How To Motivate Yourself During The Worst Of Times? (Guest Post)

Hey there! I am KiranKandel from Pro Investivity, personal development, and investment blogger. I have been embracing personal development for a long time and seeing its amazing benefits, I would like to help you achieve the same. My friend, JeneshLal Shrestha, loves the concept of money, personal finance – in general, investments. He has been writing about the same for over a year now.

Many people are still locked inside their homes due to coronavirus pandemic. We’re finding it increasingly difficult to motivate ourselves.Our mental health has taken a toll. We are suffering from depression, overweight, oversleeping, and the list keeps ongoing.

So, it’s important that we stay motivated and overcome the worst of times. The coronavirus pandemic is only one of them – we will come across many such situations in our lives. 

First of all, why do we have to face the worst?

Exactly! Isn’t there a way to escape all these negative stuff and remain motivated at all times? I wish I could tell you there was a way to do so…

SundarPichai’s father had to spend his year’s salary so Sundar could go to the USA. He barely had any experience in technology. After struggling a lot, he is now the CEO of Google. Abraham Lincoln lost his job, failed in business, lost his sweetheart, and had a nervous breakdown. These events occurred before he became one of the most influential presidents the world has ever seen.

What would have happened if SundarPichai and Abraham Lincoln hadn’t faced their worst of times early in their lives? I doubt if anyone would have known about them. Their worst experiences completely changed the way they viewed the world. 

I still don’t know any successful person that didn’t go through their worst of times. So then, I guess everyone has to face our worst. The important thing is not whether you are facing your worst times or not, but instead how you deal with them.

Accept That You Lack Motivation

If everyone has to face their worst times, then why not accept it occurring in your life as well? As mentioned in the book Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck, we have to accept our situation before craving for it.

When you will accept that you lack motivation, you will feel that you have hit your rock bottom. But that’s good. It means that you won’t let anything you do to take you further down. If anything, you have the perfect platform to bounce back and make the most out of your dire situation. 

During World War II,Viktor Frankl could not have made past the holocaust had he not accepted his position. He was one of the few survivors from his camp. The sad part was that most of them who had died there wasn’t only because of the Nazi’s physical violence. It was also because they weren’t willing to accept their circumstances. Later, they faced mental issues, eventually leading to their demises. They failed to find the purpose of their lives…

To Motivate Yourself, You Have To Be Inspired

After accepting your lack of motivation, it’s now time to get some inspiration.

Do you think motivation and inspiration are the same? I also used to think the same, before realizing their vast differences. 

If you rely solely on motivation, then you will soon get exhausted. Earlier, I used to listen to a motivational song every hour to motivate myself. But I used to get so tired after a few hours. The “motivational” songs failed to push me, leaving me where I was – demotivated.

Later, having the inspiration helped me to get motivated as well. My inner power encouraged me towards completing my tasks. It felt like magic. 

People like Viktor Frankl used their inspiration to help them deal with difficult times. So I’m sure you too will find your inspiration to start your personal development journey.

P.S. If you like to enjoy while developing yourself, then you should consider watching these exhilarating movies!

“Inspiration fires you up motivation keeps you burning.” 

– Stuart Aken

Your Surrounding Matters A Lot

“You are a product of your environment. So choose the environment that will best develop you toward your objective. Analyze your life in terms of its environment. Are the things around you helping you toward success – or are they holding you back?” 

– W. Clement Stone

We learn a lot from our surroundings. The people we associate with, the movies we watch, the activities we do, and so on. Motivated people make sure that their surrounding encourages them towards their goals.

Practical example:-

How long can you go without using your phone? Can you study for an hour without checking your phone once? I’m sure you have experimented with yourself with this, only to fail horribly, isn’t it? If you can’t do that, you must realize that your surrounding is stopping your progress. 

So, what can you do? What if you didn’t have your phone nearby you? Then, no matter what, you won’t be able to use it. You will be forced to study for the designated time. 

Now, I don’t want you to literally throw your phone out, but can you leave it in another room during your study time? Even better, can you give it to one of your friends or family members? Tell them to not give your phone back to you for an hour. I use this trick during my exams, and it has proved to be of great benefit.

My personal experience with surrounding:-

I use my laptop for almost the entire day. I do most of my works in it. While working, I do love to watch some YouTube videos from time to time. It wasn’t until recently that I realized I had been using YouTube for more than 2 hours every day. 

I knew it was detrimental to my working habits. I understood it was challenging for me as a millennial to quit this addictive habit. So I started using a website blocker service to prevent me from using YouTube during my work time. This has enabled me to finish my work super quickly, without any distractions. 

Celebrate Small Victories

While working a lot, you might miss to give yourself the small treats you deserve. As motivation lasts for only a short time, we have to boost it periodically. And the best way to do it is by celebrating our small victories.

Finished making your PowerPoint presentation? Reward yourself with your favorite chocolate. Scored good grades in your term exam? Go watch your favorite movie. 

By stimulating ourselves from time to time, we are able to enjoy the small moments in our life. It’s like thanking yourself for doing something good, then enjoying some time off. 

Researches have supported that celebrating small victories is one of the most powerful methods to keep yourself motivated. When you fail to treat yourself, then your motivation will slowly diminish. 

“Little victories lead to bigger victories that affect the battles that eventually win the war. Winning begins small!” 

– Dr. Travis J Hedrick

Conclusion

Motivating yourself during your worst times is hard. But by following the right process, you can eventually accomplish your dreams. I would like to end up this article with a powerful quote on struggles.

“Every struggle in your life has shaped you into the person you are today. So be thankful for the hard times, they can only make you stronger.” 

– Unknown

Thank you!

I have written a similar article about my experience with social media in this coronavirus lockdown. Check it out – My Personal Experience With Social Media In This Coronavirus Lockdown

If you enjoyed reading this article, then you may want to visit Pro Investivity where we explicitly discuss similar topics. You can check a few of our recent posts about personal development below:

• Lessons from 2 Completely Contrasting Books
• Knowing Yourself First for Personal Development
• How To Deal With Negative Emotions

Once again, we would like to take a moment to sincerely thank Ava for providing such a beautiful platform to share our ideas. 

Thank you for spending your valuable time reading this article!

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