Where Did My Motivation Go?
Stress. Fatigue. Burnout. Judgement. Overwhelm.
Anyone else feeling it?! You are not alone, my friend. These things mentioned above can really mess with our motivation. And I'm not just talking about being motivated to create a new business or write your opus magnum. I'm talking about just getting out our pajamas and into workout clothes or not snapping at our partner because they didn't ___ you fill in the blank ;)
Like this ancient olive tree grove in Mallorca Spain, we are being molded by our environment and it's f'ing uncomfortable and gnarly (just like this tree's trunk). But, this is what makes the olive tree produce amazing fruit: the elements, the soil, the sun, it utilizes all the tools available to grow strong despite the external environment. And we have those tools also to grow and find that motivation again. Motivation to move forward (even if it's falling on our face), we owe it to ourselves, our family and our community.
Here are some tools:
Tool #1: What are you consuming? Stop it with the news. Listen to motivating voices: positive podcasts and online community/groups, a funny friend, a spiritual leader, or a book on self-development.
Tool #2: Ambition and Action. Ambition (the desire for more peace, success, abundance, harmony, joy, connection, you get the point) and action trigger motivation. When these are removed, motivation dwindles. A great way to get this going is a morning routine. First thing in the morning, visualize your ideal future, your dreams, your goals. And then take one or two small actions each day toward that goal/dream: write the email, make the phone call, google the thing. Thinking about the future is what sets humans apart from animals. Our mind, our human drive needs that connection to the future.
Tool #3: Daily Acknowledgement. When we don't feel appreciated, we lose our motivation. Acknowledgement fuels motivation. So be generous with your appreciation of others: your team, your spouse, your kids, your family, your friends. In times of uncertainty, this is needed to an even greater degree. And guess what, when we acknowledge others, we feel better about ourselves. And when we feel better about ourselves, we create space to find our motivation.
Tool #4: Self Care. You didn't think I'd write an entire email and not talk about optimizing health to get motivated, did you? ;) Lack of sleep, being sedentary, and eating crap has a direct effect on our motivation. When we don't prioritize these 3 things, our bodies cannot function well, we don't produce the dopamine and serotonin we need and this has negative neurobiological effects: brain fog, unmotivated, irritated, tired, overall sense of not feeling well. When we don't feel well, we don't feel motivated. Get the rest you need, the exercise you enjoy and the food that will nourish your gut and brain!
