Hi, it's Rich here.

I've been asked to answer the

question, how do I get motivated

when I don't feel motivated?

That's a good one.

And I can say that for me,

it happens all the time.

It totally happens to me.

I play hooky or skip out on things

that I know I should be doing, but

that I just don't feel motivated to do.

It happens actually on

quite a regular basis.

And for me, the important thing is not

that it happens, but how I navigate it.

So I really want to highlight that

distinction, that not feeling motivated

is actually a perfectly natural thing.

We don't always have the focus and

the energy and the intention to do

what we normally would aspire to do,

even if we know it's good for us.

But realize that this is just a

state, which is something transitory.

A set of circumstances, feelings,

energy levels that are temporary.

They're not traits which

are fixed and permanent.

So just understand that not feeling

motivated is often a state and

it's a state that you can navigate.

And I use that word navigate on purpose.

Because the good news is that there are

internal and external resources you can

draw on when you need to spark motivation.

And when you need to navigate those

times where you're not feeling motivated.

So some internal resources include how

you manage and direct your energy and

attention and how you create opportunities

for rest and renewal and recharging.

External sources include finding

sources of inspiration and

motivation beyond your routines.

So let's explore both of these.

When you feel like your motivation is

waning, which again, it will, from time

to time, tune in to your inspiration.

This is a form of an internal resource

that you can draw on from time to time

when you need to reignite your motivation.

So for example, reconnecting

with your intention for doing

something, such as your job.

Reconnecting with your purpose,

your cause, or your vision.

Even though you might not feel

motivated in this moment, if you can

start to shift your focus on the why.

Why what you do is important?

That can be really helpful.

For example, are you wanting to get

fitter so that you could have more energy

for your work and your life at home?

If so, envision what that would feel

like to you and to those around you.

But let me give you my own example.

There are often so many different

people that I have to interact

with and that I have to address.

I have a very broad stakeholder group

of people, people who really care about

the work we do and to whom I have to,

in some ways, manage expectations for.

So that can be really taxing

and demanding at times.

Other times it can be super

energizing and engaging.

But when I do feel taxed by it, when

I do feel like the demands are great

and I'm a little bit weary, I sometimes

will just close my eyes in silence

and remember why I do the work I do.

For me, I'm one of those people that feels

like I'm living the dream, as they say.

Super, super happy to be doing the

work in the world that I'm doing

around mindfulness and emotional

intelligence and leading the efforts

of an educational institute that

works all around the world to help

people have access to these skills.

And so when I connect with that, that

we are making mindfulness and emotional

intelligence practical and accessible

so that people can develop the skills

to flourish, it kind of inspires me.

And so when I can really touch into

it, feel what that feels like, envision

what that looks like for my work, I

oftentimes, even after a space of 30

seconds and a few breaths and a few

recollections of purpose and intention,

can often pivot and feel re-energized.

That's just a small example.

So now let's talk about

some external resources.

There's really two things I might

suggest in terms of external resources

that might help you with motivation.

The first is to reach out.

Reach out to people and

things which inspire you.

Reach out to friends, trusted

colleagues, anyone who can be an

ally to you in terms of helping you

reconnect with motivation of your why.

In other words, they can help remind you

of what is your why, your why for doing

things, for engaging in certain work,

for choosing certain directions in life.

And they can remind you, if they are

trusted friends or colleagues who are

allies and who are there to support you,

they can remind you of your why and that

might reinspire and re-motivate you.

The second suggestion I have

is to change your context.

So when you're not feeling motivated,

an external resource you can

draw on is changing your context.

I can be sitting at my computer,

trying to grind and power through

and get some work done, but feeling

really demotivated throughout.

And what often works for me is

to just simply change my context.

For me, it's taking a walk outside.

Going outside is like a huge reset for me.

For me, it's connecting with the

expansiveness of nature, getting

out of my own head and into

something bigger than myself.

Try it next time you feel

de-motivated or a little stuck.

Change your context.

It may allow for a shift,

a break in the monotony.

Because, you know, as human beings,

while we benefit from routine, we

also like newness, surprise and awe.

The expansiveness benefits us.

The unstructured time benefits us.

And this can be particularly

inspiring when we're stuck in a rut.

What I'd like to suggest or invite

you to try is to get creative about

how you might connect with the

expansiveness of the world around you.

It can be really simple, like taking

a walk outside or in a park, or

it could be much more extensive.

Perhaps going on a retreat or

doing a creative workshop or taking

some time off or even a vacation.

Whatever it is, changing your context

can be super helpful for resparking

motivation when you don't feel motivated.

So I want to thank you for

your time and attention today.

And I wish you well as you work

with some of these approaches for

trying to find ways to navigate

those times of feeling unmotivated.

How to motivate yourself when feeling

unmotivated, importantly, as with all

of these suggestions, I'll invite you

to be kind and gentle with yourself.

Knowing that the experience you're

having is really natural, that a

lot of people have this experience.

It's a common human thing that

we all share, this feeling at

times of being unmotivated.

And that the practices and suggestions

that you heard about today may add a

small measure towards helping you feel

motivated when you don't feel motivated.

So thank you again, and I wish you well.

Take care.