How to Keep Pushing When you Feel Uninspired and Unmotivated
Today I want to give you some insight about how to stay motivated when you really just feel unmotivated and uninspired.
I go through seasons of feeling on top of the world, and seasons of feeling like everything is crashing down on me.
What I’ve realized about entrepreneurship is that every week will NOT be a rockstar week. Some weeks you will be on your game, killing it. Other weeks will be slow and uninspiring altogether. This is the reality of being a CEO and it will never change, but what can change for you is how you cope with feeling unmotivated so you can maintain your sanity and KEEP pushing.
So, here is some advice that I think will really help you be your best self even when you feel like laying in bed and binge watching Netflix all day.
1. Don’t wait for inspiration. You have to go out and find it.
The worst thing you can do is wait for a sign. There’s a difference between being patient to wait for the right time, and using uninspiration as an excuse for not moving forward. Think about what makes you feel excited, even if it’s not business related. Indulge in what makes you feel uplifted.
2. Give yourself time to regroup.
Sometimes the best way to reignite our drive is to just take a break. In entrepreneurship, there are no vacation days, so you have to work in time for relaxation on your own.
I went through a season of feeling uninspired for almost 6 months. I knew that at the end of that season I would have testimony to share that would help someone else, and here I am today. Sometimes the best way to keep pushing is to trust the process, and just be. Even if you aren’t where you want to be, you might just be right where you are supposed to be at that moment.
3. Set realistic goals.
Sometimes we become unmotivated because our goals feel so overwhelming that we overthink ourselves into not taking action at all. If overwhelm is causing you to feel unmotivated, I want you to check out my YouTube video entitled How to Overcome Overwhelm.
It’s important to set realistic goals, and to break those goals down into manageable steps. Otherwise, we fall into a pit of frustration and overwhelm because we set ourselves up for failure by setting goals that don’t aren’t attainable given our circumstances.
I dedicated an entire podcast to goal setting in Episode 19, so if you need some help with setting goals that feel attainable, check out that episode.
4. Celebrate small wins.
Uplift and reward yourself for the good that you do. Many times when we're feeling discouraged, it's because we so caught up in our day-to-day that we can't see our own progress. I become more motivated and inspired when I feel like what I do each day actually makes a difference, for me and for others.
So take a moment to give yourself a much needed pat on the back. List out everything you have to be grateful for. Start keeping a gratitude journal so you can remind yourself why you're the sh*t when you're felling discouraged.
5. Fill yourself with positivity.
What’s in your media diet? What are you consuming everyday? You’d be surprised by how what we consume impacts our mood and feelings about ourselves. Drown yourself in positivity and motivation and watch how your life will change. Talk about what you WANT instead of what you don't have. Talk about what you ARE as opposed to what you aren’t.
This can be accomplished my reading self help books or listening to inspirational podcasts.
6. JUST DO IT!
Sometimes you have to simply just suck it up, and do what you don’t feel like doing. Many times, when you force yourself to get moving, you can get into the swing of things.
If you’re feeling really unmotivated, remember that doesn’t make you a bad or unworthy entrepreneur. It’s something we all experience and it is completely normal.
What really makes the difference is how you cope with the highs and lows. When you feel high get as much done as you can. Get ahead on the next week’s work. When you’re always ahead, you have time to be patient with yourself when you’re feeling uninspired. You have time to take a break and step back from the day-to-day to find the inspiration you’re missing. Self-care is a great way to clear your head of day-to-day clutter that weighs us down.
I hope these tips help you in your journey as an entrepreneur. If you haven’t yet, go ahead and subscribe to the With Purpose Podcast so you get a notification when every new episode is released.
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