“I’ve lost motivation – I know without it I am held back, but I just don’t know how to get motivation back!”

How do we get motivation?
How do we keep it?
How can we keep the fire burning?“If I try this new program it might be what I need to gain the motivation back. A fresh start is what I need to get me back.”

This is something we have heard before in different ways. But be reassured that you are not alone. The confronting thing is that we need to reveal what is really holding you back and learn to control the “motivation vampire” head first.

What is the motivation vampire?

She can be the voice in your head providing you with reasons not to move forward.
She can be the negative energy that jumps at any chance to derail you from your goals.
She is not completely living or completely dead, lying in wait for a negative thought to appear then comes to life, sucking the life force and energy out of you, making you feel less than alive.
She can be hard to detect and hard to get rid of. If we don’t actively create a way to rid ourselves of her she will remain in your life and continue to suck motivation, life and positive thoughts from you.

The motivation vampire can feel like a force to be reckoned with when she strikes.

It is an easy option for us to bring out the motivation excuse when things are not tracking the way we want.

The reality however is that motivation (and your motivation vampire) is simply another emotion that can come and go. The moment we make and accept the realisation that motivation can come and go, and that we must adopt different strategies for success the more productive we become.

And the more goals we will achieve.

Just like winter cannot come without summer, happiness cannot come without sadness.

Motivation cannot exist without demotivation.
Periods of demotivation will come.
Accept it.

We need both “versions” of the emotion in order to know what the other side feels like.
Demotivation is not something we should run away from. In fact, it is an emotion that can provide us with a lot to learn from.
Instead of running away, we need to take this opportunity and ask ourselves the real questions:
Grab yourself your journal and lets get stuck in.

Step 1: Identify your Motivation Vampire

Where are these feelings coming from?
Where do you feel stuck?
What is going on in your life when your are demotivated?

First look to understand why and how these feelings have emerged.  Lean into these feelings (as hard as that may be, awareness is the first step).

Is there are pattern emerging, does your motivation vampire come to life at certain times of the month, or certain days in the week?

Once you have taken the time to collect the data let’s look to the opposite side.

Step 2: Identify what Makes You Successful

What is happening in your life when you are kicking butt?
When you are at your best, what does your life look like?

Are you training consistently, drinking a regular amount of water, going to bed at a certain time, meditating……what things are contributing to your success?

We often find it easy to determine what is not working, but when we flip it on its head we can struggle to determine what makes us thrive.

Take the time to learn and understand when you are at your best and document it. This will give you the information you need to build out a strategy to kill your motivation vampire.

From here we can create your action plan going forward.

Step 3: When You Are At Your Best

What do you need to do now to be the best version of yourself?
Determine your set of non negotiable markers that remind you to focus on what brings you success in your day to day life.

Write it down.

Refer to it daily.

Revisit it weekly and tweak it where necessary.

Just like any emotion, motivation WILL come and go. When we realise and accept that this emotion is a passing phase we are able to take back control and determine our pathway.

“We cannot thrive without learning to go inward”- Ariana Huffington