Do you often feel like this? Not able to stay motivated, can’t be asked to get off your backside or simply make decisions to get on with your day to day activities? Well! Every now and then I have felt this way. People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing- that’s why we recommend it daily ~Zig Ziglar Quotes.
The most interesting aspect of feeling unmotivated is our ability to find justifications or reasons for not doing things that needs to be done. I find this fascinating and could remember my mother saying to me then that I seem to have an answer for everything. For instance, I might forget to wash up the dishes after dinner. My justification then was mum I have been too busy with my school work knowing fully well that I couldn’t be bothered. I would rather curl up in bed reading one of my favourite novels and hope the house help will do the washing up before my mother returned from work. I just did not at that time seem to find the motivation to wash up after dinner and accomplish other chores.
Here are a few examples of justifications or excuses that are given consciously or unconsciously when not motivated
- I feel so tired today.
- I am too busy or always busy.
- I don’t have time.
- I just can’t be bother would get it all done tomorrow.
- The people over there have such an attitude.
- I don’t have the money right now to make a decision.
- I can’t be bothered; someone else can do that!
The above are just some of the many excuses we may provide when we don’t do what needs doing at the right time in order not to feel too bad about our possible feelings of lack of motivation.
So what makes us feel unmotivated every now and then or all the times? I honestly wish I can provide you with precise answers but I don’t have a clue. However, from the environment I grew up I was told that it’s mere laziness, lack of focus, or simply a human thing in the sense that it’s normal to feel unmotivated. However when it starts to affect our day to day activities and perhaps our ambitions than it becomes a hindrance!
For the purpose of this post to stay motivated means you already have that zeal ,desire in you to accomplish whatever it is you are looking to do but in between that times you either completely abandon your project/task or simply keep going back and forth over a long period without seeing any changes. A typical example can be going to the gym, you had started but stopped or your attendance soundly becomes sporadic.
Tips to stay Motivated
1, General Well being :Remember…. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs ? It says human needs organize themselves in hierarchies from our basic needs such as food, sleep, sex, water to Problem solving. That is to say, the manifestation of ones need usually rests on the prior fulfilment of another. This is where our overall well being both mentally and physically takes precedence here for motivation to be effective.
2, Establish a Reason(s): If you want to reach a goal, you must “Visualize the reaching” in your own mind before you actually arrive at your goal~ Zig Ziglar Quote. In laymans words it’s important to establish a goal(s )with a Big Why and most importantly have a projection of reaching it!
3,Organisation : Lack of organisation could be classified as one of the major obstacles or barriers here as it could easily derail and take the person off track .Establish how best to organise your goals around your life style(s). Check out this awesome post on How to organize your life. Remember You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win.Zig Ziglar quotes.
4, Inspirations: From my own experience inspiration simply helps to keep the momentum going. Some of the best modes of approach and ways to go about this to seek people who have achieved whatever it is you hope to accomplish and learn from them. This you could do by reading blogs, attending seminars, connecting and building your spiritual side or Finding a Mentor.
5, Enjoy: Here try to think or imagine the theory of pain and pleasure. One concept is associated with negativity and the other precept with positivity. I am 99.9% sure that most people out there will choose pleasure over pain;so why not make this whole experience of motivation enjoyable! For instance if you need to clean up the house but just can’t find the motivation why not try and make a head start by fishing out some of your favourite music. Or if you need to meet up with your business partner but feel too tired to drive why not jump on the train and catch a nap on your way. We just need to be creative to make it all a pleasurable experience!
6,Give yourself a Pat on the back. 
28. February 2010 at 6:33 pm
Fatima,
I needed an article like this one. Your informative post has motivated me to say something via this comment form.
Thanks.
1. March 2010 at 10:10 am
Hehehe…. Awesome eyewitness thanks for dropping in …don’t we all need motivation from time to time .
1. March 2010 at 11:29 am
Fatima, I needed to read this too! There are some days when I just do not have any motivation to do much of anything. Thanks for sharing these great tips! Now I feel more motivated to get through my day!
1. March 2010 at 12:44 pm
You are so right! Great tips and post!
