As we’ve reach the middle point of yet another busy year, motivation can become an endless battle especially in the winter months. One Namibian business woman is the inspiration for many, for her exceptional motivation to achieve her goals and her ability to juggle many things at once to ensure her success in business. Ally Angula is a Namibian business powerhouse. Among her many achievements, she is also the Co-Founder, Managing Director and Chief Strategist of Leap Holdings Namibia which is responsible for birthing Namibia’s first commercial clothing brand “My Republik”. Ally is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, the Founding Curator for the World Economic Forum Global Shapers Windhoek Hub as well as an Archbishop Desmond Tutu Fellow amongst her many career achievements.
With her many involvements, one wonders how she manages to keep her levels of motivation at a constant high. 99FM’s MYD Smart spoke to Ally to find out how she stays motivated especially in the winter months, when most of us struggle with the motivation to even get out of bed.
Ally Angula’s Advice for Staying Motivated through Winter
A Picture Says a Thousand Words
According to Ally, it’s the picture that says a thousand words. When asked how she stays motivated Ally says, “It helps to reflect on how far we have come, pictures tell such an incredible story of any journey so lining these up in a timeline gets me really motivated. Do this at least monthly so that you can see visually how far you have come for that month.”
How to Get Out of Bed on Winter Weekdays
In terms of motivation, some days it’s hard to find the motivation to even get out of bed and for Ally this is true as well, however this determined woman has made sure she has an action plan for this too. Ally notes, “I love summer so for winter I, just like most people, struggle to get out of bed. What does work to get me out of bed is firstly, my alarm must be far away from the bed because the moment I get up to switch it off far away from the bed I need to dash to get to shower to get warmth and then I am up for sure.”
Ally notes as well the importance of knowing yourself and using this knowledge to create peace in your day. “If my alarm is next to my bed I am doomed and would only get out of bed at about 08h00. However, I am a night owl so getting to office at about 09h00 is my perfect time and then I will work late into the night until my things are done.”
Intentional Days Versus Days that Go Nowhere
When talking goals, Ally explains how these can help one to keep motivation levels high, “setting goals for the month, broken down into weeks and then setting three main goals for the day, also helps me to be intentional about the day.” She adds, “I find that when I write things down I get them done. It’s on the days when I say the day must take care of itself that I go nowhere fast. So write down your goals for the month plus their required actions to achieve these goals, focus only on the three main things for the day, do block sessions during the day focusing on these. This is how I get through the cold winter days.”
So if you, like most, are struggling with motivation this winter try Ally’s tips of reflection with pictures, moving your alarm away from your bed and setting goals that you break up into daily goals because days we are not intentional with, become days that don’t deliver to us the very best.