What To Do When You're Not Motivated
When we first start dreaming up our dreams and taking the first steps toward making them happen we are on CLOUD 9, right? Well what about when the honeymoon phase is over and we’re in the trenches of the mundane day to day tasks of working behind the scenes in order to actually make it happen?
Let me set the scene:
You’re still working a full time job that you’re not super stoked about which means you’re waking up at the crack of dawn and going to bed way after everyone else to pour into this dream of yours.
You’re over it. It just doesn’t seem worth it to you anymore.
Then what do you do?
I came up with 3 things that you can do to help you get your motivation back:
01. Go back to your why.
We hear this line often but that’s because knowing our why is so incredibly powerful. If you know WHY you’re doing what you’re doing then you’re more likely to stick with it on the days where you don’t feel like showing up.
Your why is something that YOU have to determine. The more connected you are to your why, the more impactful it will be in your life.
Maybe you’re pursuing your nursing degree because you want a stable job to provide for your family. Cling to this when your classes get hard and you want to throw in the towel. Maybe you’re starting a business so you can work from home to spend more time with your family. Cling to this when you feel like no one is reading your blog posts or showing up for your Facebook lives.
Figure out your why and keep it at the very front of your heart and mind. Reflect on it hard and often, girlfriend!
02. Make a change.
This is a little bit of tough love but hey, if you’re finding yourself unmotivated day in and day out then maybe you’re not pursuing what you actually want to be pursuing. And that’s totally okay! But you’ve got to be honest with yourself. You’ve got to be okay with making a change if you’re not truly working toward what you want to be working toward. Now I’m not telling you to quit your job tomorrow if it’s not your dream job. What I do suggest is creating a timeline for yourself to hold yourself accountable to actually making a change. I talk more about this strategy in the podcast episode that is linked below!
03. Take a break.
I know this sounds counterintuitive but hear me out. Rest is powerful. Not procrastination but true rest. Giving yourself space/distance from something allows you to change your perspective. It allows you to notice things that you might not otherwise notice. Think about a bird’s eye view - if you are standing on the ground, right over top of something, it looks completely different than if you’re flying 10,000 feet above it, you know?
But here’s the real deal:
We have to be willing to choose determination over motivation. Because there are going to be times that we just don’t feel like showing up. Motivation is fleeting but determination is lasting. Our dreams are worth pursuing even when we don’t feel like it!
If you want to go deeper with this conversation, head on over to episode 004 of The Hustle Sanely Podcast: