3 Ways to Stay Super Motivated Right Now

Last week, I woke up one morning to the sound of my alarm ringing at the other side of the room.  I got out of bed, walked to the other side of the room, turned it off and walked straight back to the bed to get a few more hours of sleep.  Is anyone else feeling unmotivated at the moment?

Without anything in the coming weeks to look forward to, besides making the most of the Disney plus free trial, I was finding myself a little unmotivated. I would spend large parts of my days sitting down on the sofa scrolling on Instagram with the Lion King playing on my laptop.  At times I’d motivate myself to get up off the sofa to make myself a sandwich and a cup of coffee.  But getting exercise done, working on the mental game of tennis and reading useful books all seemed like a bit of a drag.  Why bother? I’m not competing for another 2 months, minimum…

Waking up can suck!

Okay this is a bit of an exaggeration but it is partly true. I have been feeling a little unmotivated given the current challenges we’re facing. On Tuesday, I did an Instagram live Q&A and I got asked a great question which sparked the inspiration for creating this blog post.  The question was:

“How do you stay motivated at the moment?” – Young Unmotivated Child

My response was about connecting with our purpose.  Which I must say was a great response given the potential embarrassment for an Instagram-live blooper.  Over the last few days I’ve decided that there are two more ways that we can stay super motivated during these challenging times- taking the total to a whopping three.  

So, here are the ways that we can stay super motivated:

1.     Connect with our Purpose

“He who has a why to live for can bear almost any” – Friedrich Nietzsche, German Philosopher 

Connecting with our purpose, or our ‘why’ as Nietzsche calls it, has a huge effect on our levels of motivation during times of challenge. Our purpose is essentially why we do the things that we do.  Without a sense of purpose, it’s easy to feel lost and lifeless. The reason why so many of us are feeling dejected and demotivated right now is because we haven’t connected to our purpose.  

When we are going about our normal life, we are driven by goals, deadlines, winning or preparing for that next competition.  It’s easy to stay motivated.  When all that is taken away, without purpose, we have nothing to build on.  I’ll give you a personal example of how re-connecting with my purpose has given me an instant boost of motivation.

Two of my biggest purposes for playing tennis are to inspire people and grow as a person.  After re-connecting to those purposes, I feel motivated again because I don’t actually need tennis to do those two things.  I can inspire people by writing blogs like this or creating “My Guide to Mental Toughness” to share with players, parents and coaches for FREE (click here to download). I also don’t need tennis to be able to grow.  I can still read books, work on the mental game of tennis and grow as a person during this period. 

Connect with your purpose and you’ll find yourself super motivated again, and if you haven’t thought about your purpose before – now is a great time to get started.  

2.     Shift our focus

– Tony Robbins

Most people are currently focusing on all the wrong things.  The lack of freedom, the things they can’t do, the people they can’t see and the money they can’t earn.  Basically, pessimistic thinking. That’s why I was unmotivated and lazy last week.  I was focusing on the fact that I had no competition to look forward to over the next two months and no source of income.  

But then, I connected to my purpose and I shifted my focus to positive things.  I began to take 10 minutes in the morning to do a gratitude meditation to be thankful for all the things that I have during these times: loved ones around me, health, time to think, and a unique opportunity to prioritise some things that I normally don’t prioritise.  I focused on the ways that I can still grow, inspire and improve.  Changing where I put my focus instantly changed how I felt. 

You can do the same. And it’s instantaneous! If you shift your focus, you shift your feelings.  Unmotivated to motivated.  Here’s a gratitude meditation to try:

Click the image to listen to the meditation.

3.     Changing our motion

‘Changing our motion creates emotion’ is something Tony Robbins preaches. You should watch some of his seminars, he literally gets people shouting and dancing together in a music filled room. In contrast to that, mentally imagine a depressed person.  How do they hold themselves: tall or slumped? Are their eyes looking up or down? Are they lifeless or energetic? The way we move and hold ourselves has a massive effect on the way we feel.  If we slump over on the sofa staring at a screen from the start of the day, we are going to feel miserable and unmotivated to do anything.  Being sedentary, especially slumped on the sofa all day, has a massive effect on the way we feel.  

If we can change how we move, we can change how we feel.  Now I’m not saying you have to dance or sprint around your apartment to feel positive and motivated, but it would have a positive effect. 

In one study, researchers took a large group of clinically depressed people and for 20 minutes per day for a period of several weeks, they had to stand tall, breathe deep and smile into a mirror.  The results? After the trial was over, not one of them was considered clinically depressed anymore.  Why? Because they changed their motion.  Their posture and their smiling changed their motion and consequently had a corresponding effect on their happiness (emotion).  Motion creates emotion.  

My advice, get something physical done first thing in the morning.  Whether it’s some light stretching, yoga or mobility work.  Move in the morning and you’ll feel super motivated to take on the rest of your day.  

Those are my three tips for getting super motivated during this challenging period.  If you can think of any further ways, get in touch, I’d love to hear them.  Also, if you want to learn “The Mindfulness Method” that Djokovic credits his mental toughness to download my guide here for FREE.

My Guide to Mental Toughness

Thanks again and stay safe.