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I had no motivation, no direction—then I started doing these 7 things and everything changed

There was a time when I felt like I was just floating. Not drowning, exactly—but definitely not moving forward. I’d wake up tired, scroll my phone too long, get stuck overthinking simple tasks, and end the day wondering what I actually did. There was no clear path, no spark, and honestly, no real desire to […]

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There was a time when I felt like I was just floating. Not drowning, exactly—but definitely not moving forward. I’d wake up tired, scroll my phone too long, get stuck overthinking simple tasks, and end the day wondering what I actually did. There was no clear path, no spark, and honestly, no real desire to […]

There was a time when I felt like I was just floating.

Not drowning, exactly—but definitely not moving forward.

I’d wake up tired, scroll my phone too long, get stuck overthinking simple tasks, and end the day wondering what I actually did. There was no clear path, no spark, and honestly, no real desire to fix it. Motivation wasn’t something I lacked—it felt like something I didn’t even recognize anymore.

If any of that sounds familiar, I want to tell you what actually helped me climb out of that fog. These seven changes didn’t transform my life overnight, but they rewired my inner compass. I started to feel clear. Energized. Motivated in a way that wasn’t forced or performative.

And the best part? None of them require a new identity, a six-figure investment, or quitting your job to go meditate in a cave.

Here’s what really shifted things for me.

1. I stopped treating motivation like a feeling and started treating it like a skill

For a long time, I believed I needed to feel inspired to take action.

If I didn’t feel like it, I assumed it wasn’t the right time. So I’d wait. And wait. And guess what? The magical moment never came.

So I flipped the script.

Instead of waiting for motivation, I started doing small actions that made me feel competent—things like doing one push-up, organizing one drawer, writing one paragraph. Not a whole workout, not a deep clean, not a novel. Just the tiniest version of the thing I was avoiding.

Behavioral psychologist Dr. BJ Fogg calls this the “tiny habits” method—starting so small that resistance doesn’t even get a chance to argue.

Eventually, my brain stopped asking for permission. I started to feel motivated after the action—not before it.

This helped me realize something important: motivation is often a result, not a prerequisite.

2. I gave myself permission to want what I actually want

There’s a quote from Carl Jung that stuck with me: “The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.”

It sounds poetic, but it hit me in a very practical way.

So much of my aimlessness came from chasing goals I didn’t even choose. Promotions I didn’t want. Lifestyles I thought I should aspire to. Productivity metrics that didn’t reflect my values.

For a while, I didn’t even realize that’s what I was doing. I just felt vaguely disconnected and tired. I blamed burnout, but the real issue was disconnection from myself.

Once I started asking, “What would I pursue if nobody else was watching?”—the fog began to clear.

This took work. I had to peel away layers of “shoulds” and external expectations. But once I did, I started setting goals that actually felt aligned—writing more, spending time in nature, reconnecting with things I abandoned in the name of being “practical.”

I stopped living someone else’s version of ambition. And that was a game-changer.

3. I started managing my energy instead of my time

You can schedule your whole day down to the minute—but if your energy is shot, nothing’s getting done.

This was a hard lesson. I used to think I had a time management problem. Turns out, it was an energy management problem.

I started tracking when I felt the most clear-headed (mid-morning) and when I crashed (mid-afternoon). I began matching my tasks accordingly—writing or planning in the morning, admin or email in the afternoon.

I also looked at what was draining my energy unnecessarily—things like multitasking, background noise, even clutter on my desk. These little things were quietly sapping my focus.

I stopped trying to “push through” tiredness. Instead, I’d go for a walk, do something playful, or even take a 15-minute nap.

As noted by Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, author of Sacred Rest, there are multiple types of rest we need—physical, mental, emotional—and burnout often stems from neglecting the right kind.

Once I started listening to my body’s signals and working with my rhythm instead of against it, everything felt more doable.

4. I created tiny rituals to replace passive autopilot

Here’s a fun truth: your brain loves patterns. But if you don’t give it intentional ones, it’ll default to whatever is easiest (scrolling, zoning out, worry spiraling).

I started designing tiny rituals to signal shifts in my day.

