Ep. 113 Get your motivation back

get your motivation back

In today’s episode, Anna looks at what to do when you’re just not feeling it and how to get your motivation back.

There’s a lot of talk, especially at the beginning of a new year, about envisioning and planning for great success. The start of a new year can, absolutely, be an inspiring time for reimagining where you want to be and planning for how to get there… but what if you’re *not* feeling inspired? You’re not feeling excited about defining new goals? What can you do to get your mojo back?

*Resources mentioned during the episode*

The One Step Outside Facebook group– Join us over in the Facebook group to meet like-minded people who are working on reimagining success in their life and business and to get access to direct support and free training sessions from Anna. www.facebook.com/groups/onestepoutside

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PODCAST

 

Get your motivation back

Transcript:

Hello there and welcome back. Now, although this really is a continuation of the last few weeks when we’ve been talking before Christmas, actually, and after Christmas as well about setting your vision. Last week, we looked at creating your vision board, reviewing your business plans, the year … The year. The week before and so on. So for you, hopefully this is a continuation. For me, I should say that I actually am back now after a bit of a break. So, the past several episodes, in fact, a couple of months worth of content I had prerecorded, I had batched.

So, I’m really excited to be back here with you. Although, perhaps you haven’t noticed a difference. I have been off for a little bit and now I am here with you again. So first of all, really excited to be back live as it were with you recording new material again. So, my sort of personal live message to you is welcome back, really happy to be with you. And I hope you have had a good break and you are feeling excited about the new year. However, if you’re not feeling excited, because let’s face it, the year has had a bit of a sketchy start, let’s say. There’s both good news and bad news in different areas of society and politics and so on. Let’s not get into that.

But the topic for today is, how do you get your mojo back, essentially? How do you get your motivation back when perhaps you’re just not feeling inspired?

So all this talk, which interestingly, this year, I’ve seen a lot of backlash in a way. I’ve taught for many years about resolutions not being very effective. And lots of people now are talking about having this word or theme, which I’ve talked about as well, which I came across many years ago. And a lot of people are, which I think is a good thing saying, “You know what? You don’t need to have that whole new year, new you mantra. It’s the same you. If you’re not feeling it, that’s okay. Give yourself a bit of a break.”

And you know what? It’s just an arbitrary date in the diary anyway, 1st of January, isn’t it? So this isn’t the right start for you. That’s no problem. I remember last year, one of my clients told me, “Look, I’m just not feeling it. I need a bit of a break.” And then she came back and we worked together on hitting the ground running sort of February time, which is absolutely fine. So, a few ideas though, if you do want to get your motivation back. And the first one is absolutely give yourself a break. And when I say give yourself a break, I mean that literally in the sense that yes, maybe you’ve had a bit of a break now with Christmas, with the holidays and so on, but really it’s quite short.

Certainly here in England, we had a pretty stressful time. Our plans were cancelled at the last minute with COVID. Maybe you did travel. Maybe you didn’t. Or maybe you saw family, maybe you didn’t. In any case all around the world now, it’s a bit of a strange situation. Irrespective of whatever’s going on in your own life individually, personally as well. So, maybe take some more time off again. 1st of January is an arbitrary time. Maybe you had decided to come back on the 4th, which was a nice … “Monday, let’s get back into it.” But actually, you haven’t been feeling it. So, that’s okay. Give yourself another week or two, a month, or whatever it takes.

So, take some proper time off. Rest. Remember the bottom, the base layer of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the couple of bottom ranks there is really around taking care of yourself.

Wellbeing is so much at the foundation of everything we do. So, give yourself a break, but also give yourself a bit of a break in the less literal sense of, “Hey, it’s a pretty tough time. Be kind, be compassionate with yourself and don’t be so hard on yourself, essentially.” So, you know what? Don’t push yourself. [inaudible 00:03:12] that kind of tough love is really effective with you.

I was watching the third season of Cobra Kai. And if you’re following that on … It’s on Netflix, I think. And the guy Johnny … In fact, I never watched Karate Kid. This is the follow-up to Karate Kid, if you’re not familiar with this. I never watched Karate Kid back in the day, but I’ve been loving it. And this Johnny Guy who was sort of the bad guy back in the 80s, is still pretty much stuck in the 80s. Although, he’s really lovable, and I think my favourite character now. All this to say that he basically gets this guy who has this poor young lad who has been kicked pretty badly and thinks he’s going to be paralysed and can’t walk, with some pretty tough love, shouting at him saying he’s many words that I can’t say here.

I won’t say it on the podcast and so on.

