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| 7 Ways to Get Out of Your Slump and Get Motivated Today Posted: 01 Sep 2012 05:00 AM PDT
You're not alone. I can't tell you how many people I've run into recently who just plain didn't want to go back to work. Maybe you had the luxury of a few days off for a summer holiday, and now you want more. And while you may love what you do, there's something stopping you from really getting back in the swing of things. You're uninspired. Unmotivated. Gloomy, even. Unfortunately for most of us, we don't get to take all summer off. And for us creative folks, it's bad for business to be in a motivational low for the next month or two. So how do you go about getting motivated when you feel anything but? Here are seven ways I've found have helped me get reenergized over the years: Do less. Leo Babauta from Zenhabits is a big fan of doing less, and you should be too. That's because if you're involved in too many things, you're naturally going to put less effort into everything you're doing. And it's completely normal to feel unmotivated to do something that you can't put your heart fully into. Doing less takes the stress off carrying the world on your shoulders, and allows you to focus on a few things you're really excited about.
Keep your momentum. When you do something consistently, it's sheer momentum that will often give you the motivation to continue. So if you're a writer, write nearly every day. If you're trying to form an exercise habit, make a weekly workout schedule and stick to it. If you're an entrepreneur, do something to move your business forward every single day. It's good to take time off every once in a while, but taking too much time off diminishes the habit you've formed and will leave you feeling indifferent toward your work. Get inspired. When you can't seem to muster up motivation from the inside, it's time to look outside. Reach for your favorite inspiring book, read some motivational quotes, or check out a few new blogs that interest you. Encouraging words from an outside source may be just what you need to get the ball rolling again. Make a mantra. It may seem silly, but there's something about creating a mantra for yourself that helps keep you on track. You can create one mantra or slogan you'll stick with your entire life, such as "value your time," or tailor your mantra to your current life phase to help keep you motivated to move forward. When I was struggling to believe I could actually write for a living, my mantra was "I am a writer." That little phrase kept me going even I wanted to give up all hope. Remember the 'why.' When all else fails, think back to the original reason you started doing what you're doing. Why did you become a writer? A designer? An entrepreneur? Why did you want to start eating healthier? Exercising more? Think back to why you started it all—and how excited and motivated you were at the time. Do your original reasons still ring true? If not, it might be time to move on and try something else. If so, you may just have found the energy to keep going. Get outside. There's something about being out in nature that can incite motivation even in the most unmotivated people. Maybe it's the sheer vastness of the outside world that humbles us and reminds us that we're just a tiny piece of this big puzzle. Whatever the reason, taking a walk, going for a hike, or getting out in the sunshine can have big motivational effects. Know your time is short. We're all only given a short amount of time in this life… do you really want to waste yours? Every moment, hour and day you're not doing something to live the life you want to live is a lost opportunity. So go chase your dreams.
Image credit: stockfreeimages.com |
| Everyone Has the Same 24 Hours Posted: 01 Sep 2012 02:00 AM PDT
"The bad news is, time flies. The good news is, you're the pilot." Image credit: Ian Sane |
Have you been in a slump lately?
We're all given the same 24 hours in a day. What you do with it, how you spend it, invest it, dribble and let it leak away is up to you. What most people fail to realize about time management is that it's not about structuring your time, it's about structuring your values and priorities. When you know what is important to you and why, and how to say "no" to one thing so you can say "yes" to another, then and only then will you discover how easy it really is to manage your time productively, wisely and easily.| You are subscribed to email updates from Upmarket Magazine To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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