The Covid-19 Pandemic has greatly impacted all areas of our businesses and our lives and many of us are struggling with low motivation.

This is no surprise because our daily routines – the very thing that keeps us going each day – have changed drastically. A 2018 study by Harvard University found that rituals can enhance self-control by increasing feelings of self-discipline.

It would make sense, then, that the change in routine resulting from the pandemic decreased feelings of self-discipline and may have even decreased our belief that we are in control of ourselves.

When we feel that we do not have control over our environment or our situation, we may begin to feel that we do not have control over our own lives but this is a false and irrational belief.

We may not be able to change what is happening in the world around us but we do have the ability to change how we think about it. Our thinking, our attitudes, and our beliefs greatly influence our motivation, and we have 100% control over them.

The truth is we are living in uncertain times but we have been living in uncertain times since humanity came into existence. The best way to combat feelings of uncertainty and doubt is to remind ourselves that we are in control of what we think, what we feel, and ultimately, what we do.

We are able to start a new daily routine and think positively about it. Instead of complaining that all of these changes are being forced on us, we can find a new way to do the things we need to do and love to do.

We can be angry and bitter that things are different or we can find reasons to be grateful for our “new normal”.

Motivation is derived from the word, motive, which is defined by Merriam Webster as, “Something (such as a need or desire) that causes a person to act.”

We can increase motivation simply by changing our routine and sticking with it, the ritual itself can create its own need to perform it but that is not always enough. Often, we need to go deeper and look at how we feel about this thing we need to accomplish. 

If we are struggling from low motivation, we need to take a closer look at our attitudes. If we can change our attitude about our goals, we can increase our motivation to achieve them.

If you are struggling with accomplishing a task or goal, write it down. Then write down your current beliefs about it. Does it seem difficult to accomplish? Does it seem worthwhile? Does it seem like it will take a long time?

Write down anything that comes to mind. Then, take a look at those ideas and see how you can reframe them. Try to focus on the benefits of accomplishing that task or achieving that goal. Anytime the negative thoughts creep in about this goal, you will have a way to combat them and eventually, the positive thoughts will overpower the negative ones.

It isn’t easy to change your attitude but it is possible and the payoff is always high. If you are willing to put the work into doing it, improving your attitude can increase your motivation exponentially.