So, if that is you, then by all means, shout at yourself and give yourself a hard time. I personally don’t go for that kind of military 80s, whatever you want to call it, tough love. I think a bit of tough love, sure, but not that sort of shouting at you and calling you names and so on. So, be kind and compassionate to yourself is the main message here. Give yourself a break. Take some more time off if needed and give yourself a bit of an easy time. Ease into things. Don’t worry. Your business is not going to collapse, your career is not going to end now if you give yourself a few more days, weeks, even months.

Now, the second thing is a bit more sort of proactive, I suppose, which is to find the fun.

So, don’t get caught up. Don’t allow yourself to be dragged down by the things you feel you should be doing. I have such a long list now of things I feel I can … And it’s things I want to do, things I feel like I should do. I am intentional about them and so on. But it’s just impossible, let’s face it, to do all of them. So, trying to see, “Okay, out of all these things you feel you should do, where is the fun? Where is your energy right now?” Go with your energy, because you’re going to get some really quick wins there. You’re going to feel energised.

You’re going to find the motivation from getting on with those things, rather than dragging yourself down even further, by doing the things that you feel that you should do. So, look for the fun. Follow your curiosity is another way we’ve phrased this in the past. Really look for, “Hey, I’m really feeling this right now.” Well, by all means, give that a go. See how that goes. And don’t, again, let yourself get dragged down by feeling like, “Oh, I really should be tweaking this, or doing that, or managing this, or whatever it is.” So, put aside the [inaudible 00:05:30] for a while, it’s always a good thing to do and really look for the fun, because that’s the way you’re going to get your motivation back. Do the things that you’re already motivated to do. And then I’m sure that will spread and snowball and so on.

Now another one is to look for inspiration.

So, if you really don’t know, if you really don’t feel any kind of motivation right now, you can’t find the fun. Nothing feels exciting. Then try to open up your eyes and look out into the world. Literally be external, but you can also be internal, by the way. Maybe you can do some introspection, reflection, meditation on looking for the fun. So, in looking for the inspiration, that’s one way. Or look externally. Go out into nature. Pick up the phone, talk to someone you haven’t talked to in a while, but you know they always have really great ideas, or maybe someone inspires. See what they’re up to. Having some role models in your life is really powerful.

Maybe listen to a podcast. And obviously, you’re listening to me now since you’re listening to this, these words, so that’s exciting. Hopefully, this is helping you to get your mojo back as well. And maybe find some other podcasts to get into, go back and listen to old episodes of my podcast and see what clicks with you. Read a book on … Audiobook or physical, paperback, Kindle, whatever is your jam. What else can you do? Buy a bunch of magazines. I bought a load to do my vision board a few weeks ago. And just sort of seeing maybe travel could be quite inspiring at this stage. I’m certainly missing international travel and even national travel, to be honest. And so, magazines, books, podcasts, and films. Even, who knows where you can get your inspiration from?

So, talk to people, go out there, watch things, listen to things, read things. And also, if you’re up to it, if you’re feeling it, then go inwards as well and look for inspiration inside yourself as well. The next one is, join a community. This is a bit more external again. Find like-minded people who are doing things, who are maybe either feeling down, and that’s the case … I think there’s so much camaraderie now this time of year anyway, but certainly now and in the entrepreneurial community, but definitely now with the whole COVID and the political situation and so on, everyone’s sort of coming together, or a lot of people at least are coming together in a very positive way.

Other people are feeling it too. Homeschooling is such a big thing at the moment for many people here in England. Suddenly, the schools have been closed again, or haven’t reopened and there are lots of parents who are entrepreneurs or having to work from home now suddenly with the kids with no childcare. Knowing that there are other people out there who are feeling the same is so powerful. So, look for those groups. The Facebook group, of course you have my one step outside group. I can recommend others, so just message me as well on any social channel and I can give you some tips, especially some groups if you are a parent perhaps struggling with that at the moment and so on.

Find like-minded groups, work with a coach, find someone to really partner with and help you find that energy. Maybe ask some powerful questions to resolve, what is it? What’s going on right now? What is holding you back? Are there some beliefs? Is there some mindset stuff going on? And how can we really uncover what that fun, that inspiration is and help you moving towards or clarifying, defining new goals? So, look for communities online. Offline’s a bit tricky now, but still whatever works for you in terms of chatting to people, having those conversations, knowing that other people are going through the same difficult things, but also succeeding in finding their motivation and doing inspiring things. And again, that can be really exciting too to see, “Hey, they’re doing this. I’d like to do that too.”

And finally, 5th tip is to do something, anything. I’ve said this many times before, but it’s worth repeating again and again. Action begets action.

