One of the best ways to keep motivated when learning a new skill is to have accountability. If I’m not accountable to someone, somewhere, at a specific time, it is hard for me to keep going. Here’s a few examples:

Cello- if I’m not taking lessons I don’t practice. I was taking lessons for a year or so until my instructor left to start teaching privately. Now I’m not taking lessons and guess what, I’m not really playing.

Running- signing up for a race kept me motivated to “learn” how to run. Races are one of the best ways I’ve found to keep me running regularly.

Writing- a blog is fun to write on, but classes are great and a way to keep motivated and hone in on writing skills. Writing conventions are a fun way to keep motivated and network. I recently was able to attend one and it was so much fun. There were writers at all different stages of writing- some already had published books. Some had finished manuscripts that they were pitching. And some are still working on manuscripts. I was asked to take part in a podcast for a book website and that was fun. I love talking with other writers.

Book clubs- this one doesn’t have anything to do with learning a new skill necessarily but a book club is a great way to keep reading and talking about books.

Speaking of books, here are a few I’ve been reading over the past month:

The Fourth Wife, by Linda Hamilton.

I really enjoyed this one. Think 1800s, polygamy, Mormon families, and Gothic tales. It’s horror and historical fiction intertwined. A young woman is married off into a polygamous family and is taken away to a neglected, decaying mansion. She suffers from anxiety during a time when that was identified as a weakness. As far as horror level, I’d rate it a 3/5 meaning that while there were parts that definitely creeped me out and I was concerned for the protagonist, I didn’t feel like I had to go to sleep with the lights on (5/5 horror level). Also, I didn’t have to run up the stairs for a week like there was something behind me (4/5 horror level).

The Future of Truth by Werner Herzog

This one I picked up at the library. I read the entire thing (in my mind) in Werner Herzog’s voice, I couldn’t help it. I enjoyed this book. Mr. Herzog talks about truth, the internet, and AI. I love this question that he asks in the book- “Does the Internet dream of itself?” He tells us that we need to read. Also, you can’t trust anything on the internet (which hopefully, we all know by now).

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I started listening to this one as an audiobook and then finished it up with a copy from my library. If you like space, the 80s, women scientists, and a bit of romance, this one’s for you. I found myself longing for more space and less relationship in this one, but that’s just me needing to read more sci-fi at the moment! The book also gets into sibling relationships and tensions therein. I’m glad I read this one.

Right now, I’m reading a YA novel, Shiny Happy People by Clay McLeod Chapman. I’ll review that one soon. I’m on vacation this week so I’m hoping to catch up on my TBR a bit! It keeps growing.

How do you stay motivated? And what are you reading these days?

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