Motives are the root of all that is good in life, including inspiration, output, and contentment. We generate development and change when we take action; we feel involved, masterful, and significant; we get strength by witnessing our impact on the world; and we create more of the things we value in life when we act on our intrinsic motivations. One’s level of motivation determines his or her level of activity. And this whole thing on when you want to give up gives our lives purpose and makes us happy.

An inability to get going is like snow.

A number of sources claim that there are several snow-related words in Inuit. Because of their extensive experience with it, they are able to discriminate between its various varieties down to the smallest of details. Different kinds of snow bring varied challenges and opportunities, and the Inuit have developed a wide range of strategies for dealing with them.

Below is a list of ten causes of loss of motivation, along with suggestions for overcoming each:

You’re not motivated because of your anxiousness

If you’re scared, you could find it hard to take the next step, even if it’s one you’ve been planning for a while and is in an area you’ve always wanted to explore. This holds true regardless of how well you know the area. Although taking things more slowly and carefully out of an abundance of caution is generally a good idea, there are occasions when your fears are unfounded and prevent you from taking advantage of opportunities.

By setting your sights too low, you are undermining your own drive

Martha Beck’s book provides a great framework for learning about inspiration. She stresses the fact that, in addition to our social selves, we each have a fundamental self. What I mean by “Essential Self” is the aspect of you that is both conscious of what is most important to you and also possesses the qualities of spontaneity, creativity, and playfulness.

Not having a clear direction is making it hard for you to get going

If you haven’t given the future much thought or made your wants and needs crystal clear, you’ll have a hazy idea of what it might look like. For the most part, we shy away from and recreate what is already familiar to us in favour of diving headfirst into the unknown and nebulous.

An internal value conflict is making it hard for you to get going

Your values are the principles that guide your behaviour and decision-making in all aspects of life. Having a values conflict means you have at least two very important values that you fear you can’t fulfil in the same situation.

Because of your inability to make independent decisions, you no longer have any drive

Those with depression have been found to have a less developed part of the brain that is responsible for making decisions. Nevertheless, if you train this part of your brain and learn to make decisions, you may find that your depression lifts.

You should take the effort to establish clear project plans and schedule your plans into your calendar at the proper times if you want to keep your inspiration flowing steadily through all stages of your projects.