Gaining Motivation
From time to time, most of us will discover ourselves in a routine of blah and disinterest. We seem to misplace our zeal for life and feel fatigued, irritable and unmotivated. We want to scurry under the blankets rather than facing the day. Perhaps you’re feeling exasperated by your job, or sad about the pain in the world, or just bored with the routine of your daily life.You’re not the only person to go through this. Most of us go through periods similar to this at times. The great news is that we can do something about it. Here is some advice to help you explode out of the rut and feel inspired about your life again.
Become inspired – Read an article that’s motivational, inspirational or uplifting. Look at some captivating nature photos, or read something humorous. Make an effort to move your thoughts to a more positive place. Focusing on nothing but the grindstone and our daily tasks in life can leave us feeling fairly uninspired. It’s easy to turn it around if we want to. We simply have to seek out things that will lift our spirits and our moods. Make an effort to smile, be happy, joyful, and lighthearted each day. Don’t wait for motivation to come knocking on your door, go out and discover it, or create it. Picture some funny or emotional memories. Write them in a diary so you can return and read them when you are feeling blue.
Take a rest period – Extended stress can erode us away and zap any vigor we once had. Before doing anything else, take a few minutes to focus and just be. Vacate your mind of all stress and worry. This takes practice, but don’t give up! As thoughts enter into your focus, gently push them back out and continue to keep your mind empty and calm. Take slow, deep breaths and let all of your muscles relax. Sit quietly and recharge your batteries. Try to make time for this daily, or even twice daily, morning and evening. We need quiet time as much as we need anything else in life. Provide yourself the gift of internal relaxation.
Get excited – Think about the things you have scheduled for the day, and re-stoke the passion you once felt for them. When we first begin a new project, or begin a new job, we are excited about the possibilities and anxious to get moving. Eventually, we can lose that drive for a plethora of reasons. Revert back in time for a second, and think about what got you so jazzed up at the beginning. What caused your heart to beat a little faster? Recapture that feeling and hang onto it! Even if your chores aren’t anything to be really passionate about, at least think of some reasons to doing them. For example, list the ways they will help your kids, your wife, yourself, your job or your house. Identify the reward, and focus on that. Even simple tasks have some benefits. At times it’s just a matter of switching our mindset to see the positive aspect.
Care for your body – Sometimes our feelings of exhaustion are due to physical deficiencies, not mental. Be certain you are getting enough rest, eating food that nourishes your body, drinking enough water, getting proper exercise, etc. Especially when we’re very busy, we tend to grab the fastest, easiest meals, which are not usually the best options for our bodies. Eating a bunch of highly processed foods and sugars is like putting contaminated fuel into our cars. In order for our cars to run efficiently, we have to maintain them properly, and so it is with our bodies as well.
Baby steps – Sometimes the most difficult part is actually getting going. A task seems so enormous that we cringe at the thought of all that time and effort we will have to expend. As opposed to overwhelming yourself, start small. Set a timer for a few minutes and just start working. Allow yourself to stop after 15 minutes if you really want to. But most often, once we actually start working on something, we won’t want to quit. Do not focus on the big picture, look at the smaller details and knock them down one at a time. Any large project seems manageable once we break it down into smaller steps.
Lastly, don’t forget to reward yourself from time to time, and be gentle with yourself! There will always be things that have to be done. But some of us take on way more than we can manage, and our lives turn into a pit of drudgery because of it. Try to eliminate the items that really don’t bring you joy, or at least minimize the effort you spend on them. Complete what you are able to, and let the rest go. Or ask for help. Don’t feel you have to do everything yourself.
Don’t forget that self motivation is something we choose. We may need to provide ourselves a little help at the onset, but once we get into the proper frame of mind, it’s easy to remain there if we opt to.
Steve Larsen currently lives in Memphis, TN by way of Seattle, WA. He participates in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and has always wrestled. Five years ago he decided to change up his lifestyle and got into the basics of exercise and diet, which are the two most important components if you want to change your health and appearance. If you have a question like should I take creatine or are curious about taking creatine, the site Does Creatine Help? has all the information you could want.
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