lack of motivation

[xnez]

I have a total lack of motivation and I am not sure what to do about it.

I have goals i want to achieve like
-get my body into shape, i.e. lose body fat, gain muscle, and have better endurance
-eat better, i.e. more vegetarian diet, less junk food
-go to grad school (econ/public admin and policy)
-learn a new language (french)

I have the goals down, but i lack motivation to really move towards them.

How do i build motivation for my goals? Do i have the wrong goals? I just feel like there is something invisible blocking me.

Any ideas?

[searstower]

Why do you want each of these goals? If they why isn't big enough to overcome the pain of doing them, then you might as well take them off of your todo list because they are not going to get done.

[icesar]

I know what it's like to be in that position. You do have to figure out the why, but it's not just going to come to you while you're sitting on the couch. A good approach is to "start with the physical." Set a 30 day plan to exercise and eat better, and the improved energy and mental clarity will help you get moving in the right direction.

[RT Wolf]

Sounds like you may be at the level of Neutrality, which is (according to Steve's description) the level of complacency. Steve listened to time management tapes every day to get himself to rise to Willlingness, maybe you can do the same?

There is either unconscious resistance against achieving those goals, or there is not enough pull from any of those goals. What's the next action on each one of those goals? If you're not familiar with GTD, David Allen says that a lot of times projects get hung up because the very next physical actoin hasn't been defined and/or the outcome has not been clearly defined. Try doing both.

Good luck and HTH!

[dadeon]

I can understand why you have a total lack of motivation...

your goals sounds like a little shopping list!

The word motivation literally means 'motive-for-action' - start with getting clear on WHY you want each of your goals. This probably the most important thing you can do. This will give you leaverage to push past short term challenges. With strong enough reasons you can get yourself to do virtually anything. Work on this and spend some time on it. Come up with all the reasons why you absolutely MUST have your goals.

Then...

Build a bit of enthusiasm into your 'goals' - what you have written down is not really what I consider to be goals.

Goals, to be effective need to be specific and exciting and something you talk (write) about with passion.

You don't have to 'work' on your goals nearly as much as you have to work on 'why' you want them. This is where the real power lies! Think back through history and you will see that some of the greatest achievements came from people who had very strong reasons for achieving - sometimes against massive odds. Think of Nelson Mandela...or Ghandi...

[Hugh Hollowell]

I have to agree. As Friedrich Nietzsche said, "If you have a strong enough why, you can endure any how".

Focus on why you want to accomplish the goals, the way you will feel when they are accomplished, the values they impact.

[Adam]

Well, more often than not, I find that the problem of motivation isn't wanting to do something bad enough, it's usually just feeling overwhelmed by the whole task in front of you.

Let me use your desires as an example:

-get my body into shape, i.e. lose body fat, gain muscle, and have better endurance

For this one, getting your whole body into shape usually means setting up a permanent full body exercise routine. Well, that's good, but that isn't where to start... that's your final goal.

To start with this one, how about work on your basic endurance first. Let's say (for purpose of example only, since I have no idea how fit you are already) that you can only walk one mile at a time, and at the end of that mile, you are exhausted. Work on just making it to the end of that mile for a month, and work on nothing else. Once you can walk a mile without getting overly out of breath, lengthen it to a mile and a half... then two miles... then take a whole hour to walk four miles each morning before your shower. Start with one exercise that you know that you can do, then push yourself from there. When working on your arms, find out how many push-ups you can do, or how much weight you can lift easily, then work up from there. Count how many sit-ups/crunches you can do in one sitting... One step at a time.

-eat better, i.e. more vegetarian diet, less junk food

Cut one item out of your menu at a time... First, cut all of the candy out... then cut cake out, then increase your vegetable intake... Stop eating hamburgers, then steaks, then chicken and pork... Start changing your tastes so that you enjoy vegetables more often... Just replace one food item at a time.

-go to grad school (econ/public admin and policy)

One semester at a time...

-learn a new language (french)

Forget about French... It's a pansy language. (Okay, just kidding... I'm just playing on good ol' American stereotypes.)

I had some success with learning German using a set of language CDs created by Pimsler (or something like that)... Just go down and buy some CD's, then take it one lesson at a time. After you are done with those lessons, find other lessons, or find a school/tutor and take it one lesson, one conjugation at a time.

Does that help to put an easier perspective on achieving your goals?

[Scott H Young]

The root of the word motivation is motive.

What is your motive (your why) for pursuing these goals?

If you can't summon up a powerful enough why then maintaining the emotion of motivation you are seeking will be a struggle.

Assuming you have a strong enough why, the second aspect is belief/optimism. Do you really believe, deep down, that you will be able to achieve these goals? If you don't honestly believe you can do it, your body won't give you a chance to try.

