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Motivating Yourself
India White • August 13, 2021
We are driven by an objective, born with a desire to find purpose beyond simply staying alive. Money, happiness, power, a new car because your old one makes a weird sound when you start it up. Whatever it is, sometimes it can seem as though the path between you and your success is one of great resistance. Sometimes, it can seem as though life, and all that it's thrown at you, is about to get to you and break you down. Sometimes, it does. But, in all of us, there is motivation, and motivation allows us to get back up to move forward again and again and again.
Granted, at times, it is difficult to find that reason to keep pushing. For a lot of us, motivations tend to be external: family, money, vacation, luxuries. And although these motivations are strong and enough to keep us going for so long, they are not foolproof. Not everyone has a family. People eventually find that money doesn’t buy happiness. So on and so forth. These motivations, like all external factors, are typically out of your control and can leave you without a say.
It's times like these that you must find motivation within yourself. You need to believe that whatever it is you’re doing will help you grow into a better person. Find those inner motivations. Find those successes that will fulfill you. If you’re scared you will never grow, you will. Understanding is the first step. Analyze yourself and find what it is that’s blocking you; talk to family, see a therapist, sit on a park bench and just be alone with your thoughts, whatever it is, just don’t do nothing. It’s that simple. Every great person, every great story started with baby steps, both literally and metaphorically; it’s time you take yours.
If you want to think philosophically, you are valuable and you are real, simply because you exist. You can think, you are conscious. That is not a privilege or experience anything can experience. You, amongst the vast multitude of the universe, have been either designed worthy or just lucky enough to understand your own self. That is rare, beautiful, and valuable. You are valuable. You deserve to be better. You deserve to be happy. In light of that, here are some ways to stay motivated:
- Eliminate procrastination: Just start, write your name, get a paper, draw an outline, the hardest step is always starting. But once you take it, the subsequent ones come naturally.
- Clear distractions: If it's homework or a project, just be sure to give your phone to your mom or friend or put it somewhere that would be too inconvenient for you to stop what you’re doing to get it.
- Set goals with attainable milestones: Visualize your goals and put them down on paper. Then write out the steps to get there. This can be separated into daily, weekly, or monthly to-do’s. Whatever works for you, and more importantly, whatever keeps you accountable to yourself.
- Take Breaks: Go for a run, watch a Youtube video, cook a meal. Relax. You don’t want to burn yourself out.
- Find a role model: It can be a mentor, a role model, whoever you need to help stay motivated, it’s all about the end game right?
- Hold yourself accountable: You need to practice holding yourself accountable to things. If you struggle with holding yourself back, practice saying no to little things: no thank you, I won’t be having dessert or no, I don’t think I’ll have fries with that. It will help you build towards saying no to larger things. If you’re really struggling, ask your family or friends to help you stay accountable.
And remember, life is a marathon, not a sprint. There will be days you fail. Maybe you’ll fail every day for a month. God forbid it, but a year even. The difficulty of motivation is not getting it, but keeping it. It can be so short-lived like a blazing fire, but regulate it, don’t put so much pressure on yourself, feed that fire consistently but not too much. And if you’re going through the thick of it right now, and feel as though your motivation is thinning, remember that you are valuable and you are powerful. Sometimes, you just have to keep your head down and keep pushing, working, crawling. The meek shall inherit the earth, and you, who keeps persisting and fighting, will soon come out with your head held high. The best is yet to come.
Join us on the Let's Get Gritty Podcast with Dr. India White. On this show, we will repeat a show from the Grit and Equity talks Podcast with Dr. India White, where we walk through the recently released NAEP data from the National Report Card and speak about moving the needle forward. Listen on Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/india-white3 #grit #equity #naep #drindiawhite #nctm #ncsm #bwxme #math #teachers #students
🌟 Just wrapped up an incredible G.R.I.T. Training session with the amazing leaders from Imagine Schools! 💪✨ We took a deep dive into the G.R.I.T. framework, and I can't wait to see the results unfold! 🚀🙌 #drindiawhite #grit #imagineschools #tedx #nctm #ncsm #bwxme 🎉 (I don’t own music copyright
Check out my Feb. 2025 Newsletter!
