How easy is it to get sucked into the daily grind? The chores of life. A job we’re not looking forward to. Meeting with people we don’t want to meet with. Going through the motions without any emotion.
I don’t know about you, but sometimes I really have to fight off the funk.
And sometimes I don’t win that fight.
When I do win, it’s usually because I’ve got these things going on:
+ Something to look forward to. A goal. A trip. A reward. I listed this first because it’s huge for me. If I can get to the next event, I’ll generally be okay.
The event can be a personal thing (concert, date, vacation) or a business trip, seminar or trade show.
Sometimes having a goal to shoot for is enough to get me excited. Pulling the focus off the grind that I’m working through and looking toward the goal that I hope to accomplish often reorients me in a good way.
I don’t use the reward option much, but I know a lot of people find setting a reward for themselves when they push through the tough part of a job and accomplish a goal to be very motivational.
+ Read. I have a lot of go to books that I find super useful depending on what I’m stuck on: Steve Chandler, Jack Canfield, Steven Pressfield, Shawn Doyle.
+ Eat right and exercise. We know some foods give us more energy. Why are other foods so good?! If you have an office job, you know how easy it is to slip into bad habits of inactivity. Of course I need to unwind with a bag of chips and my favorite tv show after a tough day at the office, right?
+ Pray, meditate, gratitude. Spend time counting blessings anytime you feel the funk coming on. Of course, it’d be even better if you practice gratitude every day. Prayer and meditation are also useful tools to work on daily. Now if only I can keep my thoughts at bay long enough to pray and meditate consistently.
+ Investing in myself. Truly the greatest investment in the world!
+ Positive, inspiring, sometimes funny things in front of me. Inspiring pictures, infographics on social media, daily emails or blogs. Darren Hardy has a great daily email. A few years ago after Becky watched Nate Berkus explain on TV we went through and updated our surroundings. See the note I wrote about that here. Don’t keep anything around that doesn’t inspire you!
What keeps you going when the funk comes after you?