Are you in a slump? Are you struggling even to feel motivated enough to get dressed every day? Or are you just lacking any motivation to work on your goals?
Today is all about getting you out of that slump, helping you to feel motivated, and most importantly, getting you moving forward and achieving your dreams.
Let’s dig right in!
Acknowledge the slump
The very first thing you need to do is admit you are in a slump.
Acknowledging that you are in a slump can be as simple as saying out loud, “I recognize that I am in a slump, but I’m tired of being in a slump, and I’m ready to move forward.”
That’s it!
Just get it out there, say the words, let yourself hear it…and if you need to, say it again with gusto!
Admitting where you’re at, the struggle that you’re facing, and deciding that it’s time to move forward is an essential step. You can’t move forward until you admit you are in a situation you are no longer satisfied with and then decide that you are ready to move forward.
If you can’t even say the words, how will you ever take action and do the work?
Brain Dump
What’s a brain dump?
A brain dump is a straightforward and effective way to get everything out of your head and onto a paper, so you no longer have to carry it around and spend time and energy thinking about it and trying to remember it.
Here’s what you do:
- Get a paper and a pen
- Set the timer for ten minutes
- Write down everything that pops into your mind
Whatever comes into your head for the next ten minutes, write it down!
If the only thing in your head is “I don’t know what to write.”, write that down. Then, write it down again…dump it onto the paper…and get it out of your brain onto the paper, so your brain doesn’t have to keep track of it anymore.
Write down things you are worried about, things that are stressing you out, projects you are working on, ideas you have that you can’t process right now, your to-do, things you want that maybe you can’t currently afford.
Did you hate Kim Kardashian’s outfit she wore to the Met Gala? Write that down!
Did you hate Kim Kardashian’s outfit she wore to the Met Gala? Write that down!
The irritating thing your partner said to you this morning that you have been stewing on all day? Write it down!
WRITE IT ALL DOWN!!
Get it onto the paper and out of your brain for ten entire minutes.
Then, when the timer goes off, put your pen down…take a deep breath…and let go of all that stress you just released onto the paper.
Writing is POWERFUL! It activates parts of your brain that are inactive when you are busy with other things. Writing in this way leads to discovering and recognizing stuff you may not be consciously aware of until you put pen to paper.
Please give yourself a thoughtful gift today…sit down for ten minutes with a pen and paper and write. Just get it all out; your brain will thank you!
Get MOVING
You have acknowledged your slump and put it out in the universe that you are ready to move forward, and you have dumped all the stuff out of your brain, so you don’t have to carry it around.
Now it’s time to move forward LITERALLY!
Moving your body releases endorphins which make you feel motivated!
Sometimes, the first thing to go is your health and fitness habits when you get into a slump.
I’m not saying you need to start a completely new regimen or start a new diet today. We are talking baby steps here. You don’t want to get overwhelmed right as you are getting motivated!
Just put some shoes on and go for a walk! Move. Your. Body.
Set your timer for 20 minutes and move until the timer goes off.
Moving also resets the neurological pathways in your brain. That’s just science!
Moving also resets the neurological pathways in your brain. That’s just science!
When my son was in elementary school, I read about this, and I thought perhaps this would help with some of the struggles I was facing with his autism and ADHD symptoms.
I had noticed that after being outside playing, he had a period of calm. This observation, coupled with the reading I had just done about the science behind neurology and activity, I thought perhaps I had found a tool I could leverage.
So I did.
I was homeschooling him, and as you might imagine, it was a challenge to keep him focused enough to teach him and get him engaged in doing his school work.
So I started something new.
Before we started school, I sent him out to the trampoline and made him jump for ten to fifteen minutes. Then, low and behold, he came inside calm, focused, and ready to learn.
Then, between subjects, I would send him outside to run.
The school had advised against running because they said making children run is considered a punishment. But not my son. He loved to run! Even before I read the studies and put two and two together, he knew that running made him feel better. He was self-medicating by resetting his neurological pathways through exercise!
So I gave him time to run between subjects, then we would sit down and do school again.
I used this same strategy on long road trips when we stopped for a break. I would set a point for all the kids to race to and then race back. We would do this a few times and then get back in the car before driving in peace for the next hour.
It was like actual Harry Potter MAGIC!
So get up and get moving. Reset your brain, release those endorphins! It will help you get focused, feel motivated, and out of that slump!
One Goal
Now that you have done the emotional work and started moving, you need to set aside your long list of goals and pick only one to work on for now.
Sometimes we get into a slump because we get overwhelmed, or we feel like we aren’t making progress and our list of goals keeps growing.
For now, you need to remove that beautiful road map on your wall of all the goals you need to accomplish and pick one.
Stick that one on the wall and focus all your energy on accomplishing that one goal.
Then put up the next one and get to work on that one goal.
That feels GREAT!! You just moved forward!
By focusing on just one goal, rather than the big picture of all your goals, you reduce the amount of brainpower and focus needed to keep track of those goals and what you are working to accomplish.
When you have been in a slump, it’s important to minimize what you ask until you gain some traction and start feeling super motivated again.
Just like you did with the brain dump, you are giving your brain permission to let go of the big picture and all the things you need to accomplish and just asking for one thing. One goal.
So pick one! Then, do something today that will get you closer to that one goal.
Gratitude
Here is where I am going to tell you to make another list.
This step doesn’t require a pen and paper unless you want one.
You can:
- Make a list on your bathroom mirror with a dry erase marker
- Make a list in the notes on your phone that you can look at throughout the day
- Speak them out loud
- Keep them in a Notion page
- Write them down in a notebook
Whatever you decide, do it!
This one thing, This. One. Thing. It will change how you feel about yourself and your life in a very short time.
Gratitude shifts the focus from your mistakes, failures, and what you don’t have to the great things in your life!
The act of listing the good things in your life shifts your mindset from negative to positive.
Don’t tell me you don’t have great things in your life. YOU DO!
Are you reading this in your home using the Internet? That means you have a home and access to the Internet! Those are two things a lot of people do not have. BE GRATEFUL for all you have!
So what if it’s not your dream house and the fancy new laptop you want. They are holding the place of your dreams and providing you with what you currently need.
That is something to be grateful for in your life!
Your “not good enough” is someone else’s big dream.
Be grateful for that!
The act of listing the good things in your life shifts your mindset from negative to positive.
This shift will boost your mood, make you feel energized, and get you back on track!
There you Have It!
Acknowledge the slump, do a brain dump, get moving, focus on just one goal, and be grateful.
By using these simple and actionable strategies, you will be well on your way to beating the slump and start feeling more motivated. But, most importantly, you will be moving forward to creating the life you dream of and making your dreams a reality!
Drop down in the comments and let me know what you are grateful for today!