1 Unconventional Method To Deal With A Lack Of Motivation

1 Unconventional Method To Deal With A Lack Of Motivation

So I actually had a really good night’s sleep last night despite being 8 months pregnant. BUT I woke up with such low mood. Lol.

I’m not really used to this because prior to pregnancy, it was rare for me to feel so “low” or down.

But I know from doing my pregnancy reading that feeling like this can be completely normal due to continual changes in hormone levels.

We woke up around 6am (we go to bed at 9pm); we stretched and worked out, had rye bread toast, avo, and spinach for breakfast, showered, took our usual 10 minute walk outside, and then did a 5 minute meditation in the living room.

It was about 8.30am at that stage and I could not have felt less motivated to do ANYTHING in my business. Honestly. I was just like ugh nothing. I feel like doing nothing.

And I also felt quite down (due to the hormones). Anyway, it was frustrating because I wanted to feel excited and driven. But it just wasn’t happening.

Now, pregnant or not, I’m guessing you feel this way sometimes? Unmotivated?

Maybe you actually feel this way today ?

If you’re feeling super unmotivated right, here are two things I want you to know right away:

1. I want you to realise you are NOT a bad person for feeling unmotivated, flat or down on certain days. EVERYONE experiences this. And although it can be annoying, it’s something everyone goes through. It’s part of the natural ebb and flow of being a human. You’re normal. And you’re doing a great job.

2. I want you to take the pressure off yourself. I think as business owners it’s easy to feel like we have to be “on” at all times. Since we’re the CEOs and the drivers of the momentum in our business, it’s easy to feel like we can’t experience bad moods or low motivation.

Putting pressure on ourselves happens because we know that if we don’t do it…no one else will! We’re responsible for the growth and profit of our business.

And this can feel SO heavy at times. Even if we have employees, we know that we’re at the top. And we have to lead.

I mean I don’t know if you remember what it was like working in a job. But I know for me, I didn’t experience this kind of pressure. Because ultimately it wasn’t my company.

Yes, I cared about my job and I wanted to do a great job. But the responsibility wasn’t ALL on me. There were others higher up that had MORE responsibility than I did. So the buck didn’t stop with me.

If I had a lack of motivation in my old job, it was no big deal. I could just tell myself I’d make up for it at some other point during the week.

Whereas in business, it feels like each day really counts especially when you’re working on scaling your revenue. It feels like it’s more personal and it matters way more!

OK so the real question is what do you do when you’re feeling flat, unmotivated, uninspired in your business?

Well, there are LOTS of things you can do but I wanted to share an unconventional method that I use a lot myself.

This is what it is:

TAKE ALL THE PRESSURE OFF THAT DAY.

Now this may sound insane. Especially if you’re someone like me: an overachiever.

But hear me out.

For people like you and me , sometimes it’s the intense pressure itself that is constricting and limiting you.

When you feel like you HAVE to get sales activities and marketing activities checked off the list, it can feel overwhelming.

Look – most days, you’re probably happy to have that bit of pressure – you do your marketing habits. You do your sales habits. You do your client work. You get on with it. And you get to the end of the day thinking yup – I did my non negotiables – I feel good.

I’ve made tangible progress.

But on other days that pressure you’re putting on yourself to DO, DO, DO is probably the problem itself.

That can really choke your creativity.

So I’ll give you an example:

This morning (especially since I was feeling low, down and tired due to the pregnancy hormones) I was noticing my mind saying, “Olivia, just go through your marketing and sales habits.” The problem was that it felt more like a command and not in a good way.

I felt like I was being told what to do by my own self! And it did NOT feel nice.

I felt like any creativity and inspiration I could generate was being strangled.

I was left feeling flatter than ever and less motivated than ever. Most days, this isn’t the case for me. I’m able to just get started on my habits and feel productive.

But today? Nope. It wasn’t happening. Giving myself that order felt wrong and uninspiring.

So, instead, I went down a different path (something I’ve used loads over the last 6 years)… I told myself: today there are NO rules Olivia. You can just have fun, play, enjoy, learn, grow, think, feel, be.

Zero rules.

I felt myself relax and release the tension I’d been holding onto.

I felt calmer suddenly.

Zero rules today.

Zero marketing habits. Zero sales habits need to be done.

So I just let myself be guided by my gut.

I went into a couple of Facebook groups that I like to engage in. One is a Facebook group that focuses on growing membership sites. Another group is just a business moms Facebook group. And I also popped into my own free Facebook Group to check in with my own community.

Before long, I was reading some really helpful posts about growing your membership site. I was learning about how other business owners grow their audience. I was chatting with a really nice woman who has her own membership site and talking about the specific strategies she’s using herself.

I then listened to a useful podcast episode on increasing sales for a membership site. I made a poll in my own free Facebook group to ask them the number one thing slowing down their sales…

And before I knew it, I felt a sudden change in my mood. I felt freer. I felt more motivated.

I was connecting with others, getting to know my community, expanding my knowledge, and that’s when I came here to send you this email.

It’s as if my energy and creativity has shot up by 200% since this morning. And guess what did that?

Letting go.

Releasing all pressure to HAVE to do my normal marketing and sales habits.

Ironically, I’ve now done multiple marketing and sales activities naturally!

But weirdly…telling myself that I didn’t HAVE to do anything today and that I could let go of all the rules I had opened up the doors to creativity.

It took away the pressure, it allowed me to PLAY and have fun and connect with others. And that brought this whole new feeling of flow.

I wanted to share that with you because I think for women like us, the pressure valve sometimes needs to be released to let in some new ideas and new inspiration!

Yup. Especially us.

I know it’s scary to do that, but it can be powerful.

Changing things up. Doing things different. Being unconventional.

So today? Here’s my tip (if you feel unmotivated):

Go the unconventional route: tell yourself today is a free day. Just PLAY. Have FUN. Zero rules. No habits. Just see what comes up. See what inspires you. Learn. Read. Listen. Dance. Whatever.

You’d be surprised what that can do for your mood.

And look – most days, you won’t even need to do this.

Most days, it’s just about getting on with your marketing and sales habits and moving forward in your business.

But SOME days, taking the pressure completely off can be an absolute game changer and bring you the ENERGY you really need to grow your business!

Would love to hear your thoughts on this – if this is something you’ve tried before. Let me know in the comments!

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