There’s no point to just sitting on the sofa, “Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba,” and just waiting for motivation to hit and then I’ll get up and do something. No, motivation comes when you get up and do something. So, an example I’ve always given in the past is tidying. If I just sit here going, “Oh, I wish I had the energy to go through my drawers and de-clutter and so on.” Probably never going to find that motivation. However, if I go, “Okay, you know what? I’ll just try this little drawer.” Same with exercise. Of course, “Hey, I’ll just do 10 minutes of running.”

As soon as you start, you’re like, “I’m really enjoying this. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as I thought. And hey, now that I’m here, I might as well do a bit more tidying, or do another drawer, or I’ll go for another five minutes of running.”

Right? So action begets action.

And doing something, calling someone up, emailing, downloading a book, listening to something. It doesn’t have to be drastic or dramatic. Maybe researching a course. I had a course that I started last year that unfortunately I had to sort of take a step … I chose to, let’s say. And I take ownership for this, to take a step back from now. Now I thought, “Okay, little step.” I just go on and see, “Okay, how much do I have left? Is it manageable?” Do I just go, “Hey, let’s put this to one side or do I keep kind of putting myself together and trying to move forwards?”

Which is, I think what I’m going to be doing now. So, a little step you can give yourself, but just do something, anything to me forwards. So again, give yourself a break, literally and metaphorically in the sense of take a break, take some more time off if needed. As much needed as you want or need. And take a break in the sense of, “Hey, give yourself a break.”

Really, don’t be so hard on yourself.

Find the fun, look for the fun and follow the things that are really exciting you, if anything.

If nothing, then look for the inspiration, both externally outside of the world, in other people, reading, watching, talking to people and so on. And joining a community, finding like-minded people, people who are out there either struggling through the same issues as you and/or already out there. They’ve already overcome this issue that you have. And there are, again, coaches out there. We can help you do that as well. We have that experience and we’ve helped other people do that too.

And finally, take action. Any action, do something. And I’m sure you’re going to find some little spark at some point. And that’s going to take you off in unexpected directions. So hopefully that’s helped. Again, the main message really is be kind to yourself, be compassionate. Don’t worry about all this stuff that’s going on. In fact, if needed, if you want, to take another step back, do a bit of digital detox, stop listening to podcasts and looking at the social media feed and so on. Give yourself a literal break from the world as well, if that’s what you need. But if you’re ready to go, then hopefully this has given you a few ideas to get that spark back as well. Thanks so much for listening again. I’m excited to be back with you and I will see you again next week. Bye for now.

If you’re ready to start to reimagine what success could look like for you, here are some of the ways in which Anna can support you:

Get private mentoring for your business – Partnering with a business coach can help you see those blind spots and get both external accountability and expert guidance to take your business to where you want it to be. www.onestepoutside.com/freeconsultation

Get private career coaching – Individual coaching is fully tailored to your specific goals and desires so we can create the programme that works best for you, with the support that you need to move forwards. www.onestepoutside.com/claritycall

Grab a copy of Leaving the Corporate 9 to 5 – After interviewing 50 people who have left the corporate 9 to 5 to forge their own path, Anna has collected their stories in a book that will inspire you with the possibilities that are out there and reassure you that you’re not alone in looking for an alternative. www.leavingthecorporate9to5.com

Join the One Step Outside the 9 to 5 Business Incubator – This is your roadmap to transitioning from a corporate job into setting up a meaningful business that will bring you more freedom, flexibility and fulfilment outside of the corporate 9 to 5. www.onestepoutside.com/9to5

Up-level with The Outsiders Business Accelerator – This is a mastermind for entrepreneurs, freelancers and small business owners who want to create a long-term sustainable brand and business. www.onestepoutside.com/accelerate

SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

You might also like

“Everything you’ve ever
wanted is one step outside
your comfort zone.”

Book a free consultation

Get on the phone with Anna to discuss your unique goals and situation to determine the best programme for you, so you can start taking action towards creating the business and lifestyle you desire.

Explore a broader definition of success

Download this free assessment to consider what ‘success’ means to you across different areas of your life, evaluate where you are today, and prioritise the right goals to get you to where you want to be.

We will use and protect your data in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

Explore a broader definition of success

Download this free assessment to consider what ‘success’ means to you across different areas of your life, evaluate where you are today, and prioritise the right goals to get you to where you want to be.

We will use and protect your data in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

Outside of the 9 to 5

Anna continues the journey in her new book, where she details what’s needed to sustain your initial escape from the 9 to 5 in a guide to designing and building a profitable business that gives you more freedom, flexibility and fulfilment.

