO MYSELF

By Akemi

A day I give to thee

My priced treasure, myself

A day to brood 

A day to ponder

A day to be selfish

And eat food with wonder

A day to feel 

A day to think

When all is wrong

And you're at a brink

A day it is

A day it shall

To fulfill your greatest wish and

Hope that tomorrow, also it shall

A day to escape all of it

And also a day to come back

A day to find you

A day to know you

A day to realize the greater things

And find the small you

Living in a world of wonders

Give yourself a day guys and find where your heart wants to go :)