How to Remotivate Yourself
I am very excited today to talk about one of my favorite topics of all time, motivation. Based on the fact that I got this question twice yesterday from two separate people from two separate parts of the country means that I've got to address this. It's not just how do you motivate but how do you remotivate yourself? While there's not a true definition for the word “remotivate” let me talk you through where I think this is based off of the feedback that I had from two of the listeners.
Motivation to me is where you come to a point, consider it the starting line, consider it level set at zero, that you know a change needs to happen and you're just trying to figure out what it is. You're trying to take that first step forward. So while remotivation is a form of that in my mind, it is a little bit of a step back in the sense that when we're motivated and we're doing something and we're moving forward, there come those times where we second guess what we're doing. Where we fall into a rut. Where we get into a funk. And we lose sight of what we're doing.
One can say, "Well, you just need to motivate yourself." Well, yes, that makes sense but at the same time I look at it as you're now starting at step negative two. If you're taking a couple of steps back from the original starting point of motivation, you're having to dig a little deeper to figure out how to get yourself going. It's the holistic journey, not just, "I need to get up today to go achieve today's goal." But it is really moving forward in the holistic journey of what you're trying to do. It's getting out of a funk, it's getting out of your own way, it's coming out of a haze or a fog mentally to get back on track and to get back to what you know you're meant to do but you've lost your way.
You've found yourself off the path and you've found yourself so far off the path that it has gotten you to a point where you're stagnant. Where you're not moving forward. Where nothing is happening. And so how do you get back to that path? How do you get back out of that funk to get back on the right path to move forward with the energy and the drive and the focus that you've had at one time?
I want to share with you three things that I think are critical to removitation when you find yourself off in that haze because I've been there myself. I know what this feeling feels like when ironically both people reached out with the same feeling that they just didn't know where to get back to. They were so far gone in the forest of depression or self ridicule or self demotivation and they really needed to figure out a hard way, a hard left back to the path. Here are three things that I've used in the past that have really worked for me.
Record Your Why
When Simon Sinek talked about “start with why?”, figure out why you're doing things, it is something that I think has been integral to my life and to a lot of people who follow Simon or who have read the book and it is really starting with the concept of why you're doing anything.
Why are you trying to lose weight? Why are you trying to start a new business? Why are you trying to do, fill in the blank. Anything that you do has to have a why. Not just a what. If it's going to have any sort of substance, any sort of meaning, those are the times when you think about the things that you do just on autopilot. Those don't have a true why. They don't have a passionate why. Yes, you may go to the grocery store because you need food and that's why but it's not an intrinsic drive to go. Unless you're like me. I love grocery shopping.
Yes, having a why of why you're trying to chase these big goals or why you're trying to do these big things is critical but recording that why. Whether it's writing it down or even taking it a step further and recording it because if you think about it, when you write down your why, yes you have it in front of you and yes written goals are scientifically proven to become more attainable and more successful.
When you record your why, either audio recording or video recording, there is a level of passion that you can feel in what you're saying versus what you're writing unless you're just a phenomenal writer and you completely can leave it all on the paper or on the screen. But I truly think taking it a step further and recording your why. Hearing your voice, hearing the passion in your voice, hearing the drive, hearing the desire to want to change. And maybe evea little bit of the fear as well should bring out a bravery in you. Should bring out a pride in you to get back to where you are.
It's kind of the signal in the night if you will to bring you back. To call you back to the path. To call you back to the main road of attaining your goal. Don't be afraid to do that. Record it, record it on your phone, record it on your computer, save it and keep it somewhere. Keep a copy of it on your phone so when you're struggling or when something's going wrong you can pull that up and listen to it. It doesn't have to be very long. But it has to be sincere and it has to really dump all of the emotion of why you're doing something into it. Have a why but then also record your why.
Meditation & Prayer
When I think about the span of my life and I think about the times I've been motivated to do things, where I have achieved another level of success or another level of goal attainment there has always been this practice in my daily life. First thing in the morning, last thing at night, a lot of times throughout the day. Maybe it's a minute or two here and there. But this practice has really brought me back to the core of my motivation and the core of my focus and the core of my drive. Because with all of things that impact our minds and our moods and our hearts on a daily basis because there's so much negativity in the world. It's trying to get at us from every angle and the more you're tapped into social media, the more you watch the news, there are constant throws of negativity. There are more negative people I think because they aren't finding their happiness and so they're trying to rain on your parade as well.
