I’d love to say that I am always motivated to reach for my goals, to do my housework, to homeschool my kids, and to exercise. But I’m not. It’s easy to look at the people around us that look successful and think they always have it all together. The truth is, though, they don’t. They struggle just like the next person. We all do.
For me, last week was tough. I started out with an annoying headache that just won’t go away which turned into a sore throat which into almost no voice for two days. To top it off, I felt completely unmotivated and didn’t feel like writing at all. I just felt like giving up. Simply put, I let myself feel a little sorry for myself the whole week through, which is something I rarely do.
It’s easy to look at the people around us that look successful and think they always have it all together. The truth is, though, they don’t. They struggle just like the next person. We all do. For me, last week was tough. I started out with an annoying headache that just won’t go away which turned into a sore throat and turned into almost no voice for two days. To top it off, I felt completely unmotivated and didn’t feel like writing at all. I just felt like giving up. Simply put, I let myself feel a little sorry for myself the whole week through, which is something I rarely do. Anyone that knows me in real life, knows that I am a “glass half full” kind of girl and see things from a position of thankfulness most of the time.
So How do I get motivated when I don’t feel like it?
1. I remind myself of Lamentations 3:22-23; The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
We need to take the opportunity to reset whenever we need. Remind yourself that God’s mercies are new to us each morning. After that, give yourself a little grace and don’t let yourself continue to walk in the “poor me” attitude that you’ve been walking in.
2. I cultivate an attitude of gratitude
I have long made it a practice to look for the good in each situation. It isn’t always easy, but I encourage you to see what you do have to be thankful for in the moment.
A couple of weeks ago, my suv started making a strange sound while we were driving and braking. My husband took it into the garage and determined that there was something wrong in the front differential.
In that moment, I have two choices.
- I could complain and whine saying “why does this vehicle always have trouble?” (Which would be a gross exaggeration, but one I’ve been guilty of before)
OR
- I can choose to be thankful that we didn’t get left stranded on the side of the road, we have a trustworthy mechanic, and we have the money in our account to pay for it.
Which do you think is the healthier response? Obviously, the second response.
3. I take myself back to my why
It is highly important to know the why (the reason) behind each and everything you are involved with. This is especially important if you want to live an intentional life. If you are a woman, you probably have a lot of things on your plate. You will need to figure out “why” you do each thing. Whether you work outside the home, stay at home, have a business, are a wife, homeschool or send your kids to school there are going to be times when you are absolutely sick and tired of doing what you are doing. This is when knowing your why you becomes highly important.
I homeschool our children. What’s my why? My why is that I want the time to build relationships with them that will grow sweeter and sweeter as the years go by, as well as teaching them to have a relationship with our heavenly Father.
Now you might ask, “Do you always follow this advice?” Not right away. Honestly, last week I was very slow to follow it. Eventually, I did and things are looking so much better in my world because of it.
I’d love if you’d take a minute to comment and let me know how you motivate yourself when your not “feeling” it.
