Need to feel motivated?

There are several ups and downs that everyone goes through in their lives. I have been through my share as well.  But, it’s the time immediately after that phase ends, which has always been more difficult. Difficult because it’s not that straightforward to keep yourself motivated when you have been through deep shit. There is no way that one can think clearly about the times to come when what you are staring at right now, is messed up.

Then, what is to be done. In my experience, there were few things that worked for me. Again these may not resonate with everyone but then I feel are more practical.

1. Don’t try to visualize – Whenever we feel down, the first thing that we try to do is visualize the future. How are the coming days going to look like and it makes us even more gloomy when there is no clarity. We imagine the worst case scenarios and again go back into the doldrums. It is our imagination that kills us the most. Like someone truly said, “It’s all in the mind!’. Disrupt your thoughts by telling yourself and accepting the fact that life is uncertain, so there is no point visualizing anything.
2. Just Be, Breathe – Just be where you are. There is no need to do anything. When I say breathe, it means to sense your breath. Noticing your breathing patterns is the best exercise to move away from those repeating thought patterns, whenever they occur.
3. Don’t give yourself false hopes – Our mind tends to give us false hopes like 1 week later this would happen, 3 months later that would happen and everything will be fine. And when this fails, it’s again the same story all over again!
4. Try to feel close to the nature – Whether its simply walking in the sun or sitting on a park bench, observe the surroundings and feel the fresh air outside. It helps me to get myself to the present moment.
5. Do some kind of crazy activity or adventure sports– Whenever life feels like a pain in the ass, its important to realize the thrill of life. Any kind of adventure sports like skydiving or crazy ideas like traveling to an unknown place., will bring you back to the present and make you realize what life is.
6. Don’t look for motivation elsewhere – In fact, why do you even need to feel motivated all the time. While we can keep reading self help books or keep engaging in motivation talks, it only gives temporary relief and satisfaction. Because the next day, you are again staring at the same situations around you.

Whether good or bad, it’s just one life that we have got. So, its a choice that we need to make – either just live it by savoring the little things around you today or keep looking and waiting for things to go your away someday!