If that is the case, you might need to start on some smaller goals. If the goals seem impossible and you can't visualize a path to them, they are pretty ineffective.

With a powerful enough motive and the belief you can carry it out, motivation will come.

[RT Wolf]

Upon reflection, it seems like most of your goals have some element of self-discipline. Perhaps you need more self-discipline? I'm re-reading Steve's earlier articles and sometimes you have to grit your teeth and do what you don't want to to achieve the results you desire. Or maybe you are daunted by making those things life-long habits, perhaps doing a 30-day trial to see if you can actually do or fit that stuff into your life right now is possible.

Another idea is that you might just be feeling a little burned out. You feel that you SHOLUD be doing these things but you aren't, causing undue stress. Maybe give yourself permission to not do those things for a few days and that might help you to recharge your batteries. You can probably think of other ways to recharge your batteries.

[dadeon]

you need to get clear on whether YOU actually want all those things. So often we pursue the things that is considered x,y or z and we tend to blindly pursue what other's want for us.

When you want for yourself what others want for you, you will always be left wanting.

When you want for yourself what YOU want for you, then your life is lived with purpose.

Really think about and evaluate exactly what you want and only when you start thinking about why you want it can you start to devlop this clarity. Living someone else's plan for your life is called a chore. Like most chores we hate doing it and we end up avoiding it as much as we can.

[craigharper.com]

It's not about motivation; it's about commitment and attitude.

Motivation is temporary, don't let it derail your journey or deprive you of what you could become.

Successfully achieving your goals is about doing what you need to do even when you don't feel motivated.

If I only exercise everytime I feel motivated I would probably only exercise once a week. If I ate the foods I should eat only when I'm motivated I would probably only eat one good meal every week...

Successful people do stuff even when they don't feel 'motivated'. While many are talking, thinking and procrastinating, they're doing. As boring and old-fashioned as it sounds, your Grand-dad was right when he said "there ain't no substitute for hard work".

Start one small thing right now!!

[John Wesley]

These posts are all very good advice.

Whenever I lose motivation I often use fear to get myself back on track. Not fear of failure, but fear of never having tried. Fear of living a mediocre life and never reaching my potential. When you really think about the alternatives, not getting motivated is a heck of a lot scarier then going out and giving it your best shot.

Do you want to be the washed up person who never made it to grad school, never got in shape, and never even tried to reach their goals? You should ask yourself these types of questions.

[Liara Covert]

These comments offer great insight.

I would add that motivation is grounded in your priorities. Once you identify what's important to you, you need to be willing to make sacrifices.

Remind yourself that life's trials and errors help uncover great opportunities. Even if the results you get from making efforts aren't those you initially intended, your mindset will enable you to experience unexpected benefits.

"All growth is a leap in the dark, a spontaneous, unpremeditated act without benefit of experience.” -Henry Miller

[da1prophet]

Originally Posted by xnez

I have a total lack of motivation and I am not sure what to do about it.

I have goals i want to achieve like
-get my body into shape, i.e. lose body fat, gain muscle, and have better endurance
-eat better, i.e. more vegetarian diet, less junk food
-go to grad school (econ/public admin and policy)
-learn a new language (french)

I have the goals down, but i lack motivation to really move towards them.

How do i build motivation for my goals? Do i have the wrong goals? I just feel like there is something invisible blocking me.

Any ideas?

This is along the same theme as some of the other posters have suggested, but I give people the same advice in terms of physical fitness and getting into shape. I find it a lot more effective to be "training" *for* something rather than just pursuing some abstract notion of getting into shape or eating better. When I was younger, I used to ski and snowboard all of the time so my exercise and diet was "training" for that. Now I "train" for boxing and mixed martial arts. The fact that I'll probably never get into the ring and actually fight is immaterial--it provides a context and direction for my exercise and diet that keeps me focused and motivated.

The trick then becomes to give the same context to the other areas of your life. That has been an on-going struggle for me as well.

[dadeon]

being 'motivated' for training and exercise, I believe, relies on not having to 'motivate' yourself. I believe in making it part your lifestyle - as something that you do everyday. Just like you wouldn’t go a day without eating or sleeping you simply wouldn't go a day without exercise. I haven't missed a single say in 9 months and only two days in the last 18 months. I never have to force myself to do it - it's just something I do and I love it. my days feel incomplete without it!

The challenge is to get to this point. You got to find a big enough reason. For me it was not wanting to go through life 'looking like someone I don't feel like - i.e being overweight. This is where it gets really fascinating...now that I am physically strong and vital it reflects in my psychology and in my mental strength and I now clearly see and experience this correlation on a daily basis.