We will use and protect your data in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

Privacy Policy

This privacy policy sets out how One Step Outside uses and protects any information that you give One Step Outside when you use this website (https://onestepoutside.com/).

One Step Outside is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified when using this website, then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement.

One Step Outside may change this policy from time to time by updating this page. You should check this page from time to time to ensure that you are happy with any changes.

What information we collect and why

We only ever collect the information that we need in order to serve you.

Generally, this just means collecting your first name and email address that you enter, for example, when you request a resource, register for a webinar, or submit a message via a contact form.

If you are a paying customer, we also collect your billing information including your last name and your postal address.

Comments

When visitors leave comments on the site we collect the data shown in the comments form, and also the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help spam detection.

An anonymised string created from your email address (also called a hash) may be provided to the Gravatar service to see if you are using it. The Gravatar service privacy policy is available here: https://automattic.com/privacy/. After approval of your comment, your profile picture is visible to the public in the context of your comment.

Contact forms

We use Gravity Forms to allow you to contact us via the website. We will use the information you submit for the sole purpose of that specific form and will explicitly ask you to provide your consent to allow us to do so.

Embedded content from other websites

Articles on this site may include embedded content (e.g. videos, images, articles, etc.). Embedded content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if the visitor has visited the other website.

These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content, including tracking your interaction with the embedded content if you have an account and are logged in to that website.

Advertising and Analytics

Google

We use Google Analytics to track and optimise performance on this site as well as embedding video content from YouTube, and this means that your web browser automatically sends certain information to Google. This includes the URL of the page that you’re visiting and your IP address. Google may also set cookies on your browser or read cookies that are already there. Apps that use Google advertising services also share information with Google, such as the name of the app and a unique identifier for advertising.

Google uses the information shared by sites and apps to deliver our services, maintain and improve them, develop new services, measure the effectiveness of advertising, protect against fraud and abuse and personalise content and ads that you see on Google and on our partners’ sites and apps. See their Privacy Policy to learn more about how they process data for each of these purposes, and their Advertising page for more about Google ads, how your information is used in the context of advertising and how long Google stores this information.

Facebook

We use the conversion tracking and custom audiences via the Facebook pixel on our website. This allows user behaviour to be tracked after they have been redirected to our website by clicking on a Facebook ad and enables us to measure the effectiveness of our Facebook ads. The data collected in this way is anonymous to us, i.e. we do not see the personal data of individual users. However, this data is stored and processed by Facebook, who may link this information to your Facebook account and also use it for its own promotional purposes, in accordance with Facebook’s Data Usage Policy https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/.

You can allow Facebook and its partners to place ads on and off Facebook. A cookie may also be stored on your computer for these purposes. You can revoke your permission directly on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/ads/preferences/?entry_product=ad_settings_screen. For more guidance on opting out you can also consult http://www.aboutads.info/choices.

Who we share your data with

We use a number of third parties to provide us with services which are necessary to run our business or to assist us with running our business and who process your information for us on our behalf. These include a hosting and email provider (Siteground), mailing list provider (GetResponse), and a payment provider (Stripe).

Your information will be shared with these service providers only where necessary to enable us to run our business.

How long we maintain your data

If you leave a comment, the comment and its metadata are retained indefinitely. This is so we can recognise and approve any follow-up comments automatically instead of holding them in a moderation queue.

For users that register on our website, we also store the personal information they provide in their user profile. All users can see, edit, or delete their personal information at any time (except they cannot change their username). Website administrators can also see and edit that information.

The main reason for collecting this information is to be able to send you resources, updates and, sometimes, information and products and services, as well as for internal record keeping.

The rights you have over your data

If you have an account on this site, or have left comments, you can request to receive an exported file of the personal data we hold about you, including any data you have provided to us. You can also request that we erase any personal data we hold about you. This does not include any data we are obliged to keep for administrative, legal, or security purposes.

How we protect your data

We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure.

Where we have given you (or where you have chosen) a password that lets you access certain parts of our site, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential and we ask you not to share a password with anyone.

Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure. Although we will do our best to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee the security of your data transmitted to our site; any transmission is at your own risk. Once we have received your information, we will use strict procedures and security features to try to prevent unauthorised access.

Links to other websites

Our website contains links to other websites. This privacy policy only applies to this website so once you have used these links to leave our site, you should note that we do not have any control over that other website. You should exercise caution and look at the privacy statement applicable to the website in question.

Changes to our privacy policy

We keep our privacy policy under regular review. Initially created on 18th November 2016, it was last updated on 23rd May 2018 to be compliant with GDPR.

Contact information

If you have any questions or concerns related to your privacy, you can get in touch here >>