Loss of motivation in life

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I no longer have much motivation though I still retain the desire to learn. Any tips? Things have been a bit difficult in my life thus far. I have an outer locus of control because it has always been others that prevent me from doing as I wish.

Ditto. Hard to maintain any motivation when one is intentionally blocked from establishing any sense of purpose.

I have the same problem. My motivation has been halted, mainly because I have bleak prospects of a future. So if I can somehow eastablish a good idea for my future, my motivation will come back.

I feel similar. My only motivation to keep living is the fact that I have not yet read all the books I own.

Perhaps you need to push your boundaries, do something you're afraid of, something challenging to you. Something outside your comfort zone, a break in routine. Or something you've 'kinda felt like doing' before but talked yourself out of.

If others tend to talk you out of pursuing life experiences, don't tell them what you're intending to do.

And if they find out and try to tell you something, assume what they're saying is 'advice' - and plenty of people can hear, but not take, someone else's advice.

'Shaking things up' can change your perspective on life, and is sometimes needed in order to be able to refocus or redirect your path.

Direct suggestions:

Travel -by train, plane, boat. Go hiking, skiing, scuba diving
Enrol in a class
Develop a new skill - photography, mechanics, woodworking, camping
Volunteer - become a Big Brother/Sister to a kid who needs a friend
Sign up to Teach a class - know everything? share the wealth! Lots of community centres hold classes and will take suggestions if you have a topic you can teach.
Join a book club, or any kind of club that interests you.
Get a new computer software program and teach it to yourself - learn how to mix music, produce a DVD, create animation etc.

Exactly ... and I try to keep my best grasp on the little I still *do* have.

I have a third party @ssh*le intentionally legally blocking me from holding a job doing one of the only things in life I care about and am qualified for - a position for which I spent thousands of dollars and many months proving my qualifications. State representatives and Congressmen shrug pathetically and make excuses about why they can't (won't) do anything to redress the admitted injustice.

In a half-century this is the same pattern of unfettered bullying and abuse I have encountered day after month after year. It is acceptable for people who are different from the NT to continue living only if they sit in the corner and StFU.

A Scuba diving adventure is not going to give me a reason for continuing to live with no purpose.

Last edited by Willard on 03 Jan 2010, 2:29 pm, edited 3 times in total.

I used to be very creative (in writing, art, music, etc.) but lately I feel like I'm just a blank slate with no motivation. I also feel like I'm on house arrest. Not that I can't ever leave the house, I just have nothing to do, and hardly anyone to hang out with who wants to do anything. I know people who are always busy, and it bugs me, cos I want to be busy, too. It's like I'm just existing to take up space. For now, anyway. Hopefully, this year will prove to be more productive and inspiring.

I love learning... in the UK it's easier because there's financial help for people with disabilities. But if there's anything you're into studying, maybe look into it?

To people who don't have a good vision of the future, remember this quote by William Shakespeare:

"Present fears are less than horrible imaginings."

Now, motivation! It's hard to give much advice because, the way I see it, the advice would differ depending on who I am giving it to, because we all have different aspirations and interests, but one this that's true is that NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE, NO MATTER WHAT ANYONE ELSE SAYS.

Let's take a little example here, imagine if you met Richard Branson before he started Virgin, and he told you that he wanted to start a company that does absoultely everything, from airlines to gyms... You'd probably call him mad, wouldn't you? How could that be possible, you'd think!

Clearly, though, it is, because he igonred people who said he was crazy and went and tried anyway!

Apply this logic to your life now. Forget what people say. Ignore them, they are ignorant. They have no idea what you're capable of at all. They have no authority over you. They don't know you as well as you know you.

If there is anything in your life you want to do, then try and do it, no matter what anyone else says. If you fail, you've become wiser, and learnt a lesson for next time you try. If you succeed, then well done, you've proved the world wrong, and you've done what you knew you would do.

Another important thing is, IF YOU FAIL, TRY AGAIN. Never give up. Just because something dosen't work the first ever time you try it, that dosen't mean it can't be done.

You also need to not be afraid of failure. A lot of people are scared to try something because there is a chance it may fail, even if this fear is subconcious. As I said before, if you fail, try again, nothing is impossible.

Thanks for the good word Asp-z!

Thanks! I've become a bit of a motivational speaker today!

I"ve been experiencing the same as Timeisdead and Willard (for fity + years). I'm truly tired of the 'working around obstacles' that I've ALWAYS had to utilise to enjoy attending to what I wanted to do.
I've lost the anger in my belly that propelled the game of "I'll do it...I'll find a way around the bullies and those who tried to deny me expression".
Mind you, I have no hole in my belly.

I'm not sure what's left. I know I'm going to live long, and I intuit its to be relatively filled with well being and sustenance. But as to what I'm to do now and onwards hasn't become clear yet. This is one of the longest times for holding my confidence over confusion I've had.

I 'think' everyone's got answers to meet their needs....no judgements on them is important if we are to be able to see them and accept them.

Sorry if this sounds confusing.

Thank you Timeisdead for posting this thread, I've been too shy to do similar.

I am in a similar situation.

I'm glad to hear that others also go through the same things I do. The fact is, bullies follow us throughout our lives and we must always be prepared to fight them. However, it can get tiring at times. My future is uncertain and unsure of what to do at this time. I have taught myself html, did some C++ programming, some python, ect at home and I'm quite interested in computers. However, these jobs are going overseas and I feel as if it would be a hopeless task to study them. I'm also interested in chemistry and biology. My biology courses were the most enjoyable in college. General biology, microbiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, anatomy and physiology 1 and 2, ect, were my favorite courses. Although not technically biology, I also found hollistic nutrition to be a joy. The chemistry courses I have taken have also been a joy. However, so many jobs are currently being shipped to India. How do I gain hope for my future?

I am a bit like this too.
Of late I have lost the fire in my belly. It is more peaceful, but also a bit sad, because i have had to face my ASD limitations in a very real and very profound way.
I am really tired. I think all the years of trying and trying and trying....i am 47.
The thing is, I have done so many things suggested by well-intentioned others who do not understand what it is like to live with an invisible disability. This is not an excuse. It might appear as one if I were 20 and had not bothered to attempt at life over and over again.

I have tried really hard. and always in the end, it comes down to this strange invisible screen between me and others, to the lack of understanding around the social, to the sensory problems, to the need for routine and rigidity that others find simply weird and which causes eventual ostracism and misunderstanding. These aspects of my presentation prevent me from a lot of dynamic engaging with life on life's terms. I struggle in lots of ways.

I still have my special interests and I have net based communications with others.

So, what I do now is:

I pursue my special interests
I go online,
I look after my sensory needs,
I keep life quiet and simple
and i certainly do not run out trying to enrol in and engage in a whole lot of courses and things that are in the end, going to make me feel worse about myself. (things that in theory sound great but in the end are not suitable for me. and it has not been for want of trying.... I went to therapists for years who suggested such things over and over. I followed their advice. I tried and tried. Then I was properly diagnosed and I found a bit of peace.........)

I also try to work on my gratitude, what I DO have, what I can do and what I do love.
I have a son.
I have my dog.
I have the beauty of nature.
I have my art and my writing.
I have my research projects.

most of these i pursue on my own and in my home.


and thank you also, Timeisdead. While some people can read threads like this one as fatalistic and depressing, I actually feel the need for them, and I find it refreshing to hear other ASD people talk about how hard it can actually be. It is very important for us to communicate this sense of loss and the feelings of futility and difficulty that can overcome us at times. Thanks.