12 Ways To Get Your Motivational Groove Back
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a guest post from Scott Quitter who blogs at A Couple of Quitters.
Ever have those days where you’re sitting on the couch with the TV remote in your hand going over the same tired channels again and again while you’re thinking, “Okay, I really need to get motivated!”? Has your life fallen into an endless routine of sameness where one day blurs into the next? Do you think about how just a few years ago, you were motivated, energized and very active but you don’t know how to get it back?
For some reason, many people, at one time or another, seem to innocuously slip into the no-motivation zone while their attention is somewhere else. We suddenly wake up and realize that we have no ambition anymore. Why? While there are a million reasons for this, you don’t need to know them all before taking steps to get your motivation groove back. Here’s a list of 12 motivation tricks that can give you the jolt you need to snap out of your sleep-walking life.
- Start a new relationship. You don’t have to replace your boyfriend, girlfriend or spouse, but simply starting a new relationship with a new and interesting person with whom you have a lot in common can add some spice to your week and move you out of the doldrums. Go somewhere new and strike up a conversation. It works!
- Pick up a new hobby. This is especially nice if you can involve a friend–perhaps a new friend! Also, if you have children, a spouse or significant other, start together and enjoy each other’s company. Picking up a new hobby or reconnecting with an old one can jazz you up and substantially boost your level of motivation.
- Work out! Yes, I know this idea may hurt, at first, but if you don’t overwhelm yourself, in a very short amount of time, you’ll begin to feel like a million bucks. Grab a friend, set a goal, and hold each other accountable. Working out with a friend is a great motivator and so is losing weight and looking better. Don’t focus on what you’ll be losing (free time, excuses to be lazy), focus on what you’ll gain (feeling better, looking great). If you take exercise seriously, the gains you make in your energy level, your confidence, and your motivation will skyrocket.
- Eat more fruits and veggies: Like exercise, if you can incorporate even a modest improvement in your eating habits, your psyche will turbo-charge your body and you’ll feel more motivated to take on new challenges.
- Get inspired! Seek and explore inspirational teachers, coaches and people. Perhaps you need a life coach to get you inspired. Maybe you need a good book like the quotes of Abraham Lincoln, or Martin Luther King, Jr. Maybe finding some new music that has great energy is just the thing. Have coffee with someone who is very optimistic and ask what inspires her. Start or find a local group of people who get together once a week to talk about how to get inspired. Very often, looking for inspiration in the company of like-minded people will intensify the results. Whatever your source, finding a way to get inspired is a great way to quickly get your motivation muscles moving.
- Teach someone a new skill. Find someone who is looking to learn a skill in which you are an expert. Spend some time teaching him. The reciprocity and motivation will flow both ways.
- Have some fun. Sometimes we get into motivation a rut because we haven’t done anything fun for a while. Break out of your routine by participating in a fun activity. Go bowling, hiking or play putt-putt golf; find people to play board games with; go sight-seeing or antique shopping; play laser-tag, go roller-skating or bungee-jumping; spend the day at the zoo; visit a museum you’ve always wanted to go to. Make a list and do something fun!
- Sleep more. If you’re running on four or five hours of sleep each night, not only will you feel lethargic, but your brain chemistry will be all out of whack. The brain regulates feel-good chemicals like dopamine and serotonin. The simple act of getting enough sleep can balance out these chemicals and increase them to their natural levels. This, alone, could restore your normal level of motivation.
- Laugh out loud. Laughter is one of the best ways to quickly enhance your mood and electrify your motivation. Make a run to the video store and rent a few good comedies. Then, while your mood is all bubbly, go out and have some fun (see item 7) or call someone and make him laugh.
- Set a meaningful goal. In the back of your mind, there is probably something you’ve always wanted to do, be or have. Set a goal to practice or start working toward your objective. Then take some action right away. When you’re done, decide on when you’re going to come back to it so you can keep moving forward. Nothing motivates like a meaningful goal and regular progress toward it.
- Discover a cause. Sometimes in life we become uninspired because we’ve stopped moving forward. But finding a cause that we connect with such as building houses for charity, providing drinking water in depressed villages, giving coats to homeless people, or anything that gives your life more purpose while helping others can totally rock your world! Get involved and volunteer to help! Who wouldn’t feel motivated by doing something like that?
- Motivate another person. One of the absolute best ways to get your own motivation groove on is to motivate another person. Seeing the other person getting totally excited and enthusiastic causes a mirror response in your body. You feel great for helping to motivate another person and suddenly you feel motivated too. And now you’re ready to take on the world.
