4 Steps to Rebuilding Your Motivation

How do you defeat the self-inflicted agony that each one of us as humans have felt at some point or another? How do you work through the pain that hurts so much to the point that we don’t want to deal with it anymore? How do you not give up?


Here’s how:

Step 1—Understand that you’re not alone and the feeling isn’t permanent.

The first step towards crawling back to taking control of your life when you’re on the verge of giving up is really just remembering that you’re not the only person who has felt hopeless, all of us understand what you’re feeling and where you’re coming from. We’ve all been there, and chances are that we’ll each be there again, so it really is kind of about understanding that it happens to everyone, and even more importantly, these moods and feelings come and go in waves. Just because you feel down and without motivation right now doesn’t mean it’ll last forever. It may be gone tomorrow, it may be gone a week from now or a month from now, but it is temporary.

Step 2—Start believing in yourself.

You have the power to let go of negative beliefs about yourself. You also have the power to create positive beliefs that will empower you rather than hinder you. The point of feeling like you want to give up comes from becoming the victim of the negativity of your own internal dialogue. You want to give up because the conversation that takes place in your head tells you you aren’t good enough, you’re not competent, you don’t have it in you, and that maybe what you’re doing isn’t worth the reward you’re expecting. These are problems that we all face as humans on a daily basis simply because our minds are neurotic; they’re negative, and we believe them.

In order to start believing in yourself, you have to stop believing what your mind says. Stop believing the negativity that plays out in your mind and start to laugh at it. You have the power to let go of negative beliefs, and at the same time create positive beliefs that are self-empowering.

Step 3—Start changing your life in ways that will reflect a change in your attitude.

You are the things that you do on a daily basis. If you want your life to change, if you want your moods to change, if your attitude to get better or your motivation to be higher, you have to begin changing your daily actions in a way that will exhibit change in your life.

For me, the way I stay motivated when I’m feeling down is by starting to do daily habits that are difficult, that challenge me and help me grow my willpower. Not only do you feel accomplished when you take on challenging habits, but you are literally strengthening your willpower.

It really is about keeping your energy levels high, and challenging yourself with difficult habits. Developing these habits will help you deal with the negativity that drains you physically, mentally and emotionally.
What are these habits?

Waking up early helps me take time to enjoy my life, and focus on the actions I know are necessary to accomplish my goals. When you become a morning person, you begin to feel empowered, accomplished, and you create time for yourself while the rest of the world is still asleep and there are no distractions.

Meditating is a very important habit that really will help you understand the negative thoughts you have. It will help you begin to separate from those thoughts with the understanding that you are not your thoughts. When you believe your negative thoughts and identify with them, you have no power, you feel horrible about yourself and you will lack motivation. Start to understand your own negativity by meditating for just a few minutes a day and you will find that your motivation levels rise instantly.

Reading is another integral habit that helps keep me motivated. I read about people who have been successful in life; people who seemingly have infinite motivation within them to do everything they set out to do. There’s nothing more motivating than learning from successful individuals who have detailed accounts about what kept them going and how they were able to stay strong in difficult times. You and I are no different and we can take lessons from successful, motivated people and implement those strategies in our own lives.

Step 4—Surround yourself with people who exhibit qualities that you want to possess.
The most important thing you need to do in order to keep yourself motivated and positive is surround yourself with people who you want to be like rather than surrounding yourself with people who are just like you. We become the people we hang out with, and I like to say that we’re an average of the 5 people we spend the most time with. If you surround yourself with people that are just like you, you will never change. But if you begin to surround yourself with motivated, positive people that are go-getters, you too will become a positive person with proper motivation who is a go getter.
Conclusion

Don’t give up. When you’re about to give up is the point where its most important to show up with strength and not give into the difficulty you’re facing. Just remember, this is temporary, you’re not alone, change is possible, and you have the strength in you to live the life you want.


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What Do You Long For?

Everyone has a longing or longings of some kind whether for love, relationships, success, recognition, approval or world travels. It's basic human nature. If you long for nothing in your life that you don't have or desire I'll wager that you are living either in denial, you have settled or given up on a dream, hope, desire or some aspect or even every aspect of life - you are existing day to day just waiting for your last day.

