4 Tips for Staying Motivated by James Wilson

Having a nice chill, lazy day is healthy (in correct portions), but we don’t want to make it a routine. Just because so many things have been ‘put on hold’ doesn’t mean your life should be too. So here are my 4 simple tips for staying motivated!

1. Set goals

Settings goals… yes, we’ve all heard it before and I can confidently say we’ve all tried to set them before. Whether it’s a New Years resolution to eat healthier or saving up for a special gadget, we have all tried (and often failed) to genuinely pursue something better.
Firstly, you need to know what you want. Something realistic. Something you CAN do. Something that is measurable. For example, going from doing 10 push-ups to 20.
Next, you want to put it in a time frame. Using the push-up example, you could say you’d want to complete your goal within 4 weeks.
Now lastly, you want to act and organise. Anyone can say “I want to do xyz” or “I could easily do abc”. But it can be especially hard to actually incorporate something into a routine – this is where I like to use a daily planner or even a simple calendar in my phone as it holds me accountable to myself to actually complete the task at hand.

2. Do what is good. Not what is easy.

Now this one is tricky because its all about the right mindset. I don’t know about you, but when I’m rolled up in a blanket watching Netflix I find it virtually impossible to do anything else… even getting food or opening the door for a pet feels like a marathon.

The solution is to know that if you were to take action right now, your life will be better later.
That sounds like a bigger deal than it really is. In practice, it just involves going “yeah nah I should probably do that” and then actually doing it. Because when you leave things hanging and don’t address them, they can snowball up and cause even more chaos. A perfect example is not doing that homework. Leaving it last minute only to find out it was harder than expected results in you either handing it in late, or it being low-quality. And so, I guarantee you that if you address issues when they arise, you will be happier and less stressed.

3. Learn something new.

You’d be surprised by how much you can do from home. It can be as simple as reading a book about butterflies or as complex as learning how to code. My personal recommendations on things to learn (which should all be accessible within the household or online) are..
1. Philosophy: Simply search up philosophy basics, find a particular idea/thought that you think is interesting and learn more about it… there’s endless resources on every topic (It’s also very impressive when you speak about it in class or even at parties, just saying)
2. Song Lyrics: We all have songs which we love so much, yet don’t know the lyrics well enough to sing along. Well now is your chance! I really hope someone who reads this will learn Rap God by Eminem by the time isolation ends.
3. Arts and Crafts: Self-explanatory, learning how to make origami is a massive flex.
4. Cooking: I am shocking at cooking. So there’s no better time to learn how to make either a super simple omelette, or an extravagant roast dinner than right now when I can’t go to restaurants and the bank account doesn’t enjoy Uber Eats.

4. Build routine.

This one is a bit more simple, but I think it is easily the most important thing to incorporate into your day-to-day lives. Including routine in your life holds you accountable for your actions and prevents you from being lazy.
Step one: Wake up the same time every day — This is crucial as it sets your body clock in order which will make you more productive and eager to do stuff during the day.
Step two: Make your bed and get changed — If your room is a mess, odds are most other things around you will be too… I want you to actually do something during the day, so getting changed out of your pyjamas not only gets you in the right frame of mind, but also prevents you from retreating back to bed or your couch
Step three: Block out your day — Again, this is why I have a daily planner, it helps me sort out what I want to do and ensures that I don’t forget anything.

So there it is.
4 tips to staying motivated. These times are not very fun, but that doesn’t mean we pause our lives and retreat into bed to eat and watch Netflix for a few months. Anyone has the ability to come out of isolation as a healthy, intelligent and positive person, ready to explore and challenge the world.

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I found Burn Bright in the midst of studying civil engineering at the University of Wollongong, just as I wanted a richer, deeper, more full experience of life.

Through Burn Bright, I have met many students and volunteers who are all seeking to find their place in the world. When we come together at NLC or SLC, no matter our age, we begin on the same page, of wanting to do good for ourselves, our community, and the world. And then we are thrown into a program that brings us closer to each other, our purpose, and how to bring forth this impact. It’s like having your cake and eating it too.

Volunteering with Burn Bright stoked a fire in me – It helped me feel comfortable in myself and made me realise life isn’t just about work, study, or productivity, but our relationships and how we connect with others along the way.

I have learned skills in videography, worked for a top-tier corporation in marketing, and most recently published a book called “18 and lost? So were we” 

I have a passion for storytelling, bring loads of energy wherever I go, and am dedicated to helping young people move through the initiation of leaving high school and going into the ‘real world’. 

