Do you ever have days where you can’t get motivated and feel like you have more “to-dos” than you could possibly ever finish? I completely relate, and I absolutely love my work! I used to think that the only people who had this problem were the ones who disliked their jobs.

So why does this happen? Like any other job, even the most exciting have mundane aspects. Usually, it’s when we get caught up in the minutiae that we forget what may have drawn us to our careers in the first place. Association professionals especially are very mission-driven. They may have a passion for the industry or cause advocated by their organization, but can now only see the day to day details of their position.

This is something I’ve had to consciously do myself, both as a business owner and an association leader. When I’m really lacking interest in something or feeling completely unmotivated, I remind myself of WHY I’m even doing it. Suddenly, everything changes. Instead of feeling like I’ll never get through the 100 emails sitting in my inbox, I think about all those people I’ll get to help. Instead of needing to finish a blog post despite having writers’ block, I think of problems others may be experiencing, and speak to those.

Of course, I don’t always think about the deeper meaning behind each action. However, when I find I need a little extra motivation, this does the trick!