Have you misplaced your inspiration? Does it feel as if someone literally sucked the motivation right out of you? One day you were moving forward on your goals and dreams. Life was smooth sailing and the sun was shining. Then you got up one morning only to discover your creative passion had gone AWOL.
If you're feeling blocked in your goals or creative projects, you know how frustrating it can be. At first, you think it's only a glitch. It's just one off day. Then one day turns into another, and you realize your creative spark isn't coming back.
Rest assured, you're not alone. Almost everyone who attempts to achieve new goals or create new dreams struggles with maintaining a continuous flow of creative energy. Even though your confidence may be shaken, you can overcome this challenge.
However, a creative block can be detrimental to your success if you don't handle it with grace and wisdom. You can't push your way through it, but neglecting what is going on doesn't work either. Below are some powerful ideas to help you take an active role in moving beyond your block. Soon you'll be back to being the inspired, hopeful, committed person you started out to be.
Every Day
Commit to finishing your goal or project. Then schedule time every day to take action, no matter how you are feeling. It may not be your best work or your top effort, but it's most important to remain focused on your desire even when motivation or creativity seem to be nowhere in sight.
Bad Habits
Your worst enemies are bad habits. Damaging behaviors include things such as not moving forward when the urge is strong, or always doing less important things first. With these types of habits, you can set yourself up for frustration. Take a close look at your actions and behaviors and find new ways to put your priorities first.
Wrong Direction
If you're stuck, maybe it's because you're not moving forward in the right direction. You might try stepping back and giving yourself a higher perspective of the situation. You might not have to abandon the entire project, but maybe how you're going about achieving success isn't working for you. Evaluate your situation and if you're positive you still want to move forward, find a way to fix or revise what wasn't working, and proceed in a new way.
Change Time
Try changing your routine, or change the time of when you typically put effort into your goal. If you usually work on your goal at 8:00 PM in the evening, maybe 5:30 in the morning might be just what you need to get out of the slump and into the flow.
Out of the Ordinary
Do something out of the ordinary and shake things up. Attend a conference, go to a play, take a long walk in a new neighborhood. Take a break every day from your normal routine. Finding new ways to refresh and energize can help move boredom and staleness out of your system.
Take a Break
Burnout can contribute to a loss of creativity. So take a break. Taking a break is not the same as quitting. It's a deliberate injection of healing and relaxation into your life. Look inside and feel with your true feelings whether you need to schedule short daily breaks, or even a vacation. At the end of your break, put action to your goal once again.
Increase External Motivation
When you can't find the motivation inside, look for it outside. Zig Zigglar once stated, "People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily." Read or listen to something of an inspirational nature. Someone else's story of success or motivational speech might be just the spark you need to reignite the creative magic within you.
Temporary Delay
Assume your block is a temporary period that you are going through, and that you will come out of this. It's just a matter of keeping yourself focused on what you want while also riding through the lull until your back in the energetic flow once again. Stay focused, do what you can to keep your goals and dreams on the front burner, take good care of yourself, and remind yourself, "this too shall pass."
In the end, if you remain stuck, give yourself permission to quit the goal or project altogether. You might just find that the permission alone will unblock the creative river and get you energized once again.
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