Self-Help

A lack of motivation can often seem to be caused by laziness or procrastination at first glance, but looks can often be deceiving! 

If you’re struggling to stay motivated about working on your goals or any other endeavor, a little introspection can be just the thing you need to provide clarity and insight about what’s really happening beneath the surface.

Grab a sheet of paper and a pen, and answer the questions below:

1) Am I afraid of failing?

Fear of failure is an all-too-common reason why people lose motivation.  If this is one of the reasons you’re holding back, you’ll likely be able to come up with clear ideas why you feel so afraid.  For example, you may write, “I’m afraid of embarrassing myself in front of my family and friends,” or “I’m afraid I’ll be really disappointed in myself if I don’t make this happen.”  Whatever comes to mind, write it down and then really think about whether it would be so terrible to experience – or if it would be much worse to not try at all. 

2) Do I really believe in my own ability to persevere until I make it?

Likewise, you may be feeling uncertain about your ability to overcome obstacles and challenges, which is slightly different than a fear of failure.  For example, you may have a certain measure of confidence in your skills and abilities but doubt that you have the determination and fortitude to achieve the full outcome you desire.

3) Have I grown bored with the goals that once meant so much to me?

This is an excellent question to ask because sometimes you’re not aware that your priorities and preferences have changed, and you can gain a lot of clarity by understanding what you REALLY want.  If you do find that you’ve lost interest in your initial goals, you simply need to come up with some new and exciting goals that will spark your eagerness to move forward again.

4) Am I afraid of what it might mean if I succeed?

Another common fear is the fear of success.  A fear of success is more about fearing the baggage that often comes along with success.  You may feel nervous about taking on extra responsibility, feel overwhelmed by the increased attention your success would bring, or you might even be worried that you’ll never be able to “top” this level of success in the future.  The only way to work through these fears is to discredit them.  When you break them down and really examine them, you usually find that they’re groundless or irrational, which helps you to move past them.

5) What would make me feel more motivated about this goal or activity?

Sometimes you can’t find any clear reason for feeling unmotivated, but asking this question can often help you feel more in control of your own willingness to take action.  Not only do you realize that you’re not powerless against a lack of motivation, you may come up with creative ideas that could inspire your sense of enthusiasm again.

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Have you ever hesitated to take action and gotten stuck in a rut of inertia? 

Most often when this happens, you’re waiting for some internal or external clue that tells you it’s okay to move forward.  You’re waiting until you feel more confident, or until obstacles dissolve and your goals are easier to achieve.

The problem is, the longer you stay inactive, the harder it is to begin moving forward.  So you wait; and wait; and wait some more!

The truth is - it will never get easier to move forward.  Every moment that you hold back you are settling deeper into your comfort zones, and pushing out of them will be even more uncomfortable when you finally do it.

However, you’ll be pleased to learn about a little thing called MOMENTUM. 

You see, when most people procrastinate and avoid taking action, they do so because it seems exceedingly difficult to move forward – and they mistakenly believe that it will ALWAYS be that difficult.  Have you ever had the same perception?

What you need to know is this:  the longer you work on taking consistent action toward your goals, you will build momentum and it will get easier and easier as you go along.

Eventually the actions you take will seem almost effortless.  You’ll begin to enjoy your activities because you’ll feel more empowered and confident about taking action.  Not to mention, all of the effort you’ve put in will be reaping great results by that time!

Are you ready to climb out of your rut of inertia today?  If so, here is a simple 3 step process to help you begin taking action – and keep taking it!

1) Commit to the actions first.  When many people set goals, they commit to achieving the end result, but they rarely commit to taking the actions that will get them there.  Take a few minutes to jot down the specific action steps that will get you to your goal, and then make a solemn commitment to take them every day.

2) Baby steps, baby steps!  Did you know that small, consistent steps toward a goal are often more effective than large, sporadic actions?  Even tiny actions will begin to build momentum and bring you great results!  Make it your sole mission to move forward consistently, despite feelings of fear, obstacles that pop up, or anything else that threatens to erode your confidence.  Keep moving forward no matter what.

3) Don’t focus on results yet.  Many a goal has been abandoned because people take an action, wait to see what the results are, and quit when they don’t see the results they expected.  Don’t get so dependent upon the results that you allow them to determine your NEXT actions. 

In other words, focus only on putting one foot in front of the other, even if you’re not yet seeing the results you want.  If you quit, you’re guaranteed not to see results – but by persevering, you’ll make things happen eventually.

