Being unmotivated in work and life can be depressing and frustrating, not to mention it puts you at risk of losing out on opportunities. But there is good news.
You can overcome your lack of drive and get back the fire you used to have. Let’s look in more detail what motivation is and the signs to look out for when motivation is low.
What Is Motivation?
Motivation is one of those terms that people use interchangeably and often incorrectly.
In fact, there are numerous types of motivation, and each type plays a different role in our lives. Some types include:
• Passion – This is the most common form of motivation. People who are passionate about what they do tend to enjoy doing it. They love what they do, and they want to make sure other people share their enthusiasm.
• Excitement – When we experience excitement, we feel energized. We want to move forward because we know that whatever we do next will bring us closer to achieving our goals.
• Pain – If we don’t achieve our goals, we suffer some sort of pain. We might feel disappointed, frustrated, or even angry. These emotions motivate us to act because we know that if we don’t, we’ll continue to feel pain.
• Fear – Sometimes, we aren’t afraid of anything. But sometimes, we are afraid of losing something important to us. We try to avoid this situation by taking action.
• Desire – We usually think about things we want to accomplish. We want to improve ourselves. We want to learn how to play guitar. We want to buy a house. We want to write a book. And we want to travel.
• Love – We want to spend time with someone special. We want to help others. We want to see our children grow up. We want to take care of our parents.
Identifying Reasons
Feeling unmotivated can be difficult to explain because there are so many different reasons why we might feel this way.
In fact, there are so many possible causes that it can be hard to pinpoint exactly what’s causing you to feel uninspired.
But here are some common issues that could be contributing to your lack of motivation.
If you’re struggling to find the energy to do something, it could be due to stress. If you’ve had a stressful day, chances are you won’t want to go home and start working on your projects.
Instead, you’ll probably just sit down and watch TV or play video games. This isn’t necessarily a good thing.
Studies show that people who experience chronic stress tend to be less productive overall.
Another reason you might not be motivated is you might be experiencing a mental block.
For example, you might think about how long it takes to complete certain tasks, or you might worry about whether you’ll ever accomplish your goals.
These types of thoughts can make it really tough to move forward.
Finally, you might be experiencing negative emotions. Whatever your situation, making sure you’re happy and healthy is important.
If you’re having trouble dealing with your feelings, talk to someone. Therapy is one of the best ways to deal with these kinds of problems.
How To Overcome It?
If you don’t know what your purpose is, it might seem like there’s no way out. You’re stuck, unable to move forward, feeling lost.
If this sounds familiar, it could be because you’ve experienced a lack of motivation before. But here’s some good news: you can overcome a lack of motivation. In fact, you already do every day.
Here are eight proven ways to overcome a lack of motivation…
1. Understand Why You Want To Do Something
You must understand your reasons behind wanting to accomplish something before you can achieve anything.
If you don’t know your “why,” you’ll never find true motivation. You’ll always feel like you’re working toward something without knowing exactly what that goal is. So figure out your why.
Write down the answer to this question: “Why am I doing X?” Then ask yourself again later today.
This simple process will help you see where you want to go, and how far you want to travel.
2. Get Clear About Your Goals
Once you know why, you can start setting goals. Set small goals along the way, too.
For example, maybe one of your goals is to lose weight. Start off by aiming to lose a few pounds.
Once you reach that goal, set another one. Keep moving forward. Don’t stop until you reach your ultimate destination.
3. Make Sure You Have Support From Others
When you’re motivated, you tend to surround yourself with people who support you.
When you’re unmotivated, though, you often isolate yourself or spend time with the wrong people. People around you might tell you that you’re being unrealistic about your goals.
They might even try to talk you out of your dreams. Instead of listening to others’ negativity, listen to positive reinforcement.
Find someone who believes in you and supports you. Ask them to give you feedback about your progress.
4. Take Action
When you’re motivated, you take action. You put things into motion. When you’re unmotivated you procrastinate.
Procrastination is a big problem for many people. It causes stress, anxiety, and frustration. The more time you spend thinking about your goals, the less likely you are to actually act on them.
So if you want to overcome a lack of desire, just get started!
5. Focus On What You Can Control
It’s easy to focus on all the things we can’t control. We worry about our health, money, relationships, and so much more.
But when you focus on what you can control, you become more productive. That means focusing on the things you have power over.
For example, if you want to work out, make sure you eat right. If you want to lose weight, make sure you exercise regularly.
If you want to improve your relationship, make sure you communicate well.
6. Be Realistic With Yourself
It’s easy to think you can do something when you really can’t. But if you’re realistic with yourself, you won’t waste energy trying to do something that’s impossible.
Instead, you’ll use your energy to focus on the things you CAN do.
Conclusion
Motivation is an important part of life. Without it, we’d probably never leave our homes or accomplish any of the amazing feats we do.
Motivation comes from within us, but sometimes we need outside sources to spark our interest.
By understanding what causes lack of motivation we can take steps to ensure we stay motivated as much as possible.
Hi, we are Ben Easter and Paige Stephens-Easter, and we have been married for 10 years. Together, we have immersed ourselves in the world of personal development, with our full-time business - Lucid Shift Coaching.
We believe that mental health and mindfulness are the most important things in a relationship, and we need to cherish these things in order to be the best versions of ourselves.
Our core values include Play, Growth, Connection, Collaboration, and Authenticity. These apply to our work, relationship, and all areas of our lives where we want to see improvement.
Please enjoy our website and learn more about personal development through mindfulness, nurturing your mental health, and more.
