Life for everyone, including writers, contains ups and downs. Sometimes it is easy to remain motivated but most times we have to find ways to remain motivated not only in our careers but also in our personal lives. Remaining motivated, as addressed in this article, does not mean there will not be times you are tempted to quit writing or you will never experience disappointing mishaps. It means that, overall, you will continue doing what you love despite the challenges and you will keep seeking passion in life.

Realize that life is comprised of stages

When bad things happen to us, it always feels like the pain will last forever and we will never get past the disappointment, failure or frustration. But life is a journey containing different stages; some that are good and others saddening. When things do not go as expected, work on confining your current experience to only that period of your life. Refrain from judging all possible future experiences through the same mindset. Anything can happen and things can get better. You only need to keep moving forward and believing that things will change.

Give yourself time to grieve

We have little control over our emotions especially during devastating times when we experience shock. Allowing yourself to grieve and being kind to yourself is essential to your wellbeing. Avoid thinking to yourself that you need to be strong, especially initially when you receive bad news or things turn out differently from what you imagined they would. Take a break from work when you need to. In the end, you will come back to it rejuvenated and ready to continue. Bottled-up emotions only cause breakdowns in the long run. The earlier you address underlying perspectives and emotions the easier it will be for you in the future.

Seek support

Seeking help is also a great way to remain motivated, even when circumstances seem bleak. Friends who truly care about you will be a source of support when bad times come. They will also help you see the positive side of things when you cannot. Seeking help from a professional therapist could also help you cope during difficult times and move on later. Many people refuse to seek help since this is seen as a “weakness” but, in essence, seeking help requires the courage to admit that you cannot handle everything by yourself.

Look back and learn

When things go wrong, we are usually quick to shift blame onto others. We refuse to see our role in the failure. To remain motivated, however, we have to be willing to look back and accept what we did wrong and then learn from the experience. Shifting blame only binds us to the bad experience even more, instead of learning from it and moving forward. In the future, keep an eye out for similar situations and apply what you have learned from your past mistakes. This way, you will stop a pattern that you may not have noticed before if you had not chosen to stop and reflect on the past.