Motivation is something we all struggle with. 

And a lack of it can come out of nowhere, you might wake up one morning and feel overcome with this all consuming sense that everything is too much and too hard. 

I should point out that I think everyone is feeling a bit of burnout at the moment; whether that may be due to the post covid boost that is now coming to a low. Like a sugar high you eventually crash from. Or maybe it’s the economic shift – inflation isn’t something very motivating, – rents have increased, so have mortgages and daily expenses have gone up, I know everyone is feeling it. That’s sure to be a little debilitating.

On our group coaching call last week, someone said she was struggling with her motivation at the moment. And quite a few others agreed with her. 

I’ve been feeling a bit the same lately, as well.

I came down from my office to one of my local cafes the other day, and the owner asked me, ‘what would you like?’

“Some motivation,” I said.

I then found myself in a conversation about Tony Robbins. Apparently, he’s doing his show in Australia later this year if you’re into that kind of thing. My friend at the cafe is thinking of going. I don’t think I will.

I don’t think that’s the sort of motivation I’m after – to break through my fear barriers and get the health, body, career and wealth I deserve. Or whatever Tony is promising.

There are different kinds of motivation, and I don’t want to disrespect Tony Robbins, but from what I’ve seen and read about his shows, it’s quite a short-term pump-up of adrenaline and confidence and many people remain pumped for a bit, but it soon fades away and people are back to where they were before. 

So we’re not talking here about that kind of motivation but about how you stay motivated at your business – at work in the long term. 

I think there are a few things for us to consider.

Your energy and motivation ebbs and flows. It’s affected by your mood and your health – all sorts of things So;

You should look after yourself (of course).

And you should go easy on yourself if you’re having an off day or an off week. It’ll probably come back. It’s okay to not be okay. 

It’s much more difficult to motivate yourself to do things you’re not very good at or that you’re new to, or that are outside your comfort zone. These are ‘often’ the things you need to do to improve your business – the things I’m pushing you to do.

It’s also difficult to motivate yourself to initiate things as opposed to responding to things. If you’ve got emails asking you to help with a job or make a decision, that work is much easier to do than calling a stranger or writing a job description for a new tradesperson.

If, as has been happening often for my clients recently, you miss out on winning a job, you’re likely to feel a bit flat and if that leaves you quieter with less work to do (or less of the obvious business-as-usual work), you’re likely to feel even lower and unmotivated (especially compared to how you feel when it’s busy and positive and there’s loads to do).

So what should you do if you’re not feeling motivated?

First off, give yourself a break. We all feel like this sometimes, If you can, give yourself an actual break and go and do something else for a bit – something not work-related.

Second, make a bit of a plan for what you need to do. Go back to your strategy and your Right Next thing and decide what you should be doing. Pick something manageable and do it. Get in touch with me or David for a pep-talk or to help you decide what to do and how to do it. 

There’s not much better for your motivation than actually completing one of your jobs or making progress on a difficult job.

Motion is the potion. Start moving.

So I’m sorry for sounding like a business coach.

• Have a break
• Look at your plan
• Get some support
• Man (or woman) –  the f*ck up and start doing something