It's no big secret that all of us tend to tire of things from time to time. Lack of motivation is something that can occur for the simple fact that our lives tend to become repetitive, especially when we're on a fixed schedule week after week, month after month, year after year. Teaching class at the same time every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday can cause one to feel more like a machine than a creative artist sharing their passion with those students who are drawn to study with them.
So what do you do when the monotony of life becomes your main focus? Great question and one that can yield quite a few helpful answers. When life becomes lackluster and teaching loses its sparkling veneer, here are some important tips to keep in mind;
5 Easy Ways to Bring the Passion of Teaching Back Into Your Life!
#1 - If you've been feeling a little down and unmotivated as of late, acknowledge it
So many teachers don't even want to admit that they aren't as excited about their jobs as they once were. If you don't want to admit that you might have fallen into this chasm, you'll end up being in denial and that's when a backlash of issues could occur. Acknowledge that you might not be as thrilled about your career as you once were. That's the first step to getting back in the saddle so to speak. Living in denial works for no one.
#2 - Realize it's perfectly OK to feel unmotivated
We're all human. If we felt totally up about stuff every minute of every day, we'd probably want to strangle each other! Besides, that really isn't what the challenge of life is all about. Life is full of many different colors, energies and moods. It changes hues from moment to moment. There are bright and uplifting colors, but there are also dark and forbidding colors. It's only natural to not feel so great from time to time. That's what being on this journey of life is all about.
Teaching can be a tough job. The profession can demand and consume every last bit of your energy and spirit. If you think about it, that's just a natural part of the decision to teach. No one ever said it was going to be roses all the time, right? It's OK to feel down about it but here's the key; don't get overly consumed with the negative aspects of what it is to be a teacher. Don't spend a lot of time thinking about that. Don't attach yourself to that. Acknowledge that it's there and that you are feeling this way, but then be sure to move on to the next moment. Stay in the present and not the past. It's when we constantly think about and feel our alleged negativity that we end up becoming it. Then rising above and out of it can all too often become a difficult task.
#3 - Look at where you are
When you're feeling a lack of motivation, take a moment to realize how far you've come. Your original motivation to teach and bring positive change to people's lives has gotten you here. You may not be feeling ready to celebrate the holidays at the moment but apart from that, you've done a great job doing what you've been doing to get to where you are right here and now.
#4 - Map out where you want to be
This next step involves you doing a bit of thinking as to where you want to go with your teaching career. Where do you see yourself in three months time? Where to you see yourself in three years time? If the reason for you becoming a dance teacher in the first place was to help shape the lives of students in a positive and inspirational way, take that good feeling, which is most likely connected to your passion, and think about where you want to take that for your immediate and long term future. See and feel what it will be like in your teaching career three months from now and three years from now. Be good to yourself. Don't hold yourself back. Reach for the stars! See it, feel it and don't lose touch with this as the days move on. If you keep this energy alive within yourself each and every day, you'll wake up one morning and all that you've thought and felt about your future will be seen all around you in your present experience. All because you took the time to feel it within before it happened to you without. No one can create change such as this but you. It's a decision and a choice that requires action. YOUR action. So as the famous saying goes, "Just do it!"
#5 - There's a reason!
Realize that there's a reason why you've come this far. Nothing happens by mistake. Keep walking along your path and know that if you happen to have an off day, that's OK! Just don't spend a lot of time with those type of thoughts and feelings.
When you feel you've lost your way, all you have to do is take one look into the eyes of those wonderful souls that you are fortunate enough to teach every week and realize that you can and probably have made such a major difference in their lives. There are teachers all of us remember when we were growing up that made an everlasting impact on us. They are the reason we are who and what we are today. Don't you think they had down days too? Don't you think there were times when they were wondering what the heck they were doing in this industry? It's only natural. They didn't let that bring them down, at least not for long. They were still able to get their message across that seemed to come directly from their hearts and wow, what an impact they had on all those around them. What would you think if I told you that you are one of those teachers too?
Feel it, believe it, live it!
