Life has an ebb and flow. And as wonderful as life can be, motivation will not constantly be there for you, especially when you’re feeling down. Like the tide, it comes and goes.
What makes a difference is when you realize that motivation can and will come back. These upcoming tips and tricks will help you recover that motivation and get you back on your feet.
Today, we’re bringing you how to find motivation when life gets you down.
The Purpose Driven Life
by Rick Warren
⏱ 14 minutes reading time
🎧 Audio version available
Focus on One Goal
When you can’t dig up even the slightest motivation, downsize your ambitions. That means focusing on one goal so you don’t feel overwhelmed or discouraged.
Whenever life gets you down, you’ll feel like the world has too much going on in it and that you’re doing too much at the same time. This can be energy-draining, to say the least.
Now, it’s impossible to maintain energy and focus if you have too many goals nagging at you. To ease yourself back into the correct side of the ebb and flow, pick one goal to work towards and work on it with gusto. The other objectives can wait until you have proven to yourself that you can accomplish this.
Celebrate Small Successes
It’s important to not only celebrate small successes but also build upon them. On your first week of regaining your motivation, start with celebrating something that is completely and utterly—and ridiculously—easy. Whether that means exercising for a couple of minutes or cooking a simple meal, it’s up to you.
And now that you have this small success in your pocket, you’ll start feeling good about yourself. Allow that feeling of accomplishment to take you to the next step and build on it with another easy step. Add another minute to your exercise.
Then add another baby step. See how we’re walking? Before you know it, you will be running. With each successful step, as small or big as you make it, you will feel even more successful.
Reframe the Situation
It’s frustrating when life knocks you down, and it’s easy to fall into the blame game after this. A nagging, internal narrative often replays itself in situations like this. The eternal question shouted at the void, “Why me?”
Well, it’s time to stop addressing the void and to get back up. Reframing the situation means changing your mindset and interpretations of the negative experience. That means altering the way you think after a stressful or traumatic event.
Instead of saying, “I give up” like a broken record, modify that internal monologue. Stop expressing your frustration at the void and start addressing yourself. Say it in the morning if you have to. “You will get through this.” Why? “Because you’re a strong person.”
Give Yourself Five Minutes
What are these five minutes going to do? You’re going to let it all out. These five minutes are a free-for-all designated period to wallow in your self-pity and disappointment. What’s going to happen after those minutes are done? You’re going to rediscover your motivation and go back to being a pro at life.
List Five Things You’re Grateful For
At the start of each day, write five things that you’re grateful for in life. If you don’t want to write, there is no need for a gratitude journal. This can be as easy as counting up to five on your hand.
Counter every problem with things you’re glad to have in your life. You may be grateful for the support you receive from your family and friends. That’s one. You may be grateful for your pet. That’s two. You may be grateful that you enjoyed a nice meal.
Three. You may be grateful that you have a job or a hobby that you enjoy. Four. You may be grateful that you’re still breathing. That brings us to five! Feel free to customize the list however you want. Its purpose is to evoke joy whenever you think of these.
Take this to the next step and create a visual representation of what you’re grateful for. Hang photos of family and friends, write what pops into your head on post-it notes, and place them everywhere so that every time you see them, you feel that calm wash over you.
Imagine the End Goal
No matter how far away it is, how far-fetched it may be, keeping that end goal or destination in mind will help you persevere.
Whenever you’re tempted to give up and let life kick you however it wants, picture that goal. You may not be running at it at the moment, but at least you’re on the right path.
Reflect on What Pushes You Forward
Think about what drives you forward. You can only regain your motivation when you’re in touch with your driving force, which is the “why?” of your life. Ask yourself why you’re pursuing this goal in the first place or why you’re standing right here and focus on that.
Whenever you look back at moments when you were proud of an achievement, chances are that you had a force pushing you and fueling your motivation.
Uncovering this answer will not only help you regain your confidence but also set you up for success.
Exercise Regularly
Exercise advice again? There’s a reason why exercise advice is offered in abundance—because it actually works. Exercising is associated with “happy hormones” such as endorphins or serotonin. One way to increase these hormones is to exercise.
And here’s a trick! You don’t have to do a cardio or strength workout. Exercising can be anything as long as it gets you moving. Dance to an uplifting pop song, jump around, play a sport that you’re fond of, take a walk, go on a run, or compete in an obstacle course. You will get a rush of giddiness and keep away feelings of demotivation!
Do Something for Yourself
Every day, mark a time when you’re going to do something that you enjoy. If that means vegging out and watching a movie, then so be it. If you want to meditate, do that. Want to pick up a good book and sip on a mug of coffee or hot chocolate? Go ahead.
This is your mental break from the constant stress of feeling unmotivated and not getting back up fast enough.
And you never know, indulging in this activity may energize you once more. You’re not just allowing yourself a moment to catch your breath, but you’re showing yourself compassion, which can help you face life’s challenges.
Being unkind to yourself and beating yourself up for what happened is a sure way to increase your misery tenfold. Showing compassion to yourself reinforces the idea that you’re worthy of self-love and positivity.
Listen to Motivational Podcasts
When in doubt, put your earphones in and listen to a motivational podcast. Hearing someone, even a stranger, telling you encouraging thoughts can dramatically help you. Sometimes, all it takes is hearing a motivational speech to get back our spark.
Find a Role Model
If you tire of looking at your willpower reserves and finding them lacking, maybe it’s time to check out an external source for motivation. Reinventing the wheel may be overwhelming for now; simply following in someone else’s footsteps can lead you to the same destination—or at least until you can find your footing again.
Finding a role model to look up to can be invigorating and eye-opening. If that person possesses qualities you admire and respect, then you’ll likely be motivated by them and their actions.
Role models can be anyone as long as they’re a healthy influence. They can be your parents, a sibling, a neighbor, a teacher, a boss, or even a well-accomplished stranger. Focus on what motivates them to keep pursuing their dreams.
It’s easy to identify these qualities in them. Now, it’s time to locate these same qualities in yourself.
What Is Snapreads?
With the Snapreads app, you get the key insights from the best nonfiction books in minutes, not hours or days. Our experts transform these books into quick, memorable, easy-to-understand insights you can read when you have the time or listen to them on the go.
