And it’s not about magic!
2020 has been a year of challenges for most of us. We may have experienced them in different ways or experienced different challenges, but they’ve come and if we’ve done well, we’ve overcome them or found ways to see them differently.
But what if you’re now feeling low? What if if seems like every little thing that happens in a day, you greet with frustration, annoyance, irritation? What if you’re finding it hard to bounce back from a bad day or a bad week?
Here are 3 different things you can do to get your mojo back (and by that I mean your motivation which is at the heart of how you want to show up)
- Figure out what you’re defending yourself from
When we have any of those reactions of irritation, frustration and annoyance, more often than not, that’s our defence mechanism being triggered. One of my clients today was in exactly this situation – everything that came into her life personally and professionally she seemed to be greeting with frustration and irritation. What was she defending herself from? The inability to get on with some big pieces of work which she felt were the things she really wanted to get done as they would provide the greatest value. These other pieces were important short term but she just couldn’t get to the ones she saw as more valuable longer term and more in line with who she wanted to be in the organisation.
- Reframe how you are seeing the situation
So in this case, my client had to do three things:
- Acknowledge that she was in control of how she felt about the projects coming in as well as how she prioritised them
- Break down the strategic projects into manageable chunks and make sure she made time for at least one of those chunks for every 5 things she did on the shorter term list.
- Ask for support on some of the time sensitive projects
And then also reframe some of those shorter term projects by acknowledging how they fit into the broader strategy
- Make sure you are doing things that feed you rather than deplete you
And for this you need to know what it is that nourishes you and gives you energy, both physically and emotionally.
So I know that there are a number of things that give me energy physically:
- Being near the sea
- Exercising
- Eating well
- Sleeping well
And so I make a point of making sure that those are looked after as much as possible.
I’m also lucky enough to know what my internal motivators are, the ones that will keep me emotionally well too. Those are
- Making a difference or having a purpose
- Being part of and creating community
- Freedom and independence
If I’ve spent too much time with my own thoughts I know that I need to find people to talk to, to bounce ideas around, to collaborate with. I know that I need to know that my work is making a difference to others or at least has the potential to and I know that I need to be able to manage my own time, be available for my children or at least present as well as for my parents and husband (we all live together) and I need to be able to express my thoughts and feelings freely.
How do I know all of this?
I was introduced to a tool called Motivational Maps which defines the 9 motivators, gives language to them, tells you which ones are important and which aren’t AND lets you know how much of them you have right now. This information allows me to make decisions everyday on how to approach things, what to avoid and what to take on and how I need to think about choices I’m presented with – will they energise me or will they deplete me. Think of it like your internal battery – is it on charge or is it using up its charge and when do you need to plug yourself back in before you shut down?
Motivational Maps
These are the 9 motivators and my top three are Searcher, Friend and Spirit. If you want to find out which ones are your top 3, how much you have of them right now and what to do when you need to plug yourself back in, go to Motivational Maps, take the diagnostic and follow my online guide. You’ll be amazed at how simple it is to regain your mojo once you understand how!
