5 Things to focus on when you’ve lost your motivation

5 Things to focus on when you’ve lost your motivation

Here’s the thing about motivation: the only person that can help you find it when you’ve lost it, is you.

It’s nice if you can have someone give you a little pep talk, but it doesn’t always work. I’m actually known for giving pep talks and love pointing out all the amazing things the person I talk to have accomplished, to arouse their enthusiasm. I feed off that energy of rising enthusiasm and love spreading positivity.

BUT they don’t really work on me, and I know that I’m not the only one. Finding motivation isn’t as easy as reading a powerful quote or watching an inspiring video. It’s not. Motivation is something that comes from within. You’re the one who has to change your thinking, you’re the one who has to kind of snap out of it and keep yourself going.

Yes, it’s great to be surrounded with positive and inspiring people who help you maintain your focus. The thing is, you can’t get motivation from someone else. You have to find it within yourself.

5 THINGS TO FOCUS ON WHEN YOU’VE LOST YOUR MOTIVATION

BE PREPARED TO DO THE WORK

Oh wow. How motivating, right?

Well, I’m just being honest. Think about it. If accomplishing goals and dreams and fulfilling plans or staying disciplined was easy, we’d all be living out our dream lives. A lot of people will tell you to just stay positive and happy and raise your vibes and it’ll all work out. While those things are important, they will get you nowhere unless you’re prepared to do the work.

I’m not saying this to discourage you, I’m saying this to prepare you. When you put yourself in that mindset and realize that things won’t always come easy, you prepare yourself for potential obstacles, setbacks or small failures and, well…  the hard work.

HYPE YOURSELF UP + DECLUTTER + SIMPLIFY

Surround yourself with positive people, interesting books, and everything that you find inspiring. If something doesn’t make you feel good to get rid of it; unfollow negative people on social media. Some of us are lucky to have a positive outlook on life, no matter what the circumstances are. On the other hand, some of us often feel like we have to put ourselves in a good mood and it sometimes feels forced. And that doesn’t feel good. This is why surrounding yourself with things you love, things and people who make you happy is important; when you feel down and uninspired, you’ll find it easier to snap out of it.

Whenever I sit down to write or do a task I dread, I kind of hype myself up first. I make myself feel good. Read a chapter or two of a good book, meditate, drink a cup of my favorite tea- whatever it takes to lift up my energy. After that, writing comes easier, and work doesn’t seem as dreadful.

Another thing to remember is something I already mentioned in this post; simplify and declutter. Get rid of all the junk, the clutter on your desk, the mess in your closet, clean out your purse from old receipts, old mail, recycle old magazines, make your bed, make sure your sink is clean and your laundry is done.

SET SMALL GOALS + KEEP TRACK OF YOUR PROGRESS

We all have big goals and dreams. Some of us want to change careers, to start a business, get fit, some dream of buying a house, maybe your dream is to start a family. When you feel uninspired, it’s easy to take a look at your goals in life and think “I’m never going to get there“. This is why it’s so important that you set small goals. Ask yourself “what can I do today, that will bring me closer to living the life I dream of?”

By setting those small goals, you will feel more encouraged, you won’t look at this big mountain and think of ways to climb it; you’ll actually be taking small steps, every day (as long as you stay on track) and will get closer to the top. There’s another benefit to setting small goals: you get to look back and see just how far you’ve come. Make a list and keep track of your progress, take a look back and look at all the things you’ve overcome, things you accomplished. If your work is of creative nature, you can save some pieces of your art, photos or texts and keep them all in a notebook so that you can monitor your progress. Then, on days when you do feel unmotivated, you can look through your notes and see that you’re not standing still, that you’re getting where you want to be. One step at a time.

Also, see:

• 7 Habits to Quit to Be More Successful 
• Life-Changing Morning Rituals
• How to Love Mondays
• Morning Affirmations to Start Your Day

“WHY”?

I talk a lot about how running this blog changed my life. How it helped me find a passion for things I never knew I had a passion for, how much excitement, fun and growth it brought to my life- these are a few things that my office job often lacks. But what I probably never told you, is how many times I wanted to close down this blog. It’s not easy to admit, but it’s true. I sometimes think to myself that it’s pointless or I have these random thoughts of “what are you doing? you’re running a blog, like wtf?” I notice these patterns more and more often. As your blog grows, people have a lot of expectations. The more people read it, the more are willing to point out your mistakes and just the thought of tens of thousands of people reading your blog every week, is a little frightening. Yes, it’s exciting, but it also gives me anxiety.

On those days, I think of my “why“. Why DO I do it? I think of how much fun I’m having and I think of You. I think of how many emails and comments I get that often make me tear up and smile, how many times I hear that my posts are helpful, I think of all the wonderful people I got to know. I’m the girl who grew up thinking she’ll never be good at anything, never feeling good enough. Now I have people call my posts “inspiring“, which, by the way, I still think sounds a bit insane to me.

That is my “why.”

What’s yours? Think about it. You have goals and dreams. Who do you want to make proud? Your “why” is the reason you’re willing to put in that hard work, it’s the reason why you have goals in the first place. If one of your goals is to get fit, it’s probably because you want to feel better, have more energy, you want to be stronger, you want your clothes to fit better. Whatever your “why” is, write it down. Sometimes, all it takes to feel motivated again is realizing that you’re doing this for a reason.

TAKE A BREAK

This is another thing I mentioned in a previous post. It’s okay to feel uninspired sometimes. If you really don’t feel like it, don’t force yourself to do the work. We all have those days when everything seems hopeless. Allow yourself to take a break, to pause, to stop, to practice a little self-care, to slow down. It’s okay.

BUT at the same time, don’t use the “bad day” excuse too often. Don’t make it a habit and don’t make excuses every single day. If you always put everything off until “tomorrow” that “tomorrow” might never arrive.

Those good days you have? Days when you’re full of energy and inspiration? Milk them. Write down ideas, your thoughts, your plans. Get a notebook and write everything down- use that as a way to prepare yourself for those days when you feel lost or uninspired.

How do you stay motivated?