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The thing that makes it hardest for you to stay motivated.
By Emily Ratay — Written on Apr 10, 2019
One of the worst things about feeling unmotivated about doing something is that there are several reasons why you might not be feeling any motivation or inspiration to get things done.
So, in other words, you can't always say, "Yeah, I'm not feeling motivated because I'm feeling lost and life is just feeling pretty chaotic right now and fill-in-the-blank," because there's no guarantee that you'll always be demotivated by the same reason each time.
I know, it sounds exhausting and confusing, but that's just life, unfortunately. What's also "life" is the fact that we don't have to just get used to feeling unmotivated in life – there's always a way to find your motivation again.
When you're feeling demotivated, for whatever reason might be plaguing you, it can be hard to just pick up where you left off on a project or task. You might not always just be able to tell yourself that it's time to work again and that be enough.
First, it's important to target what's demotivating you.
This might be bit of trial and error, but you can usually figure out what's bringing you down when you think about what task or project you've been putting off lately.
Astrology can help you with this part, too. Once you have the "what" figured out, you can move onto finding your motivation again. For some zodiac signs, completely removing yourself from the pressure of staying motivated helps the most.
Take a walk, take a nap, spend time with friends and family without thinking about your to-do list for a while to clear your head. Before you know it, you'll be ready to dive back into things. Speaking of to-do lists, other zodiac signs find that listing everything that needs to get done and taking small steps to make it happen kind of warms up the brain and gets the gears a-moving again.
The most important thing – and sometimes the hardest thing – is not letting your demotivation completely run your life. Sure, it feels hard right now, but you're still in control.
Plus, knowing where to start helps more than you think. Here's what demotivates you, based on your horoscope sign.
ARIES (March 21 - April 19)
The thing that demotivates you the most is a lack of challenge, Aries. You thrive on competition and challenge, even if you're just challenging yourself to do better than your last project or task.
Without a challenge, you feel like a task isn't worth sticking to. I mean, if you don't have a challenge to keep you motivated, then you don't really feel like you've earned the goals you've set out to achieve. Maybe you're the only one who feels this way, but yours is the only opinion that matters, amirite?
TAURUS (April 20 - May 20)
As a Taurus, you always try to identify your goals as clearly as possible. As someone who thrives best in a secure, well-thought out environment, it only makes sense that you would create a good plan to follow.
Without this vital planning period, you feel totally lost. Having a lack of clarity about what you want in life seriously demotivates you. Where are you supposed to go from here if you haven't given it any thought? That's a serious question because you don't know.
GEMINI (May 21 - June 20)
The thing that demotivates you the most, Gemini, is not knowing what to do next. You can be very restless, and if you don't have a plan already in place, you start to lose your steam.
Don't get me wrong, you have a LOT of ideas and plans for the future, but when it comes to actually putting those ideas into action, you're not always sure where to start. If you don't have a good support system or plan to help point you in the right direction, you get demotivated pretty quickly.
CANCER (June 21 - July 22)
In everything you do, Cancer, you try to cultivate a calming, welcoming environment for yourself. This environment is where you do your best work, after all. You definitely prefer a quiet, family-oriented vibe.
But the one thing that demotivates you the most is the feeling of being overwhelmed by too many people or factors at once. When there's way too many things bombarding you at once, you lose your motivation trying to distance yourself from all the craziness.
LEO (July 23 - August 22)
The thing that demotivates you the most, Leo, is loneliness. More specifically, being isolated. You are a leader at heart, and you prefer to be surrounded by people who encourage you to be your best self.
When you're hidden away from the world – and from the people who inspire you to do your best work – you don't feel like you do your best work. Being around people motivates you to go above and beyond, and it's when you're on your A game.
VIRGO (August 23 - September 22)
Some people might think that being a perfectionist is a way to really ruin your motivation, but it actually works for you, Virgo. Your laser-focus is one of your best qualities, and it helps you do quality work.
The thing that demotivates you, however, is self-doubt and regret. You can sometimes get caught up in what already happened instead of letting yourself move on to bigger and better things. Remember to keep your laser-focus on moving forward and staying motivated on the important things.
LIBRA (September 23 - October 22)
When you stay in the present, you know how to get sh*t done, Libra. It's only when you start thinking about everything you still have left to do that you start to get nervous. The thing that demotivates you the most is the fear of the unknown.
If you could have any wish, you would wish that you could see into the future and know that you're on the right path in life. Of course, life isn't that easy, and it makes you nervous not having all the answers, all the time. It's okay to be nervous about the future, just remember to stay motivated.
SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21)
Let's get one thing straight, Scorpio: You're one of the most motivated zodiac signs out there. Once you latch onto something, you don't let go until you've achieved what you set out to do.
The thing that can demotivate you the most is being interrupted or being told what to do next. You can become obsessive in your goals – and sometimes even single-minded – but you hate when people try to divert your course or try to be a part of your success. It's just tacky!
SAGITTARIUS (November 22 - December 21)
The thing that demotivates you the most, Sagittarius, is a lack of autonomy. You don't mind pairing up with people who will help you get closer to your goals, but you must be able to be your own person, as well.
Nothing is a bigger turn-off than not getting the recognition you deserve. When it feels like you do all of the work and get none of the reward, it brings you down and makes you feel like it's not worth putting in all the work for nothing.
CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 19)
Capricorn, you're another one of the most motivated zodiac signs. I mean, you have motivation for DAYS, and it's pretty inspiring to be around you when you're in the zone.
The thing that demotivates you is burn out. You're obviously no stranger to being a workaholic, but sometimes you push yourself so far that you burn out and lose all creativity and motivation. Remember to take frequent breaks – if not for anything else but for your motivation.
AQUARIUS (January 20 - February 18)
You always try to put meaning and importance into everything you do in life, Aquarius. When you know what you're working towards, it makes you feel like you're doing some good in the world. That's also what keeps you most motivated.
What demotivates you, however, it a conflict of values. You want to help everyone and do everything you possibly can for people, but there's only so many hours in the day and energy for you to help how you can. Putting all your energy into deciding what deserves your energy is just way too much for you to handle.
PISCES (February 19 - March 20)
The thing that demotivates you the most, Pisces, is setting the wrong goals. You tend to have a hard time detaching yourself and setting boundaries that it's common for people to tell you what to do and when.
While you may not always know what you want out of life, you know what you don't want. When people force their opinions and goals onto you, it saps your motivation fast. You don't want to live life for anyone but yourself, but until you can set boundaries for the people in your life, it's just going to keep happening.
Emily Ratay is a full-time writer living in Pittsburgh. She's passionate about the environment and feminism, and knows that anything is possible in the right pair of shoes. She plans on writing a non-fiction book in the future.