This year has been a struggle for sure. Pandemic, racial tensions, uncontrolled fires in Australia, and an election in the United States that has caused deep divides. In the midst of this, many people are struggling with motivation.
One way we previously recommended dealing with this frustration was to reframe 2020 and not resent it. But what if you just do not have the motivation?
Their normal is disrupted.
They can’t go to the gym if it is closed down.
They can’t write at the coffee shop if they are worried about people without masks.
They get emotionally and mentally drained with their children home all day.
Date nights look differently.
Fear and change and unknowns with job loss, getting sick, or wondering how others will treat you can be socially and physically exhausting.
Sometimes the hardest thing is getting past the barrier of “will it succeed?” Failure is hard to overcome. From smaller things like not wanting to bake a cake because it can be hard to not applying for new jobs because of the fear of rejection.
Blame COVID
For my clients who may have developed some coping skills but need to find prosocial activities, attend support groups like Celebrate Recovery, go to church, or find new friends for support, I have been doing this tactic of trying to increase motivation and decrease barriers.
Not sure about trying out a hobby for coping skills of singing on a YouTube channel? Give it a shot and if it doesn’t work, blame it on COVID because you are limited in getting out to unique places.
Wanna get fit or try to run a marathon? Go exercise and if it doesn’t work, you have the perfect excuse because of COVID.
Use some online or library resources to practice knitting and if you don’t get it? It’s not like you can go to a regular group to ask for advice. Just go try it.
The Limitation
There is one limitation to this, do not use this as an excuse to not give it your best given the situation. Many people do use excuse blaming on other people or organizations when in all reality they did not give their best. Do not fall into this trap, even if you have the best excuse possible.
Instead, have humility through this. Paul is
For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.
1 Corinthians 15:9-10
If COVID is part of the problem, it does not need to be a limitation for you, because it is literally a limitation for everyone. No more excuses, get out there and try. And if it doesn’t work, no shame for trying.
Max Lucado is cited in several books (though I cannot find the original reference) as saying:
God never said that the journey would be easy, but He did say that the arrival would be worthwhile.
So what are you waiting for? Go give that thing a try.
Thank you!!1