Thankful for Partnership and Recognition: A Shoutout to Dr. Matthew Joseph and X-Factor EDU Network I am incredibly thankful to partner with Dr. Matthew Joseph and the amazing leadership of the X-Factor EDU Network! It is truly an honor to collaborate with such a visionary leader who is dedicated to amplifying voices in education and creating spaces for impactful conversations. This month, I was deeply grateful to be mentioned in Dr. Joseph’s newsletter during Black History Month. His recognition means so much, not just for me, but for the work we are all doing to inspire and empower educators and students alike. You can check out the newsletter here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/drmxj_stongertogether-activity-7291502796753809408-0zX3?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAmqD2wBkz8Qc7EA0bvwxWyMJH2HykCUA-Y But beyond the shoutout, I’m even more excited about the opportunities ahead—including the chance to have a podcast on Dr. Joseph’s platform! Partnering with X-Factor EDU Network opens doors to share insights, engage in meaningful discussions, and continue championing grit, resilience, and equity in education. Thank you, Dr. Matthew Joseph, for your support, encouragement, and belief in this mission. Looking forward to what’s to come! 🚀 #StrongerTogether #GRIT #XFactorEDU #BlackHistoryMonth #EducationalLeadership #Thankful
Fired Up for FDLA/FAMTE Keynote: Let’s Build Grit Together! I’m beyond excited to take the stage as the keynote speaker at the FDLA/FAMTE Conference tomorrow! 🎤🔥 We’ll be diving deep into the power of G.R.I.T.—Great Resilience in Time—and how it transforms both educators and students. This opportunity means so much, and I’m grateful to everyone who has supported this journey. Grit isn’t just a concept; it’s a movement. It’s about growth mindset, resilience, self-efficacy, and time management, and it’s what drives success in the classroom and beyond. Let’s empower educators and students across the nation to push past obstacles and embrace productive struggle. Who’s ready to get gritty? 💪🏾 #Grit #DrIndiaWhite #TEDx #FDLA #FAMTE #Education #GrowthMindset
Had an Amazing Time at the Imagine Summit! I had a fantastic time speaking at the Imagine Summit on G.R.I.T.! 🙌🏽 We engaged in powerful breakout sessions, had meaningful discussions about NAEP data, and explored strategies to build **growth mindset, resilience, self-efficacy, and time management** in education. Thank you to everyone who participated and brought such great energy to the conversations! Let’s continue working together to bridge gaps and empower students through grit and perseverance. 💪🏽 #GRIT #ImagineSummit #Resilience #Education #GrowthMindset #EquityInEducation #drindiawhite
Building Grit in Teachers at the Imagine Leadership Summit I am beyond excited to be speaking at the Imagine Leadership Summit today, sharing insights on how we can build grit in teachers and empower them to foster resilience, self-efficacy, and growth in their students. 🌟 This summit is an incredible opportunity to collaborate with principals and education leaders who are committed to supporting and strengthening teachers. When we invest in teacher grit, we build stronger, more effective classrooms where students develop the perseverance to tackle challenges and achieve success. A huge thank you to the Imagine Summit leaders for this amazing opportunity! It’s an honor to be among such an outstanding lineup of speakers, including the incredible Kyle Pearce and Jon Orr. Join our sessions today and take GRIT with you—because when teachers grow in resilience, our students thrive! #GRIT #Teachers #Principals #DrIndiaWhite #NCTM #NCSM #ImagineSummit 😊
🌟 What an incredible time at the ICTM conference in Indiana! The lineup was amazing, and the energy was contagious! 🎉 Since I missed the snow back in Florida, I embraced it fully here and made my very first snow angel! ❄️ So grateful for the fun and gritty spirit of the ICTM rockstars! Huge thanks to Angela and every rockstar for this fantastic opportunity! 💙 #drindiawhite #grit #ictm25 #math #teachers #students #indiana #nctm #ncsm
✨ Today’s Grit training at Stockton Unified was absolutely amazing! We had a fantastic time connecting with friends and meeting some incredible rockstars in California. 🌟 I can’t wait to see how gritty Stockton becomes! Huge thanks to Andrew and the tribe for the opportunity to train your amazing leaders. Let’s all take grit with us as we move forward! 💪 #Grit #Leadership #StocktonUnified #drindiawhite #tedx #nctm #ncsm #nabse
🎊Super excited about this opportunity! Looking forward to connecting with these amazing leaders! 🥰🥳🎉 Please register below and let’s connect so we can bridge the achievement gap together! hashtag#drindiawhite hashtag#ncsm hashtag#grit hashtag#math hashtag#teachers