For example, I light a candle before I write. I play a specific playlist while prepping dinner. I do one stretch before I open my laptop.

These aren’t elaborate routines. They’re anchors—sensory cues that tell my brain, “We’re doing this now.”

This is backed by behavioral science. James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, notes that “the cue is what triggers your brain to initiate a behavior.” Tiny rituals create reliable cues that make it easier to follow through without overthinking.

The goal isn’t to create a rigid routine. It’s to move through the day with more intention and less reactivity.

5. I got brutally honest about how much my digital habits were draining me

I used to spend hours watching motivational videos and wondering why I still felt stuck.

The reason? I was mistaking consuming inspiration for creating momentum.

So I did something uncomfortable: I tracked how much time I was spending online—and how it made me feel after. The results weren’t great.

Instead of going cold turkey, I started with small boundaries: no phone until after breakfast. No YouTube deep-dives during work breaks. Replacing doomscrolling with audiobooks on walks.

One surprising shift was turning off notifications. I thought I’d feel disconnected. What I actually felt was calmer. More focused. Less hijacked by the digital equivalent of someone constantly tapping me on the shoulder.

And slowly, I started replacing mindless inputs with more nourishing ones—like reading essays, journaling, or simply sitting with a cup of tea and my thoughts.

That quiet space gave me room to think for myself again. To hear myself again.

6. I started asking better questions

When you feel stuck, your inner dialogue gets lazy. You ask things like “What’s wrong with me?” or “Why can’t I figure this out?”

Those kinds of questions lead nowhere.

So I started swapping them out for better ones:

  • “What small thing can I do today to feel more alive?”

  • “If this feeling was a message, what would it be trying to say?”

  • “What would future me thank me for doing right now?”

These aren’t just feel-good phrases. They’re cognitive tools. As noted by psychologist Marilee Adams, changing our internal questions from judgment to curiosity rewires how we see our problems—and ourselves.

And I noticed something else: good questions slow you down. They interrupt the loop of self-blame or distraction and invite reflection.

Over time, I started thinking more like a detective than a critic. And that mindset shift helped me move forward with more clarity and less self-sabotage.

7. I stopped chasing clarity and started building it

This one was hard to accept.

I used to think I needed to “find” clarity before I could take action—like it was hiding under a rock somewhere, waiting for me to discover it.

But clarity isn’t found. It’s built. Through action. Through trial and error. Through showing up even when you're uncertain.

As career coach Jenny Blake puts it: “Action leads to clarity. Not the other way around.”

So I started taking small steps in directions that felt interesting—even if I didn’t know where they’d lead. Some were dead ends. Others opened doors I didn’t know existed.

One day I signed up for a community class on writing essays. Another day, I offered to help a friend with their small business spreadsheet. Both felt random—but they nudged me toward parts of myself I had forgotten.

Eventually, patterns began to form. New ideas surfaced. I wasn’t magically “clear,” but I wasn’t lost anymore, either.

And that was enough.

Everything didn’t change—but enough did

Let’s be honest: life didn’t suddenly become perfect once I made these changes.

I still have off days. I still lose focus. I still scroll too long sometimes.

But I no longer feel like I’m drifting aimlessly.

I know how to come back to myself. I know what fuels me and what drains me. And most importantly, I know that I’m capable of generating momentum—even when it doesn’t show up on its own.

I don’t always feel driven. But I trust myself to keep moving.

If you’re in a place where nothing feels urgent, exciting, or clear—I want to gently remind you:

You don’t have to overhaul your life. You just have to start somewhere.

And often, starting small is the bravest thing you can do.

What’s Your Plant-Powered Archetype?

Ever wonder what your everyday habits say about your deeper purpose—and how they ripple out to impact the planet?

This 90-second quiz reveals the plant-powered role you’re here to play, and the tiny shift that makes it even more powerful.

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Avery White

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Formerly a financial analyst, Avery translates complex research into clear, informative narratives. Her evidence-based approach provides readers with reliable insights, presented with clarity and warmth. Outside of work, Avery enjoys trail running, gardening, and volunteering at local farmers’ markets.

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