How to Get Motivated When You Don't Feel Like It --
How Being "Stuck at Home" Has Limited Us to More Than Just Our Physical Location
Today, I want to talk to you about motivation. This can be a tricky topic to discuss, because it’s such a contradictory concept. No one goes around saying, “you know... I really need LESS motivation.” It’s more common to hear people say, “I really need to get moving, but I can’t seem to find the motivation.” And therein lies the contradiction; while we all acknowledge we need more motivation, we still often find ourselves sitting in the driver’s seat, unable to start the engine.
There are many theories and techniques that have been developed to help people "find" the motivation to achieve goals. The thought that we have to search somewhere outside of ourselves for motivation seems counterproductive because motivation isn’t found... it’s created. With that said, this post is meant to help you take the blinders of social isolation off and start rebuilding your own motivation, even amidst challenging times.
To begin, I challenge you to the Nine Dot Puzzle. Click the image below for a full size version.
If you need help with solving the puzzle, click on the box in the above image that says "solutions". Once you see the answers, it begs the question, “why couldn’t I see this before?”
Throughout this wild experience, I have often heard clients, friends, and family express the difficulty in motivating themselves to do more, or to be more active. Even I have experienced less motivation to do things I was, (prior to staying at home), doing on a daily basis. Of course, there’s a high level of stress due to these unprecedented circumstances that cannot be ignored. Now more than ever, we must be motivated to practice habits that lead to strength and resiliency. Something about being “stuck” inside our homes has created a mental block in both motivation and creativity. It seems as if we have put mental constraints on ourselves ever since the isolation and social distancing began. Sometimes, the biggest barrier to our success is ourselves. So today, I encourage you to open your eyes, take a deep breath, and think outside the box.
Start small. All it takes to light a flame is one good spark. Your last challenge is to answer the question, “what is ONE THING I can do today that will start to rebuild my motivation?”
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