Dreams (or goals) are hard things to chase because often they lack definition. This became apparent to me today, while doing something pretty routine that I try to do everyday—working out. I have been slowly trying to get back into this habit after a somewhat rudderless summer of visitors and late nights. I was so proud of myself for getting up every morning this week and working out, but I just wasn’t enjoying it or feeling the benefit of it AT ALL.

This was confusing to me. I LOVE my workouts. They’re always a bright spot in my day because: They happen first thing in the morning before anyone else is out of bed. They lean heavily into my principle  “make the things you do everyday as simple and impactful as possible” because I combine my workout with entertainment and/or research, which often involves watching something for pure joy or catching up on documentaries and research which I find equally thrilling. I get even more bang for my buck by lifting in our sauna, which lowers cortisol levels, promotes endorphin release, relaxes my muscles, reduces inflammation, provides detoxification benefits and improves my skin, circulation, oxygen flow, heart health, and muscle recovery all while getting in a workout.

But today NONE of those things were vibing for me. Then, out of nowhere my sister in law’s voice got in my head: You got to lift more! This is not what my uninspired body wanted to hear, but Tiffany’s convincing enough (even when not present) that I begrudgingly added ten pounds to each of my weights and started my deadlifts. 

Despite my doubt, the added challenge actually made a HUGE difference. Not only was I (weirdly) enjoying the workout more, I was feeling challenged which inspired me to work out even harder. I even got in a bonus workout (and stretch!) later on in the day.

It clicked then that my lack of motivation was coming from not feeling challenged. I didn’t need to change up the routine I loved; I needed to make it more difficult. This took very little effort and garnered way more reward than I anticipated for such a small effort. 

Then I had another epiphany: This is how people feel when chasing their dreams. 

For different reasons than working out, people often have a lack of clarity around chasing their dreams. Dreams, especially big ones, can feel uninspired or unattainable specifically because they aren’t specific enough. And without this specificity they can lack challenge because there is no real measure of how hard you are pushing yourself or what you’re reaching for.

In dreams and in working out, leveling up is actually a great way to reframe progress. For ease, we’ll stick with the working out idea. Until today I never had a plan for increasing the difficulty of my workouts. Now I do. I bought these dumbbells which make increasing my weights easy, and I keep a whiteboard with a calendar which indicates how much to increase my weight each week. Now I have a built in plan for addressing my lack of motivation in my workouts, and a guarantee that I’m getting stronger rather than just dialing it in day after day. 

While such a simple concept, this same type of planned leveling up can create clarity and increase productivity in so many areas of life. What’s an area of your life you’ve been feeling uninspired in lately? Will leveling up be your fix?

Feeling stuck? Try leveling up in the following ways: 

• Uninspired by your meals? Get a cookbook you know will be delicious and force you to make healthier choices. This one is my favorite. 

• Uninspired by your work? Set yourself up with a new challenge, even if you do it completely on your own.

• Uninspired by your writing? Set yourself a higher word count (or any word count at all) to accomplish each day. Or get a book of prompts and attempt one you’d otherwise never be drawn to. Invite the challenge!
  
• Uninspired by your spouse or your friends? Find some new ones (kidding) or invite them all to do something you’ve never done together. Level up for everyone!