Over the past few months, I have had more friends, family and clients mention they are feeling stuck or unmotivated.  And I empathize. I have been feeling the same at times.

The events of this year have contributed to this enormously. For so many of us, one of the greatest challenges and biggest factors contributing to feeling stuck and unmotivated is the cancellation of activities, events, or travel we had been looking forward to or planning.  Whether those were catch-ups with family and friends, long dreamt of overseas travel, theatre bookings, or a myriad of other events and activities, the past few months have removed ALL of these from our diaries.

As a result, it can feel as though we have nothing to look forward to.

Which in turn leaves us feeling lost, despairing, or even apathetic. Life loses some of its shine and can feel lacking in meaning. 

I understand this feeling well.

Big dreams

Over a year ago, we started planning our next big family holiday. We had talked about it and brainstormed ideas on and off for the previous three and a half years. (Yes, seriously!) As a family we were dreaming together to create something that we would all enjoy, look forward to and remember for the rest of our lives.

Having that focus drove me for many months and resulted in a mass of activity. By September 2019 we had booked flights, and by January this year, the whole trip was planned, booked and fully paid ready for September/October 2020.

As a family, we were very excited  – this huge thing we were looking forward to – kept us all motivated. It focused our mind and acted as an anchor in our year. Everything was considered as either before the trip or after the trip.

But then COVID-19 happened.

Like so many, COVID-19 brought about huge changes. Regardless, for many months we kept our fingers crossed and hoped.  We were not ready to give up on our dreams just yet.

But as the months wore on it became increasingly obvious that our long-awaited dream trip was not going to happen. 

Dreams dashed - motivation is gone

Reluctantly, in the middle of June, we acknowledged that this trip and all it encompassed was not to be.  As a result, we all felt crushed. My husband, the kids, and I all felt lost. Whilst I acknowledge this example is most definitely a first world problem and in the scheme of things is minor, it still hurt.

Aside from the disappointment, without something to look forward to we lost our motivation and focus. 

We all still got up and went through the day. But we were going through the motions. The days blurred. Everything felt the same, and kind of pointless.

Maybe you have felt the same?  Like each day starts to blur into the next?

Looking forward and motivation

In the midst of this, and wanting to support me and my family, I came across some research that confirmed what I’d always suspected.

The research found that everybody needs something to look forward to, or a particular dream they are working towards (whether it be personal, career, or other), in order to stay motivated.

We ALL need something to look forward to.

Adults and kids alike. We need something to keep us moving forward and looking to the future. Something to motivate us.

And motivation is something we all need. Especially at the moment.

Start small

Right now, the overseas trip or the brand-new career of your dreams may not feel like a realistic goal.  This is common at the moment. With the current uncertainty, it can feel very challenging to set longer-term goals and know what you want to accomplish and achieve.

For example, working with a client recently, she shared she was struggling to determine her vision for the future.  Instead, we shifted our focus from accomplishing bigger, longer-term goals and focused on having something smaller to look forward to and work towards.

Put simply, it’s about redirecting that energy towards something you can still feel inspired and motivated by. Something you are interested in, are wanting to achieve or want to learn more about. 

For my client, it was a weekend hiking in the local mountains. Having been unable to do this for some months due to shelter at home requirements, this was something exciting to look forward to that was within her control.

I have found similar.

For my family and me, dreaming of future travel is still too hard. But exploring how we want to remember this time feels more doable. Instead, we have been embracing a more simple approach; looking forward to a special family dinner, movie night, or catching up with friends we’ve not seen for a long time. 

Be intentional

When longer-term goals and dreams are impacted, we still need something to motivate us. Choosing to be intentional about how we spend a period of time, planning less ambitious things to look forward to, and setting shorter-term goals around smaller items to accomplish or achieve, gives us something to look forward to which is motivating.

And, when we are moving towards something we care about, feeling motivated and getting things done, we also feel happier.

Which is what Designing your Season is all about.  I love the design your season approach and I KNOW it works, as it’s exactly what I’ve been doing for myself and my family these past few months.  Our long-awaited overseas trip was all about experiences and creating shared memories. So that became our intention for these few months. As a result, we have been embracing the opportunity for making this time NOW special. Through that, we are feeling happier and more motivated.

If you’d be keen to reconnect with your motivation and make the most of ANY time period, my Design Your Season offer is for you. A self-led guided workshop, it’s an easy (and affordable!) way to kickstart your motivation and shape any time period so that it feels intentional and joyful.

Sometimes we need more

Workshops can be terrific, but sometimes we need a more specific, tailored approach to reconnect with our motivation. And that’s where working with a coach (that’s me!) comes in. With one-on-one individual support, coaching can make all the difference when you are either experiencing a time of change or wanting to feel clear and confident in your career and life.

All coaching starts with a complimentary consult so together we can determine if coaching is right for you. Book your complimentary consult here.