5 Hacks When Motivation Lacks

First off.  Let's define the word, motivation.  According to dictionary.com the definition is as follows: 

Motivation (noun):  the reason one has for acting/behaving in a particular way; the general desire of someone to do something.

General desire of someone to do something.  I like that wording.  Because every one of us has at sometime lacked the desire to do something whether it was for our business or a wellness goal or even with a relationship.  

And what do most humans do when they lack something or long to find the answer... they google it.  

Here's a dose of tough love: there's no secret sauce or magically elixir for one to stay motivated 100% of the time.

Instead motivation needs movement. I call it the BIG MO'. You need movement to build momentum which generates motivation.

And taking movement or action towards your goal takes discipline. Plain and simple.

Like a classic white tee.

However, I think sometimes we lack INSPIRATION which is a bit different than motivation. DEFINE INSPIRATION.  Again, let's turn to dictionary.com to break down exactly what inspiration means. 

Inspiration (noun): the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.

We have the MOTIVATION... the desire to do something yet we may be lacking the INSPIRATION or the mental stimulation to be creative.

Inspiration may be lacking to create content... to write the emails... to build the funnel... to edit the photos... to a, II, or 3.

And even though, there's no magical elixir or unicorn pee to make one more disciplined. There are a few hacks which help me when I'm feeling a wee bit less inspired... besides the ideas you probably heard before such as: surround yourself with others or change up your routine which are good tips. Just time to take things up a notch!

01 // GET OUT IN NATURE

The other day, I felt completely STUCK on a project.  The gremlins in the brain were not pumping out any ideas and it seemed like the hours I set aside to work would be lost.  That was until the hubster suggested taking a brief power walk outside around the local park. 

Not even going to like.  A power walk.  Like a grandma in a training suit and white Reebok tennies pumping the arms in the sunshine.  And that's exactly what I did sans the suit and Reebok. 

After fifteen minutes walking around the block, my mind was completely clear and the creative juices were flowing. 

As a twin mom who homeschools taking a power walk around the park every time I hit a creative block MAY NOT be feasible... taking a moment to sit or ground myself while soaking up some rays can be.   IF you ever feel like you are in a creative funk, take a beat to step outside in nature and let your mind wander for a few minutes... you'll be surprise what pops up for you!

02 // MOVE YOUR BODY

Again. The power walk may be the key here.  Just kidding (sorta).  Back in 2014, I attended a Brendon Burchard event where we discussed performance hacks to help us stay mentally and creatively sparked.  One of those was to take a physical break every 45 minutes you are working.  

This will help increase blood flow to the brain which we all remember from Biology 1010 red blood cells carry oxygen and by increasing blood flow to the brain, you are bringing oxygen to the brain.  Win-Win. 

If you need to, love, set a timer on your phone or on your computer so that every 45 minutes YOU MOVE your body.  During long coaching sessions (no matter if I'm the coach or attending the session), I'll turn off my camera for a few minutes to swing a kettle bell and do some squats.  

It sounds completely absurd but I always come back more energized and focused.  So, it's a habit for me nowadays.

03 // DO SOMETHING CREATIVE

Pick something that is not related to what you NEED to figure out... so, if you are trying to hash out a plan to solve world hunger, pick up a brush and paint.   I know this sounds completely bonkers but by giving your brain a creative outlet you are actually allowing your subconscious to solve problems on the back end. 

Not saying you can figure out the answer to world hunger by imitating Bob Ross, although that would be phenomenal; however, what I am saying is give your brain a chance to rest by focusing on a creative task.  These creative tasks could be:  cooking a new meal, playing the flute, creating a friendship bracelet, painting a picture or breaking out the coloring books. 

There's so many things to do... knitting, playing with legos!  Oh the list could go on forever.  If you need help brainstorming some creative outlets, ask your littles, niece, nephew, etc.  The Gillies always give me the BEST ideas for this!

04 // PUT YOURSELF IN THE DRIVER SEAT OF YOUR GOAL

Last year, one of my goals was to participate in an endurance race called 29029.  Brief description of the race is this:  over the course of 36 hours, you climb a mountain over and over again to reach the equivalent of Mount Everest.  Hence the event's name, 29029 (the elevation of Mount Everest). 

Now, have I ever done this before?  Um, no.  Instead, I read multiple books and listened to loads of podcasts, videos and expert sessions on how to best tackle the mountain. 

Did that mean I knew how to climb and succeed on the mountain?  No, it didn't!  I was a bit more prepared to climb the mountain and aware of certain challenges which may pop up; however, it wasn't until I was actually ON THE MOUNTAIN, DOING THE DANG THING that I knew what to expect and how to tackle it.

The same goes with any other goal.  You can do the research, take the class and listen to experts; however, until YOU are in the driver seat... you won't know what to expect.  And more importantly, you won't know how YOU will handle it.

One thing which DID help me tackle my own Everest was to visualize myself on the mountain.  Yep, we getting a bit woo-woo here.  But this is something I do with any and every goal I set for myself.

Visualize yourself accomplishing your task.  What is this person's habits?  What did she let go of to accomplish this?  What is she doing day in and day out?  What is she saying to herself?  

By putting myself in the driver's seat of my goal and visualizing my future self accomplishing this feat, I immediately could see what habits, what people, what mundane tasks I needed to take (and which ones I needed to let go of) to reach my goal!  

And that's inspirational! 

05 // BRAIN DUMP 

You got fresh air, you took a beat to move your body, you gave your mind a break and did something creative... and you even visualized your end goal.  Now, jot it ALL down. 

Get it ALL out of that beautiful brain of yours so you can SEE it.   

There's a huge blackboard in my office (roughly 8ft x 6ft) which has EVERYTHING jotted down for my upcoming business goal.  There's challenges which may pop up along with solutions.  There's habits I'll need to embody as well as habits I need to let go of to help me.  

It's a good tool to keep in my line of sight, so that I know exactly where I'm going and be inspired to take action every single day! 

Maybe you set up your own board?  Maybe you use a white dry erase board?  Maybe you journal about it daily?  Maybe you take part of the magical morning practice which you can learn more about >> HERE << .   

Whatever you do, find what works best for YOU + take action, love. 

No one is going to care more about your dream than you.  And every day, you may lack inspiration to move forward, hopefully, these five hacks help you do just that!   Remember though, motivation takes momentum and momentum takes movement... so keep taking action every single day.  Just 1% forward!

If you are looking for a wee bit more inspiration and/or a place filled with fellow women to help you stay motivated while holding yourself accountable, then sign up for our FREE community.  You can expect weekly discussions on topics just like this plus audio clips and more.  Simply click >> HERE <<  to join our community!

Grit + Gumption.

ALG 

SAVE + SHARE ON PINTEREST