There seems to be a collective sigh in the air these days – and not necessarily a good one. So many people that I’ve talked with are tired….really tired and feeling stressed. We’ve lived with a global pandemic for 16 months now—sixteen months of fear, uncertainty, no end in sight. With people getting vaccinated, restrictions disappearing, you would think the collective sigh would be one of relief. After all, the months of being on high alert are pretty much over. Our bodies and minds are now looking for some rest. EXCEPT…. the world isn’t stopping to rest – the world is just ramping up again.
All of this is to say that you may be feeling less motivated or inspired than you want to be. If you feel like you’re stuck in a rut right now, READ ON!
You may have heard that it’s as simple as changing your thoughts – having a positive attitude to improve your life. I would agree with this to a certain degree, and I am also keenly aware that it’s not that easy. If your mind is not ready to embrace more exciting goals, then change will be, at best, difficult. If you’re not ready for it, then it will be hard to conquer even minor challenges. If you can’t take on small challenges, then it’s going to be impossible to change your life to the degree you ultimately want.
Maybe instead of focusing on setting big goals and plans, you shake things up by taking action first. By doing this, you’ll get out of the rut, feel more inspired and motivated, and ready to tackle and pursue bigger, more exciting goals. Sometimes the motivation comes after the action and not before.
Below are four inspiring action verbs you can use to motivate yourself and get mentally ready to take on new challenges, even if the challenge is just getting through today! Using these techniques, even in the smallest of ways, will naturally find you on the road to change.
- GIVE – I have heard it said that when you don’t know what to do, help someone. Give to a charity, an individual in need, or simply a friend or relative. You don’t have to give something expensive or big. Just a show of appreciation will do, such as a card or a flower. Why does it work? When you’re helping someone else, it distracts you from your negative thoughts and shifts your energy. Deciding to help someone puts you back in the driver’s seat by being in control of your decision-making. Also – it feels good!
- LEARN – Learn a new language or a new dance. Learn about something you know nothing about, or learn to play a song on the piano or guitar. Why does it work? When you learn something new, it forces your brain to exercise in new ways. It starts to create new neural pathways that stimulate creativity and help you see things from a different perspective. It doesn’t have to be formal learning – it can be as simple as finding a new podcast on a subject that interests you. You could even include your family by bringing play into the mix and learning a new game.
- CHANGE – Change things up a little. Take a different route to work, try a new recipe, rearrange your furniture. Why does it work? Change begets change. We are creatures of habit, and sometimes being unmotivated or stuck in a rut is simply because we’re bored. Even if you’re feeling stressed and like you have too many things to juggle, changing things up can give you a different outlook on things. Making even a small change can get your creative juices flowing, and you just might come up with an idea to help reduce the number of items on your to-do list.
- PLAY – Spend some time engaging in something that you find fun. It could be playing a round of golf, engaging in a hobby, or watching something funny. Why does it work? Play and laughter help to reduce stress because it triggers the release of endorphins. These promote an overall sense of well-being. Play also stimulates our minds to boost creativity and problem-solving.
Each time you take one of these small steps, take time to feel good about it. Let the motivation catch up to your actions! Find some joy in the process! When you take action, you aren’t only motivating yourself but also inspiring those around you.
Sometimes, just the exercise of reviewing these action verbs will be inspiration enough to get you thinking about what you can do to change your life.
The key is to take action! What’s one small step you can take today to find some motivation?
Lissa Daub
The Strong Impact Academy provides coaching and training for leaders to Grow Themselves, Grow Their Business and Make an Impact. Book a free consultation to see how we help.
