I Haven't Been Feeling Motivated Lately…

I’m going to be real with you… I haven’t been feeling very motivated lately. 

I’ve been taking my time getting up and out of bed, not feeling up for a workout and dragging myself into the gym, spending more time than usual on my phone doing nothing important, delaying getting into a cold shower even though I know it’s inevitable, and generally going about things with a slower pace to my day. 

I’ve even noticed that I’ve been criticizing myself for it, trying to tell myself to get over how I feel and take action in the ways I know are best for me. And I’m finding out that’s easier said than done! Yes, even Mr. Self Improvement has some bad days and weeks.

Even though I’ve still been getting everything done, it’s not the energy I want to carry into my life, and that’s an indicator for me to work on changing it.  I’m clear on what I want - to be an unstoppable and inspired high performer - and I figured it might be helpful to share some of the things that are working for me so that you too can get yourself out of a funk the next time you find yourself in one.

First, I wanted to understand the conditions around me that might be causing me to feel unmotivated. Upon reflection I uncovered some obvious factors. To start, I’ve been traveling a lot recently with lots of early flights, and for that reason I have not been getting enough sleep or being as consistent with my morning routine as I usually am. Of course I’m not as on top of things when I don’t have the energy for it. 

Also, I realized that I’ve taken on a lot recently and have more on my plate than I used to, making me feel more overwhelmed and stretched than usual. It’s ironic because I have more to do and less time to do it, yet I’ve been more time wasteful. I’m finding that my unconscious response to being ‘overloaded’ is to shut down, and that’s coming out as a feeling of low motivation.

It’s with this awareness that I can make direct and effective changes. Knowing I’m underslept, I can prioritize my sleep and protect my morning routine and priming. Knowing that I’m stretched beyond capacity, I can be conscious of not saying ‘yes’ to anything else that will add to my plate. Now that I know what’s dripping I can fix the source of the leak.

Put it all together and it has created a powerful shift in me: I have awareness of what’s influencing me to be unmotivated so I can be less self-critical, I have a pathway of action steps that I believe will help me get out of this funk and back to where I want to be, and I have renewed hope that this little fit won’t last too much longer.

It doesn’t serve me to feel bad for myself. I’m genuinely excited about everything in my life and that’s being clouded by the conditions around me! But by taking a few steps forward I can start seeing through the fog and know that I’ll make it to the other side.

If you haven’t been feeling motivated lately, take a look at the things that are different in your world now compared to how they were before, understand how they might be influencing you, and discover your game plan for working through it.

And since I’ve shared some of the details around my process… I’m also happy to share what it looks like in action. It works for me and might give you some ideas!