I'm not just talking here about goals, plans or dreams but the basic need to fill some empty part of your life. To long for can take many forms from a simple something to happen in your life today to a miraculous cure of some disease or trauma.

Why do we long? Is it pride? Ego? Arrogance? Fundamental basic human needs? Hope? Visions? Yes, it can be these any many more.

Over the years I have longed for many things in my life, career and relationships - some of them have happened while others still elude me for some reason. Do I give up - quit - keep waiting - keep trying or just accept what is and what may never be?

I don't know about you but quitting has never been in my DNA. Frustration - yes, disappointment - yes, regret - yes, but in the end letting these rule the time I have left seems to waste life - whatever it brings to me.

Yes, sometimes age, health and financial circumstances can cause us to reconsider our lifelong longings, but this doesn't mean they can't change, adjust or be replaced with something else given our new circumstances.

I am reminded of Christopher Reeves (the first Superman) after his accident that changed the rest of his life forever but if you have read his story you know that he accomplished a great deal from his wheelchair, in fact much more than many people who can walk, talk, think etc. His story has been an inspiration to me when I have faced challenging or difficult times.

But what about you - given up on something? Just because you may not be making the progress you think you should, is no reason to let go. Yes, the dream or desire you long for may take a different path or have a different outcome due to unexpected changes in your life but this is no reason to quit, give in or settle.

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5 Ways to Find Willpower When You Feel Burnt Out and Hopeless

We all experience periods in our lives when we hit a rough patch and Lady Luckno longer seems to support us. We’re left feeling crushed by life itself. Times when unexpected events have happened, often beyond our control, and it’s pushed us to our breaking point. When tough times hit, we often feel our willpower severely waning.

We feel so burnt out and devoid of energy that our viewpoint into our future starts to look bleak and hopeless. When we’ve reached this point, it’s pretty hard to find a reason to push on. But luckily, there are some ways to fight back and regain your inner power.
Here are my favorite ways on how to have willpower when you feel burnt out and hopeless:

1) Gratitude.

Sometimes, when I’m at my lowest points, when I can’t think of anything positive and life just seems completely pointless, I like to take a moment to remember everything that I do have in my life and feel grateful.

Here’s how gratefulness can help you on how to have willpower again.

Remember that:
Your gratitude list can include anything. In fact, when times are super tough and I can’t think of anything one thing to be grateful for, I remember that at least for right now, I have a roof over my head and food in my belly, that there are millions of men, women, and children around the globe who don’t have those basic life necessities available to them on a regular basis.

However, you can also be grateful for your toothbrush, Snickers bars, your pets, or your BMW. It’s your choice and your list so name whatever you want that makes you remember life has great moments – even during the darkest times.
Keep a gratitude journal near your bed. Every morning and/or night, write down a list of 5-20 things that you are grateful for during the day. In time you’ll see that you really do have a lot more to be grateful for than you ever could have imagined. It’s also really beneficial to turn to those lists when you’re feeling down about life.

You’ll remember you have a whole notebook of things that are really great in your life and that will help boost your willpower to keep moving forward.

Gratitude helps take the focus away from whatever isn’t showing up in my life and redirects me to notice what I do have that is so amazing. Using gratitude to boost your willpower can give you a new perspective on what’s really going on. It will help you feel more grounded and resilient, rather than burnt out and hopeless.


2) Volunteer

Being around others who value your service and who need your help – whether that’s the environment, animals, children or other adults in need, it’s a great way for you to feel life is hopeful, not hopeless.

Not only do you get a chance to see that others too, are going through a difficult time, but volunteering will help remind you that no matter what is going on in your life, you can still do some good in the world. What you do matters, and that you make a positive difference to others.

Remember to:
Find a volunteer position or charity that is aligned with your time and energy levels. Ask friends about where they volunteer. Maybe even try out a few before you settle on a specific one. But find one leaves you feeling energized and happy afterwards rather than sad and depleted.

While sometimes you may be witnessing a sad situation, like when I volunteered as a groomer at an animal shelter and saw many cases of abuse, it helped when I focused on how I was helping the animals transition from dirty and alone to happy, healthy and on their way to their new forever homes.
Keep searching – there are tons of volunteer opportunities out there that can fit everyone’s lifestyle, needs, and schedule. You can even find volunteering or mentoring positions that you can do online. So keep searching until you find one you really love. If you don’t see it out there, you can always start your own charity based on needs you see in your own community that aren’t yet being met.

