When you lack motivation
Ever notice how motivation seems to ghost you right when you need it most? It's like that friend who's always up for a good time, but bails when you need help moving.
I remember staring at my computer screen one day, willing the words to appear for a project due in hours. Nothing. Nada. My mind was as blank as the document in front of me. I'd been so fired up about this project at the start, but now? I'd rather watch paint dry.
That's the thing about motivation - it's not reliable. It's more like a caffeine rush. Great while it lasts, but you can't count on it to get you through the long haul.
So what do you do when your get-up-and-go has got up and gone? For me, I've found it helps to just start. Anything. Even if it's terrible. I wrote one awful sentence that day. Then another. Before I knew it, I had a paragraph. Was it good? Hell no. But it was something.
Sometimes, we put so much pressure on ourselves to feel motivated that we psych ourselves out. We forget that most of the time, it's not about feeling ready or inspired. It's about showing up and doing the work, even when it feels like pulling teeth.
Look, nobody's immune to motivation slumps. But maybe the trick isn't to chase motivation. Maybe it's about building habits that keep you moving forward, motivated or not. Because let's face it - the work still needs to get done, whether you feel like doing it or not.
So next time motivation stands you up, don't wait around. Start anyway. You might surprise yourself with what you can accomplish, even on your least inspired days.