We’ve all had days when all we want to do is curl up in bed and just binge-watch movies or tv series all day. No distractions, phones on vibrate and just block out the day. Which is fine, everyone needs time off sometimes. But what happens when one day becomes two days? Or stretches up to a week? You just feel horribly unmotivated. You have to continue working but somehow, for some reason, it doesn’t feel like what you want to do anymore.
It’s like you’re stagnant in life at the moment. You aren’t exactly sure what you want to do or you don’t know how to get started on things because you’re scared you’re just going to quit halfway through.
Here are a few ways you can climb out of that slump and be the person you’ve always wanted to be.
1. Find a Mentor
Find someone you look up to who can be your personal pacer. Someone to guide you out of your slump and finally push you to get started on your goals. This person can be anyone of your choosing but make sure they’re the type of person to make you go forward instead of entertaining your stagnant state.
Bonus points if the person shares the same goals as you.
2. Do Something That Isn’t Nothing
When you’re feeling “meh”, nothing really appeals to you, does it? You don’t want to do work, you don’t want to pick up calls, you sometimes don’t even want to get out of bed! Even so, getting over this feeling means that you at least attempt to do the things you have on your list — like maybe you can send that email that’s been sitting in your drafts for a while now.
Otherwise it’s like an itch at the back of your head and sooner or later, you’re going to do everything you can to just finish it. That’s not such a good thing, mainly because you’re doing it to just get it over and done with.
So, start small. Find the easiest thing you can do on it and work your way up into getting that drive again.
As long as you’re doing something. No matter how minuscule, it’s still better than not doing anything at all.
3. Build a Good Support System
Your support system should consist of the people who share your drive and ambition. They could be people who are more successful than you or are in a position you want to be in. Think of it as a “dress for the job you want” kind of thing. Take them as your example to better yourself and be like them. It can be anyone around you or if you’re unsure they can help you, look for some help online!
When it comes to ambition, in this journey to succeed, it takes a joint effort. Another way is to also have apps and alarms that can help motivate you into not procrastinating in doing work.
4. Seeing the Positive Side of Things (But be Realistic About It)
Sometimes you may want to revert back to crawling into your safe space. It’s much easier to admit defeat and be in the warm comfort of your blanket rather than face failure. But look at the bright side of things, the more you fail, the easier it is to look for more options for you to reach victory.
It’s important to always keep a positive mindset when you’re starting something new. Yes, you’re scared but that just means you’re more alert and eager to move forward when you’re faced with a problem. Take what you can handle one step at a time, and leave the rest for later.
5. It’s Okay To Ask For Help
We all need help sometimes. It’s not something to be ashamed about. If you’re struggling and in need of having someone to talk to, motivate you or push you back into the right direction, then all the easier it is for you to climb up.
If you have any questions about your journey or are stuck trying to figure something out along the way, asking for help would do wonders for you. You don’t have to face things alone, you know that right?
6. Branch Out From Your Comfort Zone
Have you always wanted to do something but you’re scared that you might fail? The whole thing about discovering yourself and your new ambition is to try out new things. Failing is part of life, so you shouldn’t be afraid of it. I know it’s a dumb thing to say and that it’s pretty cliche, but it’s very much true. If you don’t at least try, you wouldn’t know if you’d be good at it or not. Taking a calculated risk to venture into new ground is something everyone should do.
Take me, for example, I was a teacher that wanted to be a writer but I was very scared that people would bully me for it. Turns out, I just had to take that as part of the challenge. Not everyone is going to like your work. You can either take their criticism to better yourself, or you can quit and stay in your boring, comfortable bubble. The decision is entirely up to you
7. Trust the Process
It might take weeks, or months or even in some cases, years. But you will most definitely get there in due time. In the process of overcoming your lack of ambition, you will change your mind so many times and change your direction countless more.
That doesn’t mean you should give up, though. It just means that you’ve found new interests along the way, and that’s very much okay. In the journey of finding your ambition, it’s kind of impossible to not find yourself along the way as well. So, don’t be discouraged!
In the end, you will always reach the place you’re meant to be at.
On The Edge of Great
It takes a big person to make big decisions. If you ever doubted yourself and asked if you’ll ever reach your target, just know that you already have one foot in the door. Keep going!
If you need help to get out of your funk and need some motivation to assure you that things are always going to be okay, you could read up on:
Talks of Therapy: It’s Okay To Not Be Okay
