So you’re not feeling very motivated lately…I get it.
You started off with BIG plans. You set the goals and you know exactly what you “should” be doing…
But you’re just NOT doing it!
When you know what you should be doing to reach your goals but you’re not doing it, that’s a clear sign that it’s time to refocus on what’s most important to you.
If you’re feeling like you’ve completely fallen off the wagon, you’re not alone!
It’s only natural for you to start something super excited, motivated and inspired. Then as time passes, your motivation starts to plummet, whoomp whoomp!
My motivation has let me down more times than I can count when working on things that take long periods of time to materialize and produce results.
Losing your motivation isn’t the problem here, it’s getting back on track that is the challenge! Have you ever noticed how fast you can slip into a slump and then how long it can take you to get out of one? If only you can get out of a slump as fast as you slipped in one right?!
…But it doesn’t tend to work out that way.
To make steady progress and eventually get the results that you want, you have to be aware of potential pitfalls when it comes to relying on your internal “motivation” to achieve your goals. There will be times when you’re working on something meaningful and struggle to feel motivated every day to make progress. However, I have a few strategies that will help you keep pushing when the times get tough so that you can reach your goals.
Here’s what to do when you lose motivation:
1. STAY 100% COMMITTED
To make lasting and meaningful change in your life, you must stay committed to your goals. You know what you want and you don’t have to settle in any area of your life. If your vision isn’t materializing fast enough and you’re feeling discouraged due to slow progress, recommit to your goals. If you have to, change your strategies but never change your goal. If you’ve got a plan B for “backup”, it’s time to chuck it and commit to what you want most.
2. FORGET ABOUT “MOTIVATION”
One of the worst things you can do when you’re not feeling motivated is sit around and wait for motivation to take action. Let me tell you, it will fail you! There will be times when you won’t feel like doing what it takes to get results but that doesn’t mean you get a free pass from taking action!
Motivation is something you can’t count on because it comes and goes like the wind. Just like inspiration, you’ve got it one day and the next day, poof– it’s gone! So it’s not something you want to wait for to take action. Some people wait all week, all month and all year long for motivation–and guess what? They make little to no progress. When they look back they’ve accomplished nothing worthwhile because they sat around and waited for “motivation”. You’re better than that! Your mission, purpose and vision for your life is big enough for you to see the full picture.
I love this quote by Marie Forleo:
“Losers Wait for Motivation.
Winners Get Shit Done.”
3. TAKE SMALL STEPS EVERY DAY
When you’re not feeling motivated to do the work, chances are that you have something in you to take action–even if it’s small action. You’ve gotta keep your momentum steady. That means you must take action and make progress every day (maybe not every, single day but most days!) You don’t have to take massive action all of the time to see results.
The key here is to take small steps each day that will add up to big wins. I know sometimes things progress feels slowww but if you’re taking consistent action, you’re going somewhere!
Even though you don’t want to wait for motivation and inspiration to strike, when they do, take advantage of it quickly because inspiration is perishable! There’s nothing like taking inspired action because it will amplify your productivity. When you’re excited about taking action, take fast action or else it will perish!
In the book “Rework”, David Hansson and Jason Fried said it best…
“Inspiration is like fresh fruit or milk.
It has an expiration date.”
I want to encourage you to keep working for what you want to create in your life. It all starts with you believing in yourself and knowing in your heart that you WILL in fact achieve your most ambitious goals.
It’s only a matter of time until you accomplish whatever it is you set out to do.
If you have a bad day, an epic fail or feel discouraged, don’t let it derail you into a slump. Start fresh the next day. You’ll accomplish amazing things if you can just take small action each day. It will make all the difference in your success.
You can make it happen,
