Permit me to introduce you to nine virtual and virtuous friends who will get you through this time.

They are nine Motivators, and they are all good to be around. If any of them fails to resonate with you, know for sure that they'll resonate with a friend or a member of your family. Building your skill as working with the nine will make life better.

When someone is said to be 'needy' – we are told this is 'unattractive' and a sign of 'weakness'. Nonsense! We all have needs – they drive our energy, our attention, our behaviour – needs are good and it's good and normal and natural to have needs.

My nine friends feed these needs. Let me introduce the first three with more to follow.

First up is 'The Defender'! She or he (depending on your imagination) meets the need for security, certainty and stability. At this time, work with The Defender by communicating more regularly with family and friends than usual. Develop a routine and rituals so that everyone has a rhythm to their day and week. Help everyone focus on how far they've come, not how far they have to go.

Humans have a strong need for structure – sometimes called 'Structure Hunger'. By making each day different from the others, you'll help your family's need, and your own, to get a certain sense of rhythm during this season.

For me, Monday is always Mindset Monday, Tuesday is ChooseDay... What themes do you have, or could you invent, for each day of the week?

Secondly, we have 'The Friend' – who energises us through rewarding relationships, friendship, thoughtfulness, and a sense of belonging. Moodscope is a great, warm, welcoming, and interactive community that strengthens our sense of belongingness. The letter post is working well where we live thus there's an opportunity to send cards of encouragement to friends. That works magic. Hand-making cards is even more powerful because it is the personal touch that energises the most. Reading books on 'Emotional Intelligence' can boost this fuel for friendship too.

Thirdly, comes 'The Star'. Don't leave The Star on the bench – Stars are players – they want to be involved! If this sounds like you, it's time to write a blog! Write more comments on posts. Can you be a coach or mentor to someone? What awards could we create to recognise excellence in our community? Stars love recognition and respect so let's make sure we're showing respect – especially to those who are going the extra mile.

Above all, let's show gratitude.

Next blog, I'll introduce three further motivators (The Director, The Builder, and The Expert) but let's begin by looking after the basics I've mentioned.

(And if you're curious where all this is coming from, it's from 'Motivational Mapping' – a model for maintaining motivation, founded on work such as Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. If you'd like to know more, Caroline can give you my email address!)

I am really looking forward to reading how you build structure into your week, what crafts you are using to send tokens of appreciation to others, and how you are keeping yourself shining like a star by becoming more involved.

Lex

A Motivated Moodscope Member