Motivation Killers and How to Overcome Them
Staying motivated can be hard, no matter what your goal is. Some of us at the beginning of the year made goals that we were really motivated to accomplish but since then we lost our momentum! This is a frustrating feeling.
Why does this happen? What causes a lack of motivation? Here are three reasons that I have experienced and some ways I overcame them.
Fear of Failure
Fear is a powerful emotion that often hinders our progress in many areas. A lot of us are fearful of failing at achieving our goals and so in the midst of the journey, this fear translates into a lack of motivation. Sometimes phrases like “Why even bother?” or “It’s too hard, I’m not going to make it” would come to mind. Constantly entertaining this thinking would affect your motivation level.
There are ways to overcome this. Firstly, careful preparation can help you deal with your concerns of a negative outcome. For example, let’s say your goal is to reach a certain weight. Probably to lose 30 pounds. Attacking this goal without adequate preparation can lead you to focus on negative thoughts or to lack of motivation. You’ll most likely be more lackadaisical in your approach - tempted to eat whatever is in sight or to go without daily exercise. However, being prepared by creating meal plans, setting aside time to exercise, or having an accountability partner, can help you remain focused on the potential for a positive outcome.
Tiredness
I live and work in New York City - the city that literally never sleeps. Living in a big city can be draining and cause one to constantly be tired. When you’re tired, you’re less motivated to do anything. That’s when you feel like just grabbing a snack and watch tv aimlessly or just hitting the sack and sleeping for hours!
Maintaining a daily routine that includes enough rest is important. The National Sleep Foundation recommends that young adults ages 18 to 25 get at least 7 to 9 hours of sleep per day and adults ages 26 to 64 should get the same amount. However, teenagers ages 14 to 17 should get at least 8 to 10 hours per day. So make sure you’re getting at least your recommended hours!
Self care is also vital. This can come in varying forms. Some people value spiritual self care such as prayer and meditation on a daily basis to keep them charged. Other people get refreshed by visiting a spa, getting a massage, a walk in the park or curling up in bed with a nice book! Doing something that relaxes you in addition to resting recharges you and gives you the energy to keep working towards your goal!
Overwhelm
In our highly technological world, it’s very easy to become overwhelmed! We now have access to information and people almost every hour of the day. How can this affect our motivation? Hearing or reading too much of what you should be doing can actually make you think you’re not doing enough.
As a coach, I like to read what other coaches are doing for encouragement and also for ideas to grow my business. This is not a bad thing to do, in fact I encourage you to research or stay informed on whatever goal you’re working towards. However it’s important to keep it limited to a manageable amount of information.
Because I’m an information junkie, I’ve subscribed to so many blogs, newsletters, Facebook private groups, and bought a ton of books. I overdid it! I began to measure myself against the “experts” and started believing that I was not doing enough or that I was taking too long to get to my goal. This is referred to as upward social comparison. It caused me to be more anxious and eventually less motivated. I got myself back into momentum by praying about it and meditating on what God wants ME to accomplish with my coaching. As a result, I have created my own style and timeline and I’m confident that I will accomplish my goal!
Be mindful of your information intake. It should increase your knowledge and encourage you but not overwhelm you.
So these are a just a few things that can affect your motivation and how you can overcome them. I would love to hear from you. When have you experienced a lack of motivation? What have you done to overcome it?
Until next time!
Karlene.