How much time have you spent today thinking about how unmotivated, and quite frankly, “crap” you feel?

Psychologists call it having a low level of self-efficacy, which is an individual’s belief in their ability to achieve. And, naturally, if we only expect negative outcomes and bad results from our actions, it’s easy to see why we choose not to bother in the first place. Sometimes being unmotivated is just “meh” and sometimes it’s the deepest, darkest corner of hell. Either way, this is when “overwhelm” takes over your entire life - when there’s no motivation to do anything but there’s EVERYTHING to do.

Hey, we’ve all been there. Honestly, it hits everyone from time to time, from the tired med student to the highly effective executive.

Maybe you’ve been doing everything right so far, maybe you haven’t; either way you’re not feeling it. Thing is, losing motivation is instructional. It’s your subconscious mind giving you hints that something is off. Maybe you don’t value yourself and indulge in negative self-talk such as “I’ve never been great at anything”.  Or, maybe your environment isn’t supportive; you could be working unsociable hours that leave you knackered by the time the clocking-out bell rings. Or, maybe your lifestyle is not fuelling your workload and you simply can’t spend another evening on your side hustle.

There are many reasons why each one of us experience loss of motivation and it’s not hard to recognise the specifics. The trick is to know your why, and change it up.

We all need motivation to go forward in what we call our “life project”. It makes us feel involved, masterful and significant.

So, how do you kick butt again?

• Find inspiration. There are others who have achieved what you want to achieve. Read blogs, books and magazines on success stories.
• Don’t compare yourself to others, just don’t. Perfection is a myth fuelled by social media.
• Be accountable. Share your deadlines with somebody who will slap you hard if you don’t meet them.
• Start small, really small, but just start. Action is everything, any action, no matter how small, will build momentum.
• Focus on one goal. Trying to accomplish too many goals will leave you with no sense of accomplishment. Choose one and focus on that; you can always get to the other goals when you’ve accomplished “The One”.
• Get healthy. If you’re a physical wreck it’s impossible to stay motivated. So, eat healthy, sleep enough, exercise – repeat, repeat, repeat.
• Notice the positives in your life that are there already. Acknowledge that you’ve been doing a lot of the right things; you’ll get there but it will take more work.

Replace the “This is too hard!” mindset with “I can do this!”  I know, it sounds corny, but it works.

Think about it; if you stop procrastinating about the climb and think more about how glorious the view from the top will be, life will become much easier.

Have a good one!

Source: howtokickbutt.com, sweatshedgym.com, pickthebrain.com, x-team.com, startupbros.com, zenhabits.net, pushfar.com, lorensworld.com, linkedin.com, trainingmag.com

DISCLAIMER: The information on this website is for educational purposes only, and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you are experiencing symptoms or need health advice, please consult a healthcare professional.