How to Stay Motivated When You're Not Quite Feeling It
Image of art by Peter Tunney
Everyone knows how important motivation is when trying to achieve a goal. Motivation is what ignites the journey from taking an idea or a concept, and turning it into something tangible. Through motivation, we set and follow action plans; we troubleshoot, sometimes fail, and try again. The motivation keeps us going, even when things get tough. Our success is driven by our motivation, but getting and staying motivated is not always easy.
To say that these last 14 months have been challenging is an understatement. We are all confronting and processing a lot. The coronavirus, systematic racism, mass shootings, and now, the covid vaccination rollout (and pauses). To be honest, I don’t know anyone who isn't feeling emotionally exhausted at this point. Burnout is real. So how does a person stay motivated and engaged in times of adversity? Here are some steps you can take:
Start Small, but Get Moving: I love a good task list, not only because it ensures that projects don’t fall through the cracks, but it also keeps my projects in motion. Momentum is everything. If you’re a runner, you might have heard that “it doesn’t matter how fast or slow you go, just keep moving forward.” Every step matters, and every action will get you a little bit closer to the finish line. Maybe you’re not feeling motivated to put in an hour of time on a project today, but can you put in 15 minutes? Set a reminder and, when the time comes, knock out 15 minutes of work and see how you feel. I often find that once I get going, I’ll get into a groove, and those 15 minutes quickly turn into an hour. Newton was right when he said that, “an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.” Sometimes, you’ve just got to get moving and catch that inertia!
Seek Out an Opportunity to Learn: You might be wondering why you would seek out a new opportunity if you’re already feeling a lack of motivation, but sometimes, a good challenge is just the thing to ignite that spark! Think about a problem that you want to solve or question that you have. Maybe take some time to think about a new service offering that would be a great benefit to your clients. How can you take that idea and turn it into a service? What information do you need to learn? Who do you need to speak with? What are the potential roadblocks? A pet project can be great for getting you back into that creative, problem-solving mindset.
Be Kind to Yourself: Understand that although we’ve been living in these current conditions for over a year, these are not normal times. If you are feeling stressed out, anxious, or mentally drained, you are not alone and you are reacting appropriately given the situation. If you need a break, take a break. Take a walk outside or call a friend just to chat. Remember those key happiness factors and prioritize actions that will bring you joy and leave you feeling refreshed. Give yourself time to recharge and you will begin to make space for the motivation to come into fruition, once you’re feeling mentally ready to get back to work.
Seek Out Inspiration: The great thing about the digital world is that there is an abundance of content and knowledge at our fingertips at all times. When I need some motivation, I like to turn to podcasts, or my favorite social media platform, Twitter. The amazing thing about Twitter is that there are so many brilliant people sharing their insights and knowledge. Lately it seems that everytime I open the app, I get a little spark of motivation, and sometimes a major “ah-ha” moment. I’ll leave you with a few tweets that resonated with me and I hope you continue to feel motivated in your journey in your career and in life!
A little inspiration...
@sweatystartup: Business isn’t about who you know. It’s about momentum. Impress someone in a small way and you’ll get a bigger opportunity later. What you’re doing right now will look nothing like what you’re doing 10 years from now if you’re doing it right.
@JamesClear: We need to redefine “hard work” to include “hard thinking”. The person who outsmarts you is out working you. The person who finds a shortcut is out working you. The person with a better strategy is out working you. Usually, the hardest work is thinking of a better way to do it.
@mkobach: The older you get, the more you realize that much of the world was built by people no more remarkable than you. The bar isn’t as high as you think.
