Motivation Mastery Series Part 4: Staying Motivated in Tough Times

Can your motivation withstand life's toughest challenges? In this empowering episode of Brewing Success, we uncover the secrets to maintaining unwavering motivation, regardless of external pressures like economic downturns or personal setbacks. By planting your flag and living by your values, you'll learn how to develop the discipline necessary to stay focused on your goals. We emphasize the importance of resilience and normalize the struggles everyone faces, offering practical strategies for pushing through difficult periods and remaining steadfast.

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:12

Hi, my friends, and welcome to Brewing Success, where growth is the mission, change is the reward and progress is the goal. I am your host, andrea Gephardt. I'm a former educator turned passionate entrepreneur, whose desire to create impact has never wavered. I've spent the last decade teaching, mentoring and coaching people on how to create success in their lives and businesses, with proven strategies and systems that not only bring about change but big results. When it comes down to it, teaching is my specialty, leadership is my jam, and inspiring you to live a bigger, fuller life is what I'm all about. This podcast will give you the knowledge and tools you need to brew success in almost any area of your life. You're going to walk away each week feeling inspired, motivated and ready to step outside your comfort zone and into the next level of who you're meant to be. Now let's get into today's episode to step outside your comfort zone and into the next level of who you're meant to be. Now let's get into today's episode. All right, welcome back to the Motivation Mastery Series.

Speaker 1 1:13

Today we're in part four staying motivated in tough times. What a series this has been. Not only have we unpacked you know motivation to really understand how it works, but we've learned how to become more self-motivated, the secret to motivating others, and now how to sustain motivation even when times are tough. And so I'm going to start today's episode by saying that if you stand for nothing, you're going to fall for everything. If your motivation listen to me if your motivation is at the mercy of the times meaning your motivation changes based on people's attitudes, mindsets, the economy, political issues you know all the things happening around you. If the environment and the circumstances of the world impact your motivation here, here's why that happens because you have yet to plant your flag, you are not living your values and you are not disciplined. And this may sound a little harsh, but it is the truth, and that's what we're here for. We're here for what we need to hear, not necessarily what we want to hear. So, again, if your level of motivation, you know, wavers with the ebbs and the flows of the economy and all those external factors, and even how you feel, if your motivation changes based on how you feel, then we've got some major work to do.

Speaker 1 2:24

If you're only motivated when you're winning or when things are going well, we have to do some major soul searching. You know, I believe, I believe that who you are when times are tough is who you are. Who you are when you're not winning is who you are. Who you are in crisis and under stress is who you are. Who you are in crisis and under stress is who you are. Now you have to decide if that's who you want to be. So I want you to think about that for a second.

Speaker 1 2:51

If you're kind of scratching your head and be like huh, like, what do you mean by that? I want you to think about yourself. When things are hard, when you're not winning, when you're under crisis and under stress, are you a different person? Do different person? Do you have a different way of showing up? Does your attitude change? Do your words change? Do your beliefs change? Does your energy level change? Because who you are in those circumstances is who you are.

Speaker 1 3:11

We always default to who we are and we get to decide if that's how we want to be. Do we want to be running around high stress, in a state of panic? We would be calm, cool, collected and focused on our goals. Only one of those choices is going to put you closer to where you want to go, and I think you know what the obvious decision is. So I've settled this to say that when you have planted your flag for your goals and your dreams, very little is actually going to get in the way because you're so determined to succeed. When you've planted your flag, that is like. That is like a visual claim to determination and that's like a declaration and an agreement with yourself that nothing is going to interfere with you on your way. That's what happens when you plant your flag.

Speaker 1 3:52

When you live your values, you're the most authentic version of yourself, no matter what is happening around you. When you're truly disciplined, how you feel has very little to do with what you do. You actually disassociate feelings from actions because you do what needs to be done because you know it needs to be done. You don't make decisions based on how you feel. You don't make actions based on how you feel. You're disciplined to what you're doing because you are living out your values, because you have planted your flag. Those all work together synergistically.

Speaker 1 4:27

There are always going to be things that are changing around you and tough times are always going to be taking place. Tough times are inevitable. They're always around the corner and if you right now are not in a challenging season and things are going really well then, hang on, because it's coming. And I want to say that that's not a doomsday mindset, it's just reality. We all know that leadership and success is a series of ups and downs, so we need to learn how to navigate them. Equally, it's easy. It's easy to let motivation slip away when the going gets tough. So we've got to develop resilience in this area so we can sustain motivation, so we can push through even in the most trying of times. And again, I say all this to say that challenges are normal, sucky times are part of the journey and it's never going to be perfect. It's not supposed to be perfect. When we can normalize the struggle, we can appreciate the challenge. So I want to normalize the struggle today. I want to normalize the tough times. What I don't want to normalize is a lack of motivation when things get hard, because that's what you're already struggling with. That's where 98% of the population shifts to right. Things get difficult. They shut down, not you. You're different. We're going to approach this whole thing called life and our journey in a completely different way. So here are a few simple ways that you can maintain motivation even in the face of adversity.

