Putting the Buzz in your Blah: 3 Ways to Recover Your Motivation

It’s two weeks into 2022, but somehow it seems like it’s been two months. Is anyone else feeling me? Do you need to recover your motivation?

Everyone has Omicron, including two tigers at our local Tampa zoo. 

Your Google calendar feels like musical chairs, because everyone has Omicron or needs to tend to or cover someone with Omicron.

You’re busy but feel like you’ve been wandering in circles. 

There are a million things you know you should be doing, but you can’t seem to get started on one. 

In the 80s, Milli Vanilli said to blame it on the rain. Easy peasy. I didn’t have too many grievances in my pigtails eating my pb&j days.

In the 90s, Vanilla Ice assured us if there was a problem, yo’, he’d solve it. Coolio.

Y2K turned out OK.

The 10s- I remember the Ice Bucket Challenge but not much else.

2020- Whoa, Nelly. Hold my burrito. What the frick? 

2021- 2020 The Sequel

2022- Captain’s log, stardate day 700.

And if you’re self-employed, you’ve either been mentally exhausted recently or are currently finding yourself staring at the wall more than you know is normal, you are not alone. 

Let me help you feel better. None of what you’re experiencing is abnormal, given that everything around you is out of sorts. You-normal. Circumstances-not so much.

When you feel your motivation tank running on fumes, here are a few tips I use to put some pep back in my steps and pull me back on track. 

1. I remember why I do what I do. 

A grown-up time-out for self-reflection can do wonders. I contemplate all the reasons the work I do is necessary from the practical need of income to the privilege of working for myself and gratitude I’m not driving to someone else’s office to more heart-lifting reasons of how I help my corner of the world be a better place. This active thought process helps shift my sights onto the benefits of working, which I can’t experience, unless I get back to work!

2. I create clarity.

Often, when I find I’m demotivated, it’s because I’m bumbling along my days. Think about it. It’s no wonder if we lack clarity that we lack motivation. We all want to feel the energy we expend counts for something, so if we feel we’re spinning in circles, it’s easy to feel blah.

To counter demotivation, a step I find helpful is to sit with my planner or a notebook, look at the month ahead, and get a grip around it- write down the days I am dedicating not just to client work but the days I will give myself, which are just as important. Then on the days I give myself for my own work development, I ask myself, “What would make it a great workday?” Time for an early morning journal entry, the luxury of two cups of coffee, and time for a walk mid-day get built into my mental plans. Create time for only things that reinforce success and hence feel motivating, and you’ll find yourself wanting to repeat those days.

3. I talk to someone.

If you’re not feeling “it” these days, it may be tempting to want to shirk into a ball of nothingness and hope no one notices. But there’s a place between shrinking into oblivion and blasting your state of wanting to do nothing more than eat junk food and binge on Netflix on your next social status update- tell one person. 

Tell one person who knows you well enough to know your normal state of mind. Are you usually firing on all cylinders? Are you typically kind of melancholy and generally need others to help you see the glass is actually half full? Someone who knows you well can be a good sounding board to identify the source of the funk or give you a gentle nudge forward and remind you how awesome you are!

Remember, the last two years weren’t normal, and I’ll put money this one stays in the paranormal category, too, even though we’ve only just begun. It’s human nature to lose our mojo from time to time, so give yourself grace if that’s where you are. Use the ideas here to get your groove back and show 2022 who’s boss!