Your life is today. Again and again and again.
So, what happens when every today you experience begins to feel as repetitively unsatisfying as all the todays that preceded it?
You are stuck.
And even scarier than being stuck, you are lacking the motivation and drive to locate a way out.
The walls are just far too high.
Important note: if you have been feeling this way for a prolonged period of time, or if these feelings of demotivation are extreme and causing you to even lack the energy to perform essential tasks in your life, such as getting out of bed, please seek professional support from your local healthcare provider or mental health charity.
Mind is an example of one of the many fantastic charities that provide life-changing mental health support and advice.
Feeling that the natural flow of your life has run stale is incredibly common. But thankfully, there are actions that you can take in order to kickstart its momentum again.
The first thing you need to do is to think about the source of the rut that you find yourself in.
There are two sources that are the most common.
One is monotony. Your life has become predictable due to a potential lack of change and challenge, leading you to feeling a lack of stimulation and fulfilment.
The other is the accumulation of detrimental habits which are damaging your abilities day to day. You could be repeatedly not getting enough sleep or eating foods that are not giving you everything that your body needs.
These could also be linked. Let’s say for example that you are struggling with the repetitiveness of working at home. The effect of each day being so similar could lead to you becoming so demotivated that you lose the will to do all those things that make you feel good, which can amalgamate as time passes with other harmful behaviours.
An important thing for either of these sources of a rut is to note that these are incredibly unlikely to fix themselves unless you are proactive in making a change.
It can be really easy, when you feel empty, to wait for something to come by and fuel you to act.
Perhaps we have all at some point said the phrase… ‘I am just waiting for motivation or to be inspired.’
Whilst this may seem like the natural order of things, that you have to have something or someone making you do stuff before you take action, it does not actually have to be this way.
Your actions in themselves can be the source of your long-awaited motivation and inspiration.
This does not mean going from zero to one hundred straight away and shifting from first gear all the way up into fifth, without anything in-between.
You may have been stuck waiting for inspiration to act because you are confused as to what you should be doing, or what action would benefit you the most, both immediately and in the long term.
Therefore, you could begin with simple tasks or small steps that will form the start of a new beginning.
It could be getting up off of your seat and cleaning an area of your house that you have left unkempt for a while. Or beginning to research a new hobby that you find intriguing. Even to start the process of learning a new skill that you believe would be beneficial to you.
You do not need to commit to maximum productivity and activity straight away. That may make the internal battle inside your brain a tougher one to win each day as you fight to continue to perform that activity to the same intensity.
However, by continually building exciting new steps and rewarding yourself every single time, it will be much more effective in transforming those activities into new habits. New habits which will prove beneficial to your long-term mental health and feelings of purpose and fulfilment. It will give you a sense of growth which will massively outweigh those feelings of stagnation that you were feeling before.
Each small step also packs the potential to inspire you to find the direction which previously appeared too foggy to see, and also the motivation to commit to those actions too.
Sometimes the hardest thing, as it is with any negative feelings you may be having, is to not just act with ignorance towards them. It is important to identify that you’re going through something, as that will then help you to begin to turn it around for yourself.
Denying the problem may work in the short term but it won’t fix anything. Nor will it stop the issue developing and growing in the shadows to re-emerge later.
Remember, negative thoughts are normal thoughts, and there is no shame in finding yourself in a rut.
I really hope this blog has showed you that you are not powerless. You are the most powerful person you know.
These tough times can often be the catalyst that begins something great in your life.
The actions you decide to take today could begin a new and truly exciting journey for you.
Thanks!
Alex & The Excel Team
P.S. If you would like to discuss any of your learning & development challenges for 2022, call us on +44(0) 1628488 854.
About Excel Communications
Excel Communications is a learning and development consultancy based near London in the U.K. For more than 30 years; we have been collaborating with clients across the globe. Partnering with Excel empowers you to evolve your people and business by fuelling a love for learning. We work with you to create unforgettably, customised learning experiences to achieve your vision of success and growth, with tangible results. View our case studies here. We have a team of expert trainers delivering programmes across five continents in multiple languages. Call us now on +44 (0) 1628 488 854.
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