How to Stay Motivated When Ambition Has Left Your Body
For the Worldbuilders Ep. 070
Dear Worldbuilder,
My intention inside this episode is to ground us inside the reality that we are constantly changing. Our motivations are changing. Our values might be experiencing a re-boot. And the things that kept us going in the past might no longer be a reliable fuel source. Instead of resenting or resisting our desire to slow down, prioritize our most meaningful relationships, or operate from a place of wholeness….What if we used these changes in our capacity, goals and desires as our new navigation tools and fuel to get us where we actually want to go instead of the destinations we were told to go in search of a false sense of safety? In this episode I’m going to share 5 approaches for staying motivated when ambition rooted in external validation has left your body.
i am not done yet as possible as yeast as imminent as bread a collection of safe habits a collection of cares less certain than i seem more certain than i was a changed changer i continue to continue what i have been most of my lives is where i’m going — Lucille Clifton. Published in Good Woman: Poems and a Memoir 1969-1980, 1987
Tune into the 70th episode “How to Stay Motivated When Ambition Has Left Your Body” on the podcast For the Worldbuilders via Spotify or Apple Podcast. Let me know what you think by replying to this email. 💌
So be it, see to it, breathe through it,
Ayana
Seeda School News
‼️ NEW DATE ANNOUNCED ‼️
I'm overflowing with gratitude that I’ve been invited by my dear friend and collaborator Lukaza Branfman-Verissimo and The Black School (operated by Joseph Cuillier and Shani Peters) to offer a reading at the upcoming collective altar-building workshop, “ITS ALL OUT OF MY ARMS” at the ICA on Saturday, March 8th at 5pm. I’ll be reading an excerpt from the first chapter of the novel I’m currently incubating which follows the story of Seeda, a non-binary biotechnologist living in an abolitionist community, named Cykofa, seeded by black feminist ancestors. Offering this reading, for the first time, alongside Alexis De Veaux on the occasion of the Dear Mazie, exhibition which celebrates black queer architecture and worldbuilding is a dream too wide for words. Truly humbled by this invitation. See you there?
i resonate with replacing striving with surrender being difficult to explain. the same idea has come up for me, and i've been describing it as 'doing (striving) vs. being (surrender).' and it's tough because externally they can look the same but the inner reality of each are so different. i feel like returning to improvisation has been key: there's enough relaxation to create surrender, enough surrender to want to play, and then letting play become the motivator for action.
ooooooh this poem!!! thank you ayana 🩵