Let’s face it, the pressure was on. I had article deadlines, meetings, a festival to prep for, and tasks to complete for my business coach. Oh man, how did I forget about things my hubby and the girl child wanted and needed to happen? Sigh! It’s not that I didn’t want to write because I love writing. I love to write poetry, songs, and motivational articles for moms and women. It’s that my motivation went out the window, and I wasn’t feeling it. Okay, you got me. I was NOT motivated!
Last week was a little different. After trying to write for days, I couldn’t. Thanks to my savvy planning, I even had several article titles printed on my desk. Unfortunately, I still couldn’t write. One day, I felt like I could do it and typed the first paragraph. I didn’t write a complete article though. And, I’m so over it now.
Here are 3 boss things to do when you’re not feeling it, and you’re simply not motivated.
1). Acknowledge Your It.
What is your It? Only you know the answer. My It is writing, networking, and being active on social media. Last week especially, my It was writing and publishing a blog early in the week. Needless to say, it didn’t happen. So, I wondered what was wrong with me.
After a thorough self-diagnosis, I determined that I wasn’t sick, sad, or angry about anything. And yes, I really said thorough. So what was up? I wasn’t feeling It. I can’t explain why I was chilling on Twitter and Instagram, and acting like I didn’t have any writing to do. I knew I needed to write, and work towards my goal of consistently posting once a week.
Instead of browbeating myself, and doing unnecessary name calling, I decided to go with the flow and create a plan B. In other words, I decided to acknowledge and accept my lack of motivation. In the process, I understood that I had to create a way to work through my feelings in order to accomplish something. I want you to avoid playing the blame game and name calling too. I also want you to focus on how you’re feeling.
2). Focus and Carry On.
After I acknowledged my feelings and lack of motivation, I decided that I was gonna work on my business no matter what. I figured out what working on my business looked like, and then, I made it happen. It’s crazy, but I did a lot of positive self-talk and mini pep talks during this time too. Focus was my word for the week because without being focused, I think I’d be somewhere stuck in a cesspool of regret and defeat, while sending subtle help me tweets. Lol.
When I look back, I actually accomplished a lot. I reached out and connected with some amazing people on social media. I also found older blog articles to add content upgrades to and repurpose. Oh, and did I mention that I absolutely had to set the timer on my phone for 45-minute increments one day because I didn’t have any motivation? Once I got into the groove, it was ON!
I can summarize last week like this: although I couldn’t and didn’t do any writing due to a lack of motivation, I revised an article for publication in an online mom’s magazine, networked my butt off, and did a ton of planning with my blog editorial calendar and cute calendar.
And, I feel good about what I accomplished because hey, life happens. I came. I saw. I wasn’t feeling It. And, I conquered! My hope for you is that you’re able to focus on what absolutely has to be done, so you can create a plan to make it happen, and conquer as well.
3). Celebrate Your Wins.
A mini celebration is mandatory. Before you proceed to give me the side eye, please hear me out first. It’s so easy to pressure yourself and feel some type of way about not meeting all of your weekly obligations. But, is it beneficial? Does it motivate and inspire you? Yes, I know the bills don’t stop. I also know that if you celebrate the small tasks and goals you’ve accomplished, you’re honoring the work you’ve done, and showing yourself gratitude and appreciation. #win
Do something small to celebrate your accomplishments every week. What can you do to celebrate the determination, flexibility, and resilient spirit you’ve shown while pushing through your feelings? I’m taking myself to chill at the bookstore later this week. And, I plan to drool over a new journal (code for I’m gonna buy it, and add it to the pile), plan a blog giveaway, and enjoy a grande white chocolate mocha. #win
My hope for you is that you’ll create a list of 5 – 7 things you can do to celebrate your small wins that you can refer to. And, that you’ll start celebrating today! Here’s a worksheet to help you. #win
Despite being unmotivated, and having an emotional wrench thrown into my work week, I decided to focus on the tasks that I could accomplish instead of on those I couldn’t. I was very intentional by honoring my feelings: I acknowledged and accepted them. I also avoided a meltdown and got stuff done. I hope you’re able to be patient if you’re going through something similar, and honor your feelings too.
How do you cope when something unexpected happens when you have deadlines approaching? Please share your thoughts in the comments section.
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