Following four busy weeks of presentations conducted online, a common theme emerged from many messages to our Inbox - "How can I motivate myself just to get out of bed?" Without a doubt it is damn hard to get out of bed for many people at the moment, even if we are able to work fully from home or work in a limited capacity.
The main cause of this lack of motivation and the accompanying feelings of lethargy is the current situation that we face each day, will I be safe? Not consciously, subconsciously. I referenced the effects of the preconscious (more commonly called the subconscious) on our current behaviour in a recent post - a dry mouth most of the day, eating more than usual, feeling tired around midday, a small headache that won't go away, random thoughts of our past interrupting out thoughts, waking up three or more times each night, having unusual dreams, wondering if you slept at all - the list goes on. Referenced here.
The purpose of our subconscious is to assist us by working on what we are consciously concerned about, for most people it is looking for something positive in our future. The subconscious takes onboard all of the conscious information and looks to our memory for reference material from our past before deciding what to bring to our consciousness thought. If it can't find the right information, the subconscious will keep working to find what might be helpful. Hence, many of us are having random thoughts from our past.
Currently, our subconscious is working on keeping us safe during the Covid-19 epidemic, it is searching to find solutions from our past. This additional work that the subconscious is undertaking, without our knowledge therefore uncontrolled, is burning valuable fuel. Fuel that is needed for us to get out of bed, to allow us to work across the entire day, and to bring focus to the present moment.
If you have tried the simple fixes to the above effects as per our suggestions and they haven't worked for you, it might be that you need something deeper. Something to motivate you. If the subconscious wants to work on the future then give it something positive to work on.
Motivation is intrinsic, it's about having something to look forward to. Currently, it is very hard to look forward too far ahead because of the amount of uncertainty in our future, or so our subconscious believes.
Apart from bringing back certainty through focusing on the basics of life according to the Maslow hierarchy of needs, (food, water, shelter, air, and sleep), we all need something worthwhile to get ourselves out of bed for. Sticking to regular timings, looking forward to something positive either in our day or at the end of the day, or finding ways to supply short-term boosts of energy, are also helpful.
Each of us are different in our desires and it is about finding the desire, or goal if you prefer, that motivates us enough to produce a shot of dopamine. Dopamine is a powerful positive neurotransmitter that rewards us, motivates us, and is highly addictive. Rather than looking to the future to what we can’t see, if we were to put something there to focus on each day will provide us with ample motivation.
For me, it is currently writing a third book. Prior to that it was looking at ways to expand the business, and prior to that it was establishing a business. Setting goals and working towards them provides us with the necessary motivation to get up, dress up, and front up. How you find that goal is up to you. Here are a few options you might want to consider:
Is there something that you have always wanted to do and found a way of not doing it?
Has there been something in the back of your mind that says to you “As soon as I have this, I will do such and such?”
Have you ever sat watching TV or reading a magazine and said to yourself “I would love to have a go at that”, or “I would love to visit there?”
Do you find yourself in a bit of a rut that you can’t seem to get out of and wish that there was a way to move forward and change your life for the better?
Is there an organisation that you want to support, or a company that you’ve always wanted to work for, or something that you wanted to build, or perhaps a challenge that seemed out of your reach?
The key to motivation is having the desire to get out of bed in the morning and achieve something. That desire comes from within us but can be something external to focus on. More importantly, that something needs to come from within our heart to truly inspire us. So, what does your heart tell you?
We tend to hold ourselves back because of fear, subconsciously mostly, fear of what could go wrong rather than what could go right. If we can swap that negative fear around and use it to encourage us to see what could actually happen when we succeed, it assists in providing us that motivational chemical.
If your plan doesn't work out the way you thought it might, you haven't failed. What did you learn along the way that you can use again for your next goal? It is far better to say “At least I gave it a go” rather than not trying at all because regret for not doing something can be terribly demotivating.
There is a saying that goes - 'If you do something you’re passionate about you’ll never work a day in your life'. That's not quite true because you will have to work hard towards your goal, and we do all have to work. The harder we work the luckier that we get. And, the work that we find a passion for provides us with enthusiasm, inspiration, and motivation.
So, what are you passionate about? It's time to get lucky - get up, dress up, front up and find your passion.
Let's talk!