Speaker 1 5:51

So, when you feel like, or when you're in tough times or when things are happening all around you and you're feeling unmotivated. First you got to find out why you're not feeling motivated. Ask yourself why am I not motivated? What changed? Am I bored? Am I uninterested? Am I burnout? Am I too focused on external circumstances? Am I struggling with imposter syndrome? Once you uncover what changed for you, you have the ability to recover motivation by finding solutions. So maybe you're bored because you aren't challenged. How do you fix that? Set some new big goals and find creative ways to reach them. If you're uninspired, attend a conference, get a mentor, learn something new. Reignite that spark for yourself.

Speaker 1 6:33

If you're feeling like you can't do what you once did, feeling like you're a fake or a fraud, combat that energy with a mindset reset and understanding that even the most successful people end up starting over and starting better, and not just one time, but like multiple times on their journeys. The difference between them and you is that they refuse to give up and quit. You also need to understand that you are worthy, deserving and qualified for this journey, that you are on, qualified for the gifts that you are worthy, deserving and qualified for this journey that you are on, qualified for the gifts that you have and the dream that you are meant and actually destined to actualize. So you got to find out why you're not motivated. We got to solve that. Second, we got to reconnect with our why. We got to be sure it's in alignment with what matters to you most in your life right now.

Speaker 1 7:22

A lot of times I see a lot of people running for big dreams and goals in 2024, but their why is from 2015. And they've changed a lot and life has changed a lot and things are very different. Yet they're still operating off of this why from way back when, and that's why their motivation is suffering. Because it's not relevant, it doesn't mean as much. The connecting piece between them and the why is weakened over time. So we got to revisit that. We have to make sure that it's in alignment with what matters to us most in this point in our lives. Often, when motivation begins to fade, so has our connection to why we are doing what we're doing. So this is imperative during tough times, because it's easy to get distracted with what is happening around you and you tend to lose sight of what matters most.

Speaker 1 8:10

So if you're feeling unmotivated, take the opportunity to sit down and ask yourself why am I doing this? What's the big picture? What's the end goal? What is that gonna provide? What is that gonna do? What is that big picture? What's the end goal? What is that going to provide? What is that going to do? What is that going to change? And when you start to unpack that, you'll feel yourself on a cellular level, an energetic level, starting to shift and change and get excited to become motivated.

Speaker 1 8:33

Okay, the next thing is you want to set some new goals. This is actually one of my favorites because it's always going to supercharge your mind and your motivation levels. Setting new goals is just something magical about it, and I love it because you're approaching with a different perspective, new information, new insights you know because of the work that you've already done. But with these goals, be sure to create an action plan and make sure you stick to it. Goals without a plan, as we know, are just a wish, and we can't wish our way to success. We have to work our way there. So if motivation on your project is struggling or your goal is struggling, set some new goals. Get yourself excited about what you're looking to accomplish.

Speaker 1 9:19

Next up, we want to make sure that we celebrate every win, big or small. Celebrate all the progress that you make. Celebrate it all. I'm telling you, oftentimes, guys, we're just too hard on ourselves and we forget that we need to take a moment to appreciate how far we've come. Listen, if you're sitting around and expecting other people to clap for you and recognize your work and celebrate your progress, you're going to be waiting around for a really long time.

Speaker 1 9:41

Most people only pay attention to outcomes. That's why people don't understand the journey right. They see what you have, they see what you've done, they see what you've created, they see what you're earning, they see the life that you've built and they want that. They don't so much want the work, the sleepless nights, the starting over the adversity, the almost quitting all those things that happened all along the way, that journey, that progress for all of you. They don't want any of that. They just want the outcome. We have to clap for ourselves. We have to celebrate for ourselves. This is going to reinforce the work that you're doing and it's going to motivate you even more to keep going, even when it's hard.

Speaker 1 10:16

So, when you're setting your goals, also set progress points within those goals that you can set up, so that you can celebrate and set up rewards for yourself when you reach the goals that you set. Set up rewards for yourself. Maybe that reward is binging a show. Maybe that reward is going to the beach and having a beach day. That actually sounds lovely Like busting out a book in the sand with my feet. Oh yes, I think I need to set that up for myself.

Speaker 1 10:41

And, lastly, start and end your day with gratitude. I'm telling you, you know, if you're not doing this yet, you are missing out on a very significant component of change, abundance and life. Gratitude is a proven practice that has incredible benefits when it comes to success. I love that. It keeps our mindset in check and it keeps our frequency high. Gratitude is the gateway to abundance and when times are tough, it's easy for a lack of mindset to set in and take root, and you gotta combat that with gratitude practice and you will come out on top every time.

Speaker 1 11:17

So if you're feeling like your motivation is starting to dwindle or fade, then that's when you want to dig in deep to gratitude. What am I grateful for right now? What's going really well? Because if we focus on the gap, we're never going to have the gains. We got to focus on the gains to get more gains. That's where we want to be headed. That's where we want our eyes, our heart, our feet, our motion, our movement, everything towards all of that. So gratitude is absolutely big. You know, I'll end today's episode with this Tough times never last, but tough people do. Use these simple five strategies to sustain motivation along your journey so that you can push through and stay focused on achieving your goals and, ultimately, your dreams. I'm so excited for you to put these to work to sustain those levels of motivation, to keep on keeping on working hard toward those big dreams and those big goals. You guys, I believe in you. You've got this together. We're gonna do some big things in this world. Thanks for joining me here on Growing Success. Thank you.