Be sure to join Scott and his wife as they seek to escape the 40-hour work week at their blog A Couple of Quitters. Also, don’t forget to follow him on Twitter @ScottQuitter.
Wonderful ideas! Thanks for sharing this with us on your site. I love these ideas and I definitely needed a helping hand in the motivation department!
Positively Present’s last blog post..do you have a clear view?
@Positively Present:
I’m glad you liked ‘em. Everybody needs some fresh ideas from time to time.
Scott Quitter’s last blog post..Don’t Believe the Happiness Lie!
The thing that motivates me the most is when seemingly ordinary people accomplish extraordinary things. One who comes to mind is Sister Madonna Buder who competes in triathlons at 78 years old or shall I say years young? I also heard about a man who is blind and is a serious mountain climber. When I see others overcome great obstacles it makes me realize that the obstacles are only in our minds.
After I saw “Slumdog Millionaire” I realized the many luxuries and opportunities I have that I sometimes take for granted. Watching that movie really motivated me and also made me feel like the richest and luckiest woman in the world
Debra Wier | The Metamorphosis Cafe’s last blog post..1.43 Seconds – The Difference Between Best and Second Best
Debra,
Yes! I’m the same way…there are people doing some incredible things and they have far more obstacles to overcome than I do. So when I catch me feeling sorry for myself or having a “bad” day, I sometimes have to slap myself in the face and tell me to cut it out! LOL
There’s so much that motivates me but I have to sometimes remind myself to slow down, pay attention, and appreciate the journey.
Cheers,
Scott
Scott Quitter’s last blog post..Don’t Believe the Happiness Lie!
Idea number 12 rocks.
What goes around comes around… in a good way too.
Marc and Angel Hack Life’s last blog post..20 Life Lessons I Learned in My 20’s
Number 12 is at the top of my list too! I’ve found that the very act of engaging in life and being around other people can be a big motivator, especially when we have the opportunity to help someone up. It feels great and really pumps me up!
Scott
Scott Quitter’s last blog post..Don’t Believe the Happiness Lie!
Great list Scott. I really like #11. Sometimes it’s the needs of others that provide motivation for us to get out there and do something positive. Seeing the impact that your actions can have on others is a great motivator!
Jake
Jake | Revive Your Life’s last blog post..Overcoming the Challenges of Single Parenting
Jake,
In a tweet, today, by Gail Lynn Goodwin (@inspiremetoday), I read: “Nothing eliminates pain and difficulty in our life faster than a greater purpose.”
Man, this really resonated with me and mirrors number 11. We are all connected, whether in a “spiritual” or a “global community” way. It makes sense to me that helping other people ultimately helps ALL people.
In our lives, there is always a risk of stagnation or stalling where we can feel like we’ve lost all our energy and vitality. This can depress or trouble people severely. But simply helping another person in some meaningful way can totally recharge our energy and lives.
Thanks for your comment!
Scott
Scott Quitter’s last blog post..Don’t Believe the Happiness Lie!
Number 9 resonates with me … there’s nothing better than throwing your head back and having a good belly-laugh. Great post, thanks for sharing!
Shann
Shann’s last blog post..Meditation for The Fully Realized Woman
Shann,
I just love to laugh! It totally puts me into an energized state. When I feel that way, I have more energy and desire to take on anything! It’s a great motivator.
Not only is it fun to laugh, it’s fun to be around people who love to laugh. What motivator would you write for item number 13?
Keep Laughing!
Scott
Scott Quitter’s last blog post..Don’t Believe the Happiness Lie!
Some nice thoughts here. I particularly like #1, #2, and #6.
Vi | Maximizing Utility’s last blog post..Culture Clash: Power Distance Index
Vi,
A life worth living is a life that’s full of surprises. And when we dive into a new relationship, new skill or teach someone something they value, it’s a real boost to our own lives and motivation.
Thanks for reading and hanging out here!
Scott
Scott Quitter’s last blog post..Don’t Believe the Happiness Lie!
Hi Scott,
One of my friend told me this, “Motivation is like bathing, you will always need to motivate yourself daily.” The analogy seems funny to me but it make sense.
Cheers,
Vincent
Vincent’s last blog post..Is The Newspaper A Must In Your Life?
Vincent,
That’s how I see it too! Motivation is like a muscle or a skill; unless we use it often, we begin to lose strength and muscle memory. Motivation and happiness BOTH need regular practice. When we get good at them, we can instantly turn them on when needed.
What would you write for item 13?
Cheers!
Scott Quitter’s last blog post..Don’t Believe the Happiness Lie!
I think #5’s the key. If you’re truly inspired, your natural rythms just ebb and flow and you can’t stop yourself wanting to do #6, #11 and #12.