Volunteering your time, money or expertise will get your willpower back up and running in no time as you’ll be reminded that there’s a lot more than just you on this planet and that you’re needed by others.


3) Treat Yourself!

If you have gotten to the point where your willpower is so low that you can barely get out of bed, then this is the time to start treating yourself a whole lot better! We are taught that giving is the greatest thing we can do, but if we do not stop and allow ourselves to receive, it’s possible to give until we are sucked dry.

It doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive or elaborate. Just do something for yourself that makes you feel happy. Do things like that as often as you can. The more you give to yourself, the less hopeless you’ll feel. You’ll be more able to give joyfully and abundantly to others.

Remember that:
Make treating yourself an everyday habit. The more you give to yourself, the more energy you will have, so set aside some time every day to do something kind for yourself. It doesn’t have to take up a lot of time, but it does need to help you remember that life can be and is, good.
Change it up. You don’t have to do the same nice thing for yourself every day. The more you choose to vary your treats, the more you’ll enjoy the process and the more likely you’ll be able to keep up this healthy practice of self love. The more you receive, the more you’ll be able to give.

4) Start Treating Yourself Better

Most of us are running on empty. We have too much going on in our lives. Of course, rather than letting the ball drop in any area we allow our minds, bodies, and spirits to take the brunt and then we wonder while all of a sudden we’re feeling depleted and burnt out.

When we’re short on time, energy and/or personal happiness, it’s really easy to start losing our willpower and feel hopeless. This is where daily self care comes in handy. By daily care I mean getting enough sleep to feel rejuvenated, NOT exhausted when you wake


Remember that:
If you don’t like it, use it or need it anymore, let it go. Holding on to stuff that no longer holds true value to you only weighs you down in body, mind and spirit, so for the sake of your mental and physical health it’s a good idea to purge all the negativity and waste from your life.
This exercise will lead to a great awareness of what really matters in your life – if you do it properly. It will help you realize that keeping positive people and things in your space have a great effect on how you feel and how you make decisions. Do yourself a favor and start getting rid anything negative out of your life. See how wonderful, free, and happy you start feeling.


Whether it’s going on a much needed vacation, making a quick trip to the manicurist or buying yourself a decadent brownie as a rare treat, do something that makes you feel happy and joyful. Giving too much can burn us out and leave us feeling depleted. This is why we need to give to ourselves just as much as we give to others.

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Practicing daily care also means choosing to eat natural, real food rather than products made with salt, sugar, and fat to help you feel good, happy, and healthy from the inside-out. Daily care also means exercising regularly so that you remain strong, healthy and limber.

Remember that:
Little steps can lead to big improvements. Even something small like going to bed at the same time every night can lead to quickly feeling happier and healthier. It’s also important to incorporate these daily care rituals into your schedule so that they become just part of your routine, rather than something you have to squeeze into your day. This will ensure you keep up the practice and actually reap and enjoy their myriad benefits.
Get support. It’s important when you are trying to make positive changes to have the right support system. Whether you hire someone, join a group or get a friend, spouse or relative to help you out, the more you’ll feel encouraged and supported in making positive changes. This makes it easier for you to maintain these changes.

If you’re thinking about how to have willpower, remember that being healthy is what will help you. Treating yourself better will push through those tough, hopeless times with much more ease and grace than you can if you’re not caring for yourself on a regular basis.

Taking care of yourself every day is essential for a happy, healthy, and productive life. You simply cannot allow caring for yourself to go by the wayside, no matter how busy you become or things will start to crumble out of your control.


5) Remove Everything in your Life that Leaves you Feeling Burnt Out and Hopeless.

There are so many decisions we have to make these days. So many choices that can lead us down a variety of different paths. It can become exhausting just trying to figure out the right path for yourself. The more decisions you have to make, the more burnt out you’ll probably feel.

Wondering how to have willpower to gain energy reserves and enjoy feeling like you’re actually in control? It’s important to let go of everything that doesn’t hold any value or meaning in your life.


Be kind to yourself, be grateful, and don’t cling to things of no value. This is how to have willpower again – despite feelings of hopelessness and exhaustion.

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