In this 4-step article, I'm excited to share with you an approach to go from bleh to yeh!
That was corny, but I hope you will at least consider this as one way to move past your current predicament of feeling lazy and unmotivated.
I've experienced all of these feelings at one point or another in my life, and I still do sometimes. I have a feeling you do too.
So let's get past the stigma around these feelings. It's okay to feel lazy!
I'm confident that if you follow these steps and actually do them (that's right, not just read them) you will move from unmotivated into meaningful action.
So, let's begin.
Step 1: Establish awareness and stop beating yourself up about having the feelings.
You do this by being non-judgmentally aware of your predicament.
We all know how devastating it can be to not achieve a goal. But if we add on to that the feeling of self-loathing, self-scrutiny, and getting down on one self, it's just fuel to the fire. So we're going to stop doing that here.
Remember, you are not that which you experience. You are the awareness inside - the light shining down on those feelings - not the feelings themselves.
Let go of all the negative energy around these feelings. Did you know that the more you beat yourself up for having these feelings, the more you will feel them?
Just say to yourself, "okay, I am feeling lazy, unmotivated, stuck, and that's okay. I won't feel like this forever. It's just temporary, and I know I'll get past this. Therefore, I'm not going to beat myself up for it. If I'm going to lounge around, I'll at least do it in style. I'll at least be present while I do it."
Now that you have presence, you're ready to move to the next step.
Step 2: Focus your presence on the future by creating a two-column list.
Now that we have awareness, we're going to shift it to something more productive.
This part is simple and it will only take a few minutes. But it's crucial to moving through your current state of feeling unmotivated.
Take a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle. If you're feeling so lazy you can't get a piece of paper, that's fine. Use the device you're reading this on.
Title one column Who I'm meant to become and another column Who I would become.
The idea here is to spend a minute or two on each column, listing the life you want to create if everything works out for you - the things, the feelings, the people, the lifestyle - and then the other column listing how life will likely pan out if you never changed your current state. That is, if you were stuck living in a permanent state of feeling lazy, unmotivated, and stuck - what would your life look like then?
Remember, no judging here. Just be real with yourself and write down the ways your life will be amazing in one column, and how it will be a big struggle in the other, without judging what you're writing.
For example, in the first column you might write, "Always have energy, feeling never-ending love, super positive outlook on life, financially independent, etc." In the second column, you may write, "Pissed off all the time, overweight, stressed about money, can't afford housing, lose all friends."
Now that you have this two-column list, you're ready to move to step 3. But before you move on, take a look at the list. Soak it in.
What feelings to you experience when you look at the Who I'm meant to become column versus the Who I would become column?
You ought to quickly be able to see the stark difference in your life should you choose one path over the other. Understand that although life is long, it also won't change unless you change. Don't panic when you hear that. Don't get down on yourself. Just recognize that fact.
Now we're ready for step 3.
Step 3: Decide which column you're going to pursue.
Now wait - before you let your mind run rampant thinking about how hard you'll have to work and how much sacrifice you'll have to make to get the first column, just decide which one you want.
Don't worry about the thoughts that come with the decision. Don't even pay attention to them. Just see them as thoughts, wave hello, and wave goodbye. Easy come, easy go. That's how you should treat your thoughts.
Okay, have you decided which life you'd rather pursue? Column one or column two?
If it's the second life, then your work is done. You can continue doing what you're doing. That's because if you don't change, your life won't.
However, if you had the courage to choose the first life, which I'm confident you did, then recognize that you are motivated, you are ambitious, you are worthy, and you are very much capable of achieving that life.
You're one of the few who knows there's more to life than what you're currently experiencing, and you just haven't unlocked it all.
You will get there.
Step 4: Do something tiny.
As your final step, do the smallest thing you can think of that will move you towards your "first-column" life.
If it's to get out of bed, do that. If it's to workout, then put your workout shoes on. If it's to learn a new skill, then read one article or watch one video. Don't look at the finish line. Just look at the first step. And then do it.
If you fall back into an unmotivated state, which you likely will, that's fine! Repeat steps 1, 3, and 4 above. You just have to notice, don't judge, and then do one small thing towards your goal.
After doing this just a few times, you'll start to gain credibility with yourself. You'll begin to realize that life is better when you're not beating yourself up for feeling down. You'll begin to see the light again.
I'd love to hear your experience of going from unmotivated to ass-kicking after trying these steps.
Good luck, you got this!
Live with substance!
Gabe Orlowitz