Thanks for this, Scott.
janice’s last blog post..How to be Successful by FLIRTing More
Janice,
I agree. The more fulfilled we are, the greater our capacity to give back to life.
Got a suggestion for an item 13?
Cheers,
Scott
Scott Quitter’s last blog post..Don’t Believe the Happiness Lie!
Hey there…
I definitely think there’s value in taking time out to have some fun in life… have a goal helps keep you motivated too!
-Cheers
Ross’s last blog post..Does integrity count for anything?
Ross,
No doubt! Life can really be fun and exciting if we give it a try. Right? So how do you stay motivated?
Regards,
Scott
Scott Quitter’s last blog post..Don’t Believe the Happiness Lie!
Hello all:
Thanks for all the great comments! I’m going to respond more specifically as soon as I have more time. But until then, I noticed that many of you listed your favorite numbers from the list. I stopped at 12 but there are many more ways to get your motivational groove back when it seems to be stalled. So I’m gonna throw it back to everyone here and ask…
If YOU were to write item 13, what would it be?
Regards,
Scott
Scott Quitter’s last blog post..Don’t Believe the Happiness Lie!
Great article! Very encouraging. I’d like to read more motivational articles by Scott Quitter! This list is fantastic!!! Thanks!!!
Whitney,
Gee, thanks! I’m glad you liked it. I might show up with a guest post here from time to time. In the mean time, you may want to read (or re-read) Eric’s stuff here…this site is chock-full-O-motivation.
If you’re interested, you can click on my name and check out my blog as well.
Cheers,
Scott
Scott Quitter’s last blog post..Don’t Believe the Happiness Lie!
hey Scott.
really like number 5. always does it for me. i recommend keeping an inspiration document full of awesome quotes or just stories from your own life that you’ve written down.
funn thing is that when you’re in a hard spot, feels like you’ve been there forever so finding some old motivation – especially if it’s from your own life – reminds you that it’s not all that bad.
…number 9 too. so power!! at first, you’re like, ‘okay. laugh out loud’ but then you start to laugh for real at how stupid you’re being
number 10 kinda took me off guard but so true. like how you’re a lot more focused academically when you’re helping somebody else with their academics. weird that.
inspiring stuff.
alex – unleash reality
Alex,
I’ve actually thought about taking a 3×5 index card box and putting my favorite quotes in it. I could arrange them by topic, such as Love, Success, Goals, Friendship, etc. Then, when I need a lift in a certain area of my life, I could pull out the related cards and read the quotes.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I’m glad you enjoyed the post.
Cheers,
Scott
These are some good simple ideas. As much as I appreciate and preach about the power of fun and laughter, for me the most powerful one on the list is the fruits and veggies one. Sadly, as I get older, I find my focus, energy, and motivation rise and fall based predominantly on what I have eaten in the last 24 hours. And it becomes a momentum thing to – one bad meal leads to a lack of motivation, which leads to the next bad meal, and so on and so on…
I miss the days of being able to down a McD’s value meal and not be effected by it…
Avish,
Sometimes, it’s the simple ideas that often get overlooked. Personally, I think that motivation is far more complicated than the average person realizes. That’s why these simple ideas can be the gateway to increased motivation.
I would say that no one idea on this list is going to change your level of motivation forever. But one idea can quickly explode your motivation into a higher level. This, however, will not be sustained unless you repeat the process; participate in meaningful activities on a regular basis.
If you try several of these ideas, you can magnify your motivation in a short amount of time, which is the whole point of the post…a motivational kick-start. Since the food you consume affects every cell of your body; and since how you feel directly affects your level of energy and motivation, making better food choices most certainly will improve your motivation. However, our food choices are often compromised by a decrease in “feel good” chemicals in the brain which results in us reaching for a fast-food or sugary quick picker-upper…we get a short-term boost in mood-enhancing chemicals followed by a sharp drop, thus lowering our motivation deeper than before.
Prolonged, higher-level motivation takes a deeper understanding and a consciously executed plan. …which is why you’ll want to keep coming back to MotivateThyself.com. Thanks for the comment!
Cheers,
Scott
Scott Quitter’s last blog post..A Free Viral Marketing Tool With A Mind-Blowing Twist (or Two)
I know this is a bit belated, but I just wanted to say thanks to Scott for such an awesome post.
Eric
Eric,
You have a great site so it was my pleasure to be a part of this. Also, you have a great community here too. So thanks to you and everyone who commented.
Cheers,
Scott
Scott Quitter’s last blog post..Self-Employment Progress Report for June 2009