Have you ever been through those times where you just had no energy for the task ahead? There was just no motivation, and little desire to do the work? These moments are bound to come. But what do you do when this lack of motivation becomes the norm — when there’s no passion or energy for what needs to be done?
Sometimes the root of these feelings can be traced back to physical causes: things like poor nutrition or sleep, or lack of physical activity. But other times these reasons just aren’t the problem. Sometimes, it just has to do with work we’re doing. I know I’ve experienced this at times. But in the middle of feeling this way, I’ve also found it helpful to ask myself a few questions.
First, do I have a proper perspective on what I’m doing? Or am I missing the bigger picture? Am I focused too much on the daily details, and losing sight of how they fit into the whole? Because if I’m part of something I believe in, and am able to identify how I’m contributing to this cause — if I’m able to reconnect to the ‘why’ behind it all — this alone can lead to more motivation and energy to keep going.
Another question is, what can I learn, or how can I grow as a person, because of this situation?
There are plenty of times where we have limited control over the details of the situation. We can’t just snap our fingers and change everything around us. But if we realize that we can still learn and grow in the midst of these times that we can’t control, we can stop feeling like all the time spent in the situation was wasted. And if we can see we’re growing into the kind of person we wan to be, we can better embrace those parts of the journey that may be boring or difficult or utterly unremarkable.
A final question to consider is, have I set unrealistic expectations? Am I being impatient? Am I dissatisfied because reality didn’t match the expectations that I placed on it?
We may grow tired when things don’t develop as quickly as we’d like. But if we take the long view, realizing the value of consistency over the long haul, then we can approach what we do with a renewed sense of purpose, knowing that our contribution today is important in the bigger scheme of things — whether it be in our career or organization, or in the character we’re forming.
Now, this isn’t to say there will never be times to move on from what we’re involved with and focus on something new. But sometimes this can be done prematurely, as soon as the excitement of the latest new thing wears off. Taking time to reflect on the bigger picture of what we’re doing, and who we’re becoming, though, can provide a different perspective on our work. It may not change the external situation, but it can help us find value in today’s work that we may be prone to miss otherwise.