There are many times when one feels low and completely lacking motivation. Lots of work that you MUST do gets piled on and you HOPE that the work just disappears. You know this does not happen…but why not try??!!

I guess this happens to every one of us (happens to me very regularly) – and if there is no great pressure of EMI or something like that it becomes difficult to keep going. For people in a job there is some pressure from the bosses, but it becomes even more difficult for people who are on their own and there is not enough client pressure.

ONE VERY IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER IS: LONG TERM MOTIVATION CAN COME ONLY FROM WITHIN. It can never be got from some external stimulus.

What do you do when you are down?

Well here are a few things:

1. Stay away from the Nay sayers. There are many people who are always (almost always) negative. They choose negative topics, they say negative things about people, projects, countries, the weather, others,..from the choice of topic itself you realize that he/she is going to say negative things. Excuse yourself. Just be rid of them.

2. Read awesome books on Motivation, Listen to motivation speeches, and listen to lifting Music: All these are awesome ways to give you a short term kick and change your mindset. Books by Swami Vivekananda, Music – Beethoven, 5th Symphony, tons of Kishore Kumar numbers – including ‘aa chal ke tujhe’, and some good Ted talks (Google for them please), are excellent sources.

3. Play with children: Younger the better – at least I find it very lifting in spirits. Even playing a game of badminton with kids of say class 5 or class 10 can change your mood quickly. Of course going for a run, a swim, or a cycling event also helps. However if you do it regularly ANYWAY it may just be a tad boring, be careful.

4. Maximize time with people who lift your spirits up! Exactly opposite of point no. 1. Meet friends, colleagues, relatives who keep your mood high and spirits soaring. Do things to be with those positive people in your lives.

5. Make a list of things that you MUST do: could be dull and boring, but MUST be done. If you do it, your life gets better, you make more money, you relax well, you are happy getting those things out of your way, your guilt level goes down – etc. etc. Just making that list itself helps. So make it.

6. Now Just ‘Do it’ – all tasks look difficult, but hey it has to be done, right? take one small bite at a time.

Hey you are a different person already, right?