And I think when we have that constant influx of negativity, that constant influx of doubt, that starts kind of hanging on us. Like it's some sort of a moss. If you imagine just walking around and you're just getting heavier and heavier and heavier. Now this to me is a daily cleansing. It is the ability to take time to focus on your thoughts, your heart, your feelings and rid yourself of the things that are holding you down. And as that weight gets heavier and heavier that's when you need to institute more times of prayer or mediation throughout the day.
There have been days where I feel like I'm completely under attack with negativity. Just the things that are inputting into my life. And you'll find me taking 10, 15 different breaks of time. And like I said, it may be a minute or two but really having that in my life or having that in my day really hits the reset button and gets me back to scraping away the moss, getting rid of the heavy weight and understanding why those things are trying to impact me. And I've seen it tremendously in the last couple of months. I don't know why. I just feel like there are times in your life where maybe it's when you're closer to your goals and you feel constantly under attack. You feel constantly like something's trying to get in your way. Like there are obstacles coming at you left and right. That prayer, that meditation, that focus on what truly means the world to you will help you draw a fine line between what's important, what's not, what you should allow yourself to feel and think and what is just distraction, and what are mental and emotional and spiritual attacks.
Institute that on a daily basis. Start a few minutes in the morning, a few minutes at night and there will be days you go longer. There are days that I'll meditate for three minutes or five minutes in the morning and there are days where I meditate for 25. Just depends on what's going on. Depends on what I feel I need that day.
Music
Music has literally saved my life. Music is a very important thing to me. Now I know not everybody is impacted by music the way that somebody like myself is but everybody has a propensity to like something. You can hear a song, even if it's not a type of music that you traditionally listen to, but you can hear a song that sparks something in you. Whether the lyrics mean something to you, whether the music, the instrumental means something to you, whether it's the beat that gets you going, there's some sort of a motivation there.
I encourage you, with all the technology and all the availability that we have nowadays to be our own personal DJs, creating an inspirational playlist. Create that playlist of songs. Maybe it's one or two songs. Maybe it's 100 songs. Whatever that is. I have an inspirational playlist on my iPod because my commute in the morning and the commute in the afternoon, sometimes I really need that. Or if I'm working out, I've got a playlist, got multiple playlists for workouts depending on my mood. Depending on what I really truly need that day to stay motivated. And there's just something about flipping on some of those songs that no matter what it is or what's going on, that the songs just get to me. They get to the core of me. Like I feel like I've being rejuvenated from the inside out because those songs have done that for me. What I'll do is I'll share my motivational playlists so you can get an idea of the kinds of songs that really get me going. Maybe it'll spark some inspiration for you.
Start Today
Those are the three things that I think when you talk about remotivating yourself and getting out of that funk, coming out of a dark haze, coming out of a depressed state and really getting back after your goals. Those are the three things that I've used in the past and that have worked like charms. I highly encourage you to do all three of those things. Establish and record your why, meditate and pray on a daily basis and find inspiration in music. Those three things have pulled me out of more funks, have gotten me more remotivated and have driven me to the point of success in motivation, in momentum in my life that big things have consistently happened.
I want that for you because I know so many people, especially these two people that contacted me yesterday, I want that for them. You can tell in the way they communicated it that they knew that they were in that state and they knew that they needed to get out of it and by reaching out and figuring out what it is that they can do to rejuvenate themselves and to get out of that funk, that is so important. And once you realize that, you have to have the tools to succeed.
Try those things. If there are things that you use to help remotivate yourself, send me a note. I would love to hear what those are, rich@richbracken.com. You can also post a picture on Twitter or Instagram and tag me @richbracken1, but again, I'm going to share my inspirational playlist with you guys. I hope you like it. There's some really great songs on there that get me going and I hope they do with you as well. When you get a chance, please share this blog with everybody that you know because you never know who's going to need a little bit of enrichment and maybe a little bit of remotivation as well.
I hope you guys find your core. I hope you find that path. And I hope you have a wonderful day, a wonderful week, a wonderful month and really really get back into the core of why you are doing what you're doing and find that drive, find that motivation and succeed and keep pushing yourself because you know that you're meant to do this. Have a phenomenal day. Love you guys.
