Some days, it hits hard:
You sit down to work, stare at the screen, and wonder, “Where did all my motivation go?”
But here's a truth you might need to hear today:
Your motivation isn’t missing. It’s drained.
It didn’t vanish overnight.
It’s been chipped away little by little,
by dismissive leadership,
unseen contributions,
or being told to “wait your turn” for the hundredth time.
You still care. You still try.
But the longer you feel undervalued, the harder it is to stay energized.
You may even start to wonder:
Is it even worth caring anymore?
Why Being Undervalued Hurts So Much, Literally
When you feel dismissed or overlooked at work, it doesn’t just sting emotionally. It lights up the same regions of your brain that process physical pain.
According to neuroscience research (Eisenberger & Lieberman, UCLA), social rejection and invalidation activate the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), which is the same area triggered when you burn your hand or stub your toe.
That’s why “just shaking it off” doesn’t work.
You’re not overreacting. Your brain is literally signaling distress.
Here’s the kicker: when this happens repeatedly, like being ignored in meetings, left out of decisions, or under-credited for your contributions, your motivation system starts to shut down.
The dopamine-driven excitement that once fueled your best work dims. Not because you’ve changed, but because your environment keeps sending a message that says: “You don’t matter here.”
That’s not just unfair. It’s unsustainable.
POC Reset: How to Refuel Your Motivation
➞ Pause: Notice where your energy is going.
Who or what drains you the most during your day?
Just seeing the pattern is powerful. If it helps, set a notebook next to your laptop and record how you feel throughout the day. Track your energy and motivation for one week. The patterns will emerge, and it might not be what you expected.
➞ Orient: Reconnect to your core values.
What do you do that genuinely makes a difference, even in small ways?
That’s your recharge point. Finding meaning in your work can restore energy faster than caffeine.
➞ Choose: Experiment with visibility.
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Share a win with your team.
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Document your impact.
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Speak up about what’s working instead of waiting for someone to notice.
Remember: Everyone has a job to do, so it may not be intentional that the people who matter don't recognize your value.
Advocate for yourself. Find ways that make your value undeniable, and then find ways to showcase your value to the busy middle manager who's most likely striving to juggle his or her own workload.
Micro-Experiments to Reclaim Your Voice & Visibility
If your current role isn’t reflecting your value, start small:
🔹 Experiment with visibility.
Find one place this week to speak up — in a meeting, on a shared document, or in a check-in. Keep it concise, confident, and rooted in what you already know.