Have you ever noticed that a lack of motivation leaves you feeling sluggish and uninspired? 

One great way to turn that mind-set around is by consciously getting joyful!  Joyful about what, exactly?  Well, anything will do, but here are a few good ideas to get you started.

Probably one of the best things to get joyful about are the end results you’re trying to create.  If you’re working toward your goals and feeling unmotivated about taking action, start by thinking about how good you’ll feel to achieve the goal. 

Imagine the feelings of excitement and satisfaction you’ll experience when you can finally shout, “I did it!”  It’s important to not just think about these things, but really allow yourself to experience the feelings too!

You can also take it step further and consider how achieving that goal will contribute to your life and the lives of others.  What do you stand to gain from it?  How will it help others?  How do you feel about those benefits?  Imagine that you and others are enjoying those benefits right now.  How does that make you feel?

Still not feeling the joy?

Time to up the ante.  Start focusing on something wonderful you want to happen in your future, even if you’re not working on it yet.  Make this “something” really BIG and AMAZING.  Something that would change your whole life and make you whoop and holler with joy.  Some examples: 

Imagine that you won the lottery and you get to call all your friends and relatives to share the good news.  Or imagine that you’ve just won your dream home in a contest and you’re going to see it in person for the first time.  Or imagine that you met the love of your life and it’s your wedding day!

Whatever you choose to focus on, pretend that it’s happening NOW and allow yourself to get into those feelings of intense excitement and awe.  Stay with these images for as long as necessary to pump yourself up with joy.

Once you’re feeling joyful and excited, get moving immediately on your other tasks or goals – the ones you were avoiding a little while ago.  Don’t give yourself time to form any more excuses; just do it!

Allow your feelings of joy and enthusiasm to flow into your current activities and keep your motivation strong.  You’ll probably find that your energy stays high for a longer period of time and you’ll end up accomplishing more than you would have otherwise.  Even better, joy can make any action seem almost effortless - which can be a big help when you’re pursuing goals or facing a difficult task.

Once you get used to using joy as a motivator, you’ll likely come to enjoy the process so much that it will take less and less effort to employ - and you’ll have no trouble at all keeping your motivation consistently strong!

Have you ever allowed fear to sap your motivation?  If so, you are probably familiar with the heavy sense of frustration that inevitably results in the abandonment of goals and dreams – no matter how badly you may want to achieve them.

However, you don’t have to allow fear to hinder your actions and destroy your goals!  With a simple shift in perspective, you can transform fear into courage and optimism and use them to your advantage.

If you’re like most people, you’re probably used to seeing the negative side of situations.  Not only do you tend to focus more on the challenges instead of the benefits in each situation, you may also hesitate to take action because of the potential negative risks involved.  Wanting to move forward may not provide enough incentive to overcome these fears, so you continuously hold yourself back and accomplish far less than you’re capable of.

However, if you learn to shift your focus from what you stand to lose in each situation and instead focus on what you might gain, you’ll probably find yourself feeling more courageous and eager to take action!

You may find it helpful to make a list of any specific fears you have and get them out in the open.  In each situation that makes you feel fearful, consider exactly what is holding you back.  What do you fear happening and why?  Are those things likely to happen, or is there only a slight chance?

Then use a separate sheet of paper and create a list of benefits you stand to gain by moving forward.  Be as specific – and optimistic - as you can.  Remember that dread and fear often seem to amplify the negative possibilities, which can make the positive benefits seem smaller or less important, so you may need to work a little harder to emphasize the positive.

Looking over these two lists should give you a more balanced view of your options and provide the clarity you need to decide whether to move forward or not.  You may decide that you have valid reasons to hang back a bit longer, and it’s okay to do that! 

If you see that the possible negative consequences are more than you’re willing to accept at this time, you can either come up with less risky steps to take, or simply hold off and reevaluate at a later time.

If you do decide that the time to take action is now, you may need to work on building up your courage a bit before you do.  Remember that the only one with the power to hold you back is YOU.  At its core, motivation is largely the determination to conquer any fear, hesitation or excuse that threatens to hold you back.

Most importantly of all, don’t trick yourself into believing that you have to be completely fearless before moving toward your goals!  The most successful people in the world would probably tell you that they eventually had to resolve to move forward despite their fear and uncertainty!

Courage is absolutely a choice, and fear does not have the power to sap your motivation and strength unless you decide to let it.