My Little Yellow House

What drives you? What motivates you to keep going when things get difficult? Is there something at the end of the road that you want to achieve? Reminding yourself of whatever that might be can help in difficult times. For me it's a little yellow house.

It may sound overly simple or silly, but this is what drives me. I have a clear vision of this house and how Bear and I (and hopefully at least one other senior Husky) will live in this house. I even know what neighborhood it will be in. I can envision exactly how our days will unfold in this house as if I'm watching a movie. The visual is so intense I can feel as though I am there. This is my ultimate dream and it's important because it keeps me focused. When you have a clear goal in mind and you know what you want you can continue to work towards it.

My suggestion is this: figure out what drives you and paint yourself a clear picture of what that will look like. Write a story of what your day will be like when you have reached that goal. Give it lots and lots of details and then when you're finished narrow it down into a phrase. Write that phrase and place it where you will see it often throughout your day to remind yourself of what you're working for.

When I see the words little yellow house on a post-it note in my bathroom first thing in the morning I know exactly what that means and a part of me says "Okay, I can do this." It's like a secret mantra that helps me to stay motivated.

I've also printed this photo and put it on the wall in my office. I found this little yellow house in Sonoma and it's the perfect visual to my mantra. Find a visual or two that represent your mantra and place them somewhere visible, too. The point to all of this is that it's easy to become distracted and to lose track of the reasons behind what we choose to do. These reminders can help to keep us moving forward. What's your little yellow house?