When motivation isn't working

1. The intermittent lack of motivation is a normal occurrence

The younger me was of the opinion that nearly everyone was better than me on working tirelessly on the things they cared about. The fact that my communication skills back then were next to zero didn't exactly help as well. Luckily, as I began to study more books and talk to more people, I realised that it is quite natural to feel demotivated every now and then. You may have also found it difficult to maintain an emotional high. It is at this point that a lot of people jump ship; attributing that feeling to the being in the wrong field or working on the wrong thing. At such times you can:

• Take out some time to remember why you started doing what you're doing in the first place.

• Review your progress and reaffirm your convictions. This is a way to look beyond that feeling and reassure yourself that you're still in the right direction.

2. Your environment is a major determining factor

Here's something that's usually quite underrated. Our egocentric culture leads a number of people to believe that their success is a result of their drive, vision, thoughtfulness, and theirs alone. We look down on the one who is at a lower place in life and conclude that he/she is there because they willed it so.

"Motivation is overvalued. Environment often matters more" - James Clear

While it is true that our lives are products of our choices, those choices are in themselves inspired by our previous experiences, which are shaped by our environment. Our environment determines what we perceive as normal. Taking a shower daily is normal; you don't always feel like but you do it anyway. The one who was born in a family where excellence is natural, will perform well even at their lowest points. The one who was born in a family where everyone was expected to fail in life, will have to put in extra effort to bring their minds to point where excellence becomes their new reality. This will require surrounding oneself with a new environment. This may not mean leaving one's geographical location; not everyone is able to do that, but here are a couple of options.

• Attempt to make friends who have the qualities you desire and/or are passionate about the things you are passionate about.

• Study books from model figures in your area of interest. This is like drawing these people into your circle. When I read, I like to imagine that I'm having a one-on-one conversation with the author. The key is to ensure that most of the information you receive is the type that will sponsor the choices leading to greatness.

In essence, you have to be intentional about what you let yourself define as normal.

When I was in high school, I recall it was the age of motivational speaking. At least once a week, in the morning assembly, there would be a motivational speaker ready with another round of dream-reviving words to make you believe you can do anything at all. The focal idea was that if you are passionate about something, nothing can stop you from achieving it. While this wasn't particularly untrue, I noticed that the initial pump I got from these speeches was short-lived. In just a few days, I would once again find myself in need of more "motivation" to do the things I wanted to do.

As a freshman in the university, I had partially convinced myself that something was wrong with me. Since I couldn't stay motivated for extended periods of time, my juvenile conclusion was that I didn't have a passion for anything. Over the years, however, I've managed through study and observation to pick up on a few things that helped balance out my lopsided view. Now, not everyone might be like me; you might be one of those people who manages to stay motivated nearly all the time. Notwithstanding, one or more of these points might come in handy. So, here are a few things I learnt:

3. It’s helpful to develop a routine

This may come off as adverse to some people who claim that routines don't work for them and though I do not wish to completely negate that statement, I'd like to point out that routines we have all, at some point in our lives, been helped by routines. Going to school is one of those things we didn't always feel like doing, but we did it anyway and it kept us inching forward academically, even when we were down on motivation. While the educational system can definitely be better, dropping out in primary school to "figure things out" might not exactly be a smart option.

The hard part when it comes to routines is that it's easier to follow routines set by others for us than the ones we set for ourselves. You can start simply; for one thing, set a particular time for doing it each day or as many times a week as you feel necessary. Try to turn this into a habit, then when you see its effect, you can, as you wish, expand it to other activities. When you have a routine, even when motivation is gone, your brain simply sticks to what it is already used to doing.

4. Ride out the bore

In the face of success, it appears that the person had always known when and how they would get to where they are. In reality, however, this is rarely the case. The majority of successful people also experienced moments of obscurity, sometimes for longer periods than we would imagine. What sets them apart is that they were able to stick to the process even when there didn't seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel. If you change direction every time you face major difficulties, you'll never get really far with anything.

In our pleasure-driven generation, commitment to anything or anyone is becoming more of a rarity. You're told that once something isn't making you happy for a while, you should walk away. Choosing to stick-it-out till the end appears to be old-fashioned. The truth you don't hear too often is that, even for the things you love the most and even with the people you love the most, there are days when you may feel bored. It's not a sign to "abort the mission". When motivation isn't working, staying committed is the key!

For more information on dealing with a loss of motivation, I would recommend the book, "Atomic Habits" by James Clear.

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