Today, I feel a bit crap. There, I said it.
As a motivational speaker, people sometimes assume I must be switched on and enthusiastic every single day. I wish! The truth is, I’m human,
and today my motivation has completely gone missing.
It’s likely due to a heavy workload and a flare-up of physical pain in my left shoulder and the back of my head (which is what I get for wearing a rubbing headset while working and throwing the ball for Molly a million times yesterday!).
For a long time, I tried to push through those flat, uninspired days. But ignoring the heaviness only makes it grow. Instead, I’ve learned to lean on what helps me process: coffee, movement, and writing it down.
Today that meant a swim in the pool, taking Molly for a sunny walk, and meeting a friend for coffee.
It didn’t magically cure how I’m feeling, and that’s okay. Sometimes, we put so much pressure on ourselves to be constantly positive that we forget we’re allowed to have low-energy days.
I write in my book:
There were days when I just didn’t feel motivated to start another day putting my disabled body through the paces. But on these rare occasions, I struggled to stop and grieve, as I felt bombarded by my team. They’d ask probing questions. “Why don’t you feel like going to physio today, Em?” or suggest antidepressants to mask the emotional hindrance they could see was affecting my physical progress. To escape their hassling and to avoid being prescribed medication I dreaded, I would go to the scheduled session, but not be present. Just extremely frustrated that I couldn’t give it 100 per cent. I felt as though I needed a break. Surely it was normal for me to grieve. Acknowledging and balancing my emotional and physical progression was becoming increasingly difficult.
Reinventing Emma, page 137
The goal isn’t to banish unmotivated days forever, but to learn how to move through them with a bit of grace.
Today, I am listening to my body, slowing down, and giving myself full permission to just be.
What do you do when you’re feeling uninspired? I’d genuinely love to know.