When motivation doesn't cut it

Staying motivated is like the quest for the holy grail. It sounds noble. It rings with purpose.

It feels fantastical and out of reach.

This is true with habits that we try to incorporate into our daily lives, habits like cutting back on sugar or increasing exercise, but can apply to work as well.

Do you feel motivated to go to work? Do you give yourself a pep talk?

“This will be tough but so worth it” or “I’m doing this because I really want to.”

If you are, that’s pretty impressive.

The truth is, while motivation feels great, it is a finite resource. Often, it runs out and we start to rely on willpower, another finite resource. This leads to exhaustion and ultimately burnout.

So how can this cycle be interrupted? How can we get the benefits of motivation and willpower at work without finding motivation or using willpower.

Control.

The answer is control.

I bet you didn’t expect that, especially since we often feel a lack of control in our work situations. 

Ok, control is actually just the first part of the answer. 

The first step is controlling your focus; focus on the person in front of you and how you can help them, whether it is a coworker or a patient.

You may help them complete a physical task or you may help by keeping your mouth shut (I have learned this the hard way). It can be incredibly compassionate to keep your mouth shut, and if you do it through the lens of helping another person, there is no room for anger or resentment.  

Control also involves limiting other inputs while doing this, and not by wearing noise cancelling headphones (although sometimes that sounds tempting. Limiting inputs means not entertaining all the stories about how busy or tired you are, what the patient/coworker/manager said or did, how many other things need to be done before leaving, or drama at home.

Control. Notice when you are bombarded with distractions and just bring your focus back.

Who is in front of you?

How can you help?

Why is it important?

You won’t need motivation or willpower if you have control. 

And control doesn’t mean not getting distracted, control means coming back from it and intentionally directing your attention to the importance of human interaction. 

You may even call it mindfulness 🙂.

See what you think. Literally. And let me know how it works.

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P.S. If you struggle with feeling in control of your life and your experience at work, please reach out. It doesn’t have to be that way forever. Let’s schedule a time to connect Megan@NursingBeyondtheJob.com