It is so difficult to stay motivated with anything. I think you mentioned this before, but I try to work in baby steps. If it’s a diet, I don’t worry about the long term goal, which may get overwhelming and cause me to lose motivation. I just try to focus on calories, healthy food and exercise for one day. Then I do the same for the next and so on. As each day passes it gets easier and easier, although it’s never actually easy! But what really is??
Your site was one of the ones we gave props to with our post today. Enjoy!
1. March 2010 at 12:48 pm
Hi Fatima! What a great list – and who among us doesn’t need something to jump start our attitudes from time to time? I often have lists of things to scan – I’ll pick doing whatever suits my mood or energy level just to get going. Once I’m rolling, it’s all good!
1. March 2010 at 2:46 pm
We are all driven by the why’s of life. What we need to do is established passionate whys to ours big dreams. And the rest will take care of itself.
1. March 2010 at 4:47 pm
And read the book the Secret over and over again, as I do..this is a great article and reason to get motivated….
Dorothy from grammology
grammology.com
2. March 2010 at 1:36 am
Nice post Fatibony. I like how you started this post with the example of you not being able to wash the dishes when your mother told you so, and then transitioned into your tips to staying motivated. Like tip 4, I think being inspired by someone is also very important. Their work ethic can sometimes give us that extra push to finish the tasks that we have in our daily routine.
2. March 2010 at 8:38 am
I think enjoyment is the key. Some people force themselves to do things all the time, and accomplish a lot, but they get no pleasure out of it. Others are basically lazy, but when they set their hand to a task, they always make it fun. I think what’s essential is to develop confidence in one’s capacity to turn even the dullest, most mundane chores into a source of delight. Whatever I have to do, I always try to do it with a smile on my face and a song in my heart. Knowing I have this power makes it easier to do what I have to do.
2. March 2010 at 10:14 am
Dear Fatima I love this post and will be visiting it again and again
2. March 2010 at 10:48 pm
Hi Fatima, so great that you put general well-being at the top. I used to work in a high-stress environment for a social justice non-profit and many of the people who worked there would overwork themselves. It’s a temptation to work through lunch, eat poorly, get little sleep when we’re completely motivated and it’s easy to slip into a pattern of being unkind to our bodies. This can lead to burnout, a surefire way to lose motivation. Thanks for this helpful post.
3. March 2010 at 11:51 am
Thanks @Casia its soo nice to see you drop in again.
@One of The Guys , Hey thanks for the Props, just been over to express my gratitude . And yes! baby steps I find can be magical the key is consistency.
@Hulbert thanks for noting… finding inspiration from others …. I feel not much is new on the face of this planet, most of what we aspire towards have been done successfully by others. So why not learn from them?
@Suzen thanks and here is one of my favourite tunes ,it instantly lifts my mood . you can .check it out here Stomp you may like it …
@Jonathan I agree with you and thanks for highlighting the need for Passion……. Don’t ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive. ~Attributed to Howard Thurman.
@ NP you are Awesome and this shows in your comment . I quote you …… “I always try to do it with a smile on my face and a song in my heart. Knowing I have this power makes it easier to do what I have to do.â€â€¦â€¦â€¦ I hope we all acknowledge these powers within ourselves which can help make our life’s easier.
@ Dorothy , I had also watched The Secret over and over again thanks for dropping in.
Oh @Belinda thanks for spotting General wellbeing , as we all know health is wealth . We must all look after our general well being …..100%
@Anita thanks, a lot look forward to seeing you around.
4. March 2010 at 3:58 am
Great tips! Motivation from external environment would not last long. Motivation must come from within and I usually find motivation comes from doing what we are supposed to do. That is where procrastination comes into play. The best way to beat procrastination for me is always from getting into action.
4. March 2010 at 6:52 am
Thanks BK I agree motivation must come from within, hopefully my previous post on procrastination will shed more light on this area for those who need it . Thanks once again for your lovely contribution .
5. March 2010 at 9:06 am
Very insightful post!
There is a thin line between motivation and procrastination, because if one loses the motivation to instigate meaningful action in life, there is then a danger of one being consumed by procrastination.
The simple solution is to find something that you love doing and will keep motivated for. This will hopefully help with motivation issues in other less liked activities.
6. March 2010 at 3:20 pm
Thanks Jason for this awesome contribution