Yes, I know, It’s almost coming to the end of JAN-WORRY. I don’t know about you but January always feels longer than all the other months combined hence why sometimes I honestly struggle with being motivated and staying positive in this “very long” unending month. Even the most motivated of us — you, me, Les Brown et al — can feel unmotivated at times. In fact, sometimes I get into such a slump that even thinking about making positive changes seems too difficult.

The good news is, “Jan-worry” is coming to an end and the situation is not entirely hopeless. In fact, you have another 11 months to get your act together and for me personally, I have been trying to do some small positive baby steps to start getting me out of this slump and back to my usual motivated positive self.

Yes, I know, it seems impossible at times. You don’t feel like doing anything. I’ve been there, and in fact I still feel that way from time to time. You’re not alone. But I’ve learned a few ways to break out of a motivational slump, and we’ll take a look at a few today.

1. Focus and Prioritise One Goal. Whenever I’ve been in a slump, I’ve discovered that it’s often because I have too much going on in my life and that am trying to do so many things at the same time. And it saps my energy and motivation. It’s probably the most common mistake that people make: they try to take on too much, try to accomplish too many goals at once especially with all the resolutions. You cannot maintain energy and focus (the two most important things in accomplishing a goal) if you are trying to do two or more goals at once. It’s not possible — I’ve tried it many times. You have to choose one goal, for now, and focus on it completely. I know, that’s hard. Still, I speak from experience. You can always do your other goals when you’ve accomplished your One Goal.

2. Get Excited. This sounds obvious, but most people don’t think about it much: if you want to break out of a slump, get yourself excited about a goal. But how can you do that when you don’t feel motivated? Well, it starts with inspiration from others (see below), but you have to take that excitement and build on it.

3. Commit to an Accountability Partner. None of us likes to look bad in front of others. We will go the extra mile to do something we’ve said publicly and committed to someone to do. For example, when I wanted to get fit again, I found a group of fellow basketball players that are committed to playing every week for 2 hours. Even when my motivation is low, I don’t want to disappoint them and now I make time to play every week.

4. Find something that inspires you. Inspiration is very key for me, and this usually comes from others who have achieved what I want to achieve, or who are currently doing it. I use YouTube a lot as I am a very visual person and videos are very easy to digest. I also listen to music that inspires me, I have a set list of songs that I play over and over again that help me find myself again. Find a way to get yourself inspired, read books, write blogs, go for a speaker series etc.

5. Start small. Really small. If you are having a hard time getting started, it may be because you’re thinking too big. If you want to exercise, for example, you may be thinking that you have to do these intense workouts 5 days a week. No — instead, do small, tiny, baby steps. Just do 2 minutes of exercise, I mean if that’s all you can do for a start. I know, that sounds wimpy. But it’s better than nothing and it works. For me I have recommitted to strictly 30 minutes 4 times a week and I stick to that no matter what. My goal is to get back into the routine and the consistency of exercise.

6. Build on small successes. Again, if you start small for a week, you’re going to be successful. You can’t fail if you start with something ridiculously easy. I intend to extend my exercise regime to 45 min and so on and so forth. And you’ll feel successful, and good about yourself. Take that successful feeling and build on it, with another baby step. After a couple of months, your tiny steps will add up to a lot of progress and a lot of success.

7. Celebrate your small success. Those of you who have met me, know how much I celebrate and get excited about things I really care about. So, after starting and building on the small success, celebrate your success. Its so important that your subconscious mind record success, which in turn will be communicated to your spirit and body.

I am sure you have plenty of other ways to get motivated and get yourself out of the slump, kindly share in the comments below.