The best part for me is being able to stay connected to the latest generation growing through high school. To see them grow, expand and express more of themselves is like watching an artwork paint itself. It’s magic.

I am Simon Thurston, a Kiwi based in Perth. I work as an Instructional Designer and in my spare time I enjoy reading, running, and board games.

Since my initial connection to Burn Bright I have been onboard with their mission. Burn Bright’s focus on building the capabilities enables students of all ages to see how they can shape their world through connections with others and their own self discovery.

Seeing others grow, learn, and open up is what keeps me coming back, to help others realise their potential and how they can influence their future and their community is a definite highlight. It’s infectious, the atmosphere when they run a program or camp is welcoming, exciting, emotional, and rewarding all in one.

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Hi, friends! I’m Kelsie, a psychologist from central QLD working in private practice. I got involved with Burn Bright officially in 2016, but the journey started long before that. I attended the National Leadership Camp (now hosted annually by Burn Bright) in 2009. It had such a profound impact on me that I returned as a mentor and volunteer. Those connections ultimately lead me to joining the Burn Bright team as an adult.

When I transitioned from facilitating with the Burn Bright team to working as a psychologist, I was so grateful for an incredible foundation of skills (particularly facilitation, communication and interpersonal skills) along with a strong grounding in positive psychology that Burn Bright integrates into their ethos.

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Imagine this POV: you’re back at school wanting to figure everything out and fit in – and you find
yourself in a room with amazing music that uplifts you and hooks you in. You meet the team of
dynamic, interesting, caring facilitators whose own friendships inspire you. Their facilitation skills bring about amazing light-bulb moments and lessons that light a fire inside you… It makes me want to feel that for myself again. The next best thing, for me, is volunteering for the team who passes that on to other young people.

My start at Burn Bright is one of the best cases of one door closing and another door opening. After losing my job at a local pub while on uni holidays, I started looking for new opportunities that were different and decided to volunteer. Searching for opportunities, I found working bees, community driving and nursing home visits, but the chance to become a National Leadership Camp intern stood out. Over nearly six months, I worked with the team to pull off Burn Bright’s first National Leadership Camp, and had an absolute blast in the process. After camp, I started working for Burn Bright while studying, doing anything and everything — data analysis, hiring strategy and even picking up furniture.

Finishing up working for Burn Bright in 2019, I am still actively involved with the Burn Bright volunteer community. I’ve found that the emphasis placed on investing in your relationships, understanding your values and making an impact allow you to be accepted for you. This has given me the tools needed to make the difficult decisions that life will inevitably throw at you. Besides all that, I’ve had a ton of fun and formed life-long friendships with people I may have never crossed paths with otherwise. “Get involved — you’ll change your life for the better and make life‑long friends in the process”.

I am a health science student from Perth wanting to get into the mental health realm of occupational therapy. In the meantime, I work as a barista and supervisor at a beachside café. In my spare time, I love to play netball, be around my friends and I have just gotten into crocheting. I went to Perth College where I was lucky enough to go to the first Perth College Leadership Camp in 2018 as a student and absolutely loved it. What really drew me in was the atmosphere that was created, the open conversations, and the lasting relationships formed.

Since then I have been a mentor for the Perth College Leadership Camp in 2019, 2020, and 2021 and had the opportunity to go to the National Leadership Camp in 2019. When Burn Bright comes to Perth I also love helping out at their programs as much as I can.

Volunteering for Burn Bright has given me so much that I could never have imagined. I have learned so much about myself and I have so much more confidence in myself and my abilities that I know I wouldn’t have had if I wasn’t exposed to the amazing opportunities volunteering for Burn Bright has given me. Before being involved I would never have seen myself being a mentor, role model, and facilitator to students, but now I can confidently say that I am, and I have made an impact on others that I am proud of. I have also made so many meaningful connections to so many amazing people from all around Australia through Burn Bright. I get asked quite a bit why I keep coming back to my old school to volunteer and it’s simply because I was given this amazing opportunity to be a part of the Burn Bright programs and if I can help facilitate that experience to someone else then why wouldn’t I?

I was born in Perth and moved to Sydney in my early 20’s to continue work as a youth worker and surfboard maker. This was followed by 30 years working in IT as a computer programmer.

Following retirement in 2016 I searched for an organisation that was aligned with my values of servant leadership and service, especially in the youth space. This search led to Burn Bright where I am now volunteering one day a week and mentoring at the National Leadership Camp. Volunteering with Burn Bright gives me a great deal of hope and confidence in the next generation of leaders. It is a pleasure to be a part of the Burn Bright family.

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