I love it when I am brought into a group to be the “Motivational Speaker”. In a way, it’s kind of silly. If you have kids at home, a mortgage, school loans, rent and/or a car loan you have all the motivation you need to lead a successful life. Motivation is not what you lack. What you lack is steam.

Or simply put we run out  of stamina in a dry spell.  How many people, the day after a great promotion or significant salary increase, say, “I just can’t go on with all this recognition?” Not too many. What bogs us down is the feeling (or actual proof) that we are not valued and are not seen for the contributions that we could and do make.

So it’s time for a little self-management. If you have noticed that your attitude has dropped altitude maybe you need to find out what’s missing. If you hear other people being praised for work you did it can feel like a body hit. You have a few choices. You can try to be a bit more assertive and let people know when something was your idea. But if it’s your boss who is hogging all the glory, stop and look around. What is the dynamic? If the boss is the owner’s daughter (or favorite recruit), it’s probably not going to do you any good to try to get noticed. It will look like grandstanding at best and petty jealousy or lying at worst. So think out of the inbox. Where can you contribute to your workplace (or community) that your gifts will be noticed? Write an insightful article for the company newsletter. Head up the next charity drive, or form a workplace team Walking For the Cure. In other words, don’t fester if the horse you are on isn’t moving, switch horses.

You may have to start that night class you promised yourself and increase your skills for a lateral move, or a move to another branch office. The point is if you come home every night with the same sob story of how the other person is stealing your thunder, or the boss doesn’t appreciate you you are going to start sounding like Al in the Happy Days TV sitcom, “Did I ever tell you the story about Rosa Coletti?” And at that point all the cast can mouth the words to Al’s story because he told it all the time, but never did anything about it.

To get up steam you need to see light at the end of the tunnel. Take time to write up your career goals. Write up a plan on how to get those goals. If you don’t know what it really takes to reach your vision, start informally interviewing people (or read their bios) of how they got to be where you plan to be someday. Was it more school, internships, or even a week-end job learning a new skill base? Meanwhile, take advantage of any and all education, workshops and seminars at work. Let your current employer train you to be the best you can be. If when you are at work you see it as a place to gather skills and try new creative problem solving methods on the  way to your dream, the steam will return.