I think this is something that effects a lot of us from time to time! It can be especially daunting and high-pressure if you lead a guild, because all eyes look to you to provide unconditional content for said guild.
When I lose all motivation to do anything with FFXIV, be it RP or PvE, I usually call it "burn out." The flame of whatever inspired me before just isn't there, and I have to pick myself up and dust myself off within a reasonable amount of time, or the entire guild could suffer. Thankfully, I have a super great team of Officers, and we really try to support one another through these inevitable periods of "burn out." We're very open and honest in our Officer room if one of us is approaching (or in) this state of mind, and we really try our best to help each other out: either by picking up the RP slack, or just by posting positive strings of cat memes or discussing customized tea flavors.
I think that, overall, I might recommend two things (and I hope they will help!)
1.) Don't absorb the negativity! I know it's our human instinct to do this, and if you're in a leadership position a LOT of negativity gets tossed your way. It can feel grueling. Seek out positive things, and/or positive people who will help pick you up again, dust you off, and set you back on your feet. When people fling negativity your way, drop that like a bad habit and keep walking, preferably with swagger. If you need to, disconnect for a while and watch something funny, like a sitcom or stand-up comedian or anime that you like. I tend to watch my "stories" when I'm in a slump, or basically dive into a pile of cat pictures and videos until I forget what human beings even look like.
2.) Identify what motivates you. Just like how certain things motivate the characters we play, there are certain things that motivate us, too! I tend to work well when there's a reward at the end. Like if I manage to do Thing A, I'll take a trip to Smoothie King and throw a stupid amount of dollars for a banana and peanut butter smoothie.
Or sometimes, I can find inspiration in non-game-related things: like taking a walk outside or visiting somewhere new. Heck, even starting a new anime or video game can jump start those drained RP batteries. Occasionally, reading the work of others also helps, be it in books or posts. A movie I end up liking could also do the trick! Taking a break and just focusing on something else for a bit can pour ideas into your brain, as opposed to taking them out.
For me personally, the feeling of accomplishment is also a motivational factor. Producing something that I'm 100% satisfied with helps me build momentum to get back in the saddle again. This usually comes in the form of a post I've been putting off on our forum, or a flier I've been meaning to make, or something. Granted, it's very difficult to get the motivation to even START the thing I'm accomplishing, but I know that if I can just convince myself to get through it, I'll be in a better place. To motivate myself to even begin whatever project, I'll spend some time convincing myself things like "This will only take five minutes, it's not that big of a deal." or "If I can just write three paragraphs, I'll be good." or even just starting a draft/outline without overthinking it. I tend to get snagged up whenever I start to feel overwhelmed with the responsibilities on my plate, which is when I dread doing them.
Anyway, that's just my own take on it! Hopefully at least one of those things can be helpful to you, but also feel free to disregard. ^^
When I lose all motivation to do anything with FFXIV, be it RP or PvE, I usually call it "burn out." The flame of whatever inspired me before just isn't there, and I have to pick myself up and dust myself off within a reasonable amount of time, or the entire guild could suffer. Thankfully, I have a super great team of Officers, and we really try to support one another through these inevitable periods of "burn out." We're very open and honest in our Officer room if one of us is approaching (or in) this state of mind, and we really try our best to help each other out: either by picking up the RP slack, or just by posting positive strings of cat memes or discussing customized tea flavors.
I think that, overall, I might recommend two things (and I hope they will help!)
1.) Don't absorb the negativity! I know it's our human instinct to do this, and if you're in a leadership position a LOT of negativity gets tossed your way. It can feel grueling. Seek out positive things, and/or positive people who will help pick you up again, dust you off, and set you back on your feet. When people fling negativity your way, drop that like a bad habit and keep walking, preferably with swagger. If you need to, disconnect for a while and watch something funny, like a sitcom or stand-up comedian or anime that you like. I tend to watch my "stories" when I'm in a slump, or basically dive into a pile of cat pictures and videos until I forget what human beings even look like.
2.) Identify what motivates you. Just like how certain things motivate the characters we play, there are certain things that motivate us, too! I tend to work well when there's a reward at the end. Like if I manage to do Thing A, I'll take a trip to Smoothie King and throw a stupid amount of dollars for a banana and peanut butter smoothie.
Or sometimes, I can find inspiration in non-game-related things: like taking a walk outside or visiting somewhere new. Heck, even starting a new anime or video game can jump start those drained RP batteries. Occasionally, reading the work of others also helps, be it in books or posts. A movie I end up liking could also do the trick! Taking a break and just focusing on something else for a bit can pour ideas into your brain, as opposed to taking them out.
For me personally, the feeling of accomplishment is also a motivational factor. Producing something that I'm 100% satisfied with helps me build momentum to get back in the saddle again. This usually comes in the form of a post I've been putting off on our forum, or a flier I've been meaning to make, or something. Granted, it's very difficult to get the motivation to even START the thing I'm accomplishing, but I know that if I can just convince myself to get through it, I'll be in a better place. To motivate myself to even begin whatever project, I'll spend some time convincing myself things like "This will only take five minutes, it's not that big of a deal." or "If I can just write three paragraphs, I'll be good." or even just starting a draft/outline without overthinking it. I tend to get snagged up whenever I start to feel overwhelmed with the responsibilities on my plate, which is when I dread doing them.
Anyway, that's just my own take on it! Hopefully at least one of those things can be helpful to you, but also feel free to disregard. ^^
