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Being a student leader is stressful, and sometimes, you become so engulfed in the work that you can forget to take care of yourself. Here's a tip that can really help keep you personally motivated.
It's important to always have a few things you are looking forward to and to remind yourself of these things constantly.
Let me give you an example to which we can all relate. If that paper is killing you this week, it's helpful to know that something fun is happening this weekend. It helps you push pass the stress and focus on something fun waiting for you on the other side.
Same thing with your student leadership term. When things are driving you crazy (meetings, annoying members, budget issues, whatever), it's nice to be able to think about something coming up that will be fun, personally rewarding, just for you.
I recommend that you ALWAYS have a small list of three things that you are PERSONALLY looking forward to. Post it in your room or bathroom mirror. Keep it in your planner. List it on your profile page, whatever. Put it somewhere where you will see it every day. Do not list things that have to do with your organization – that's cheating. Make them entirely personal.
I always ask my interns to do this. I see little Post-It Notes on their bulletin boards. Things they list include seeing friends from out of town, going for a visit somewhere, a friend's wedding, going skiing or hiking, a sporting event, dates (what's a date?), a concert. And when you've done one of the three things, put something new on the list. Always have three.
Don't make them general ("Going hiking"), make them specific ("Going hiking on Saturday the 10th with Kevin").
And, here's the key, if you can't think of three things that you are personally looking forward to, you've got a bigger problem. You need to take some time and come up with some. Be kinder to yourself. This one little tip will help your personal motivation tremendously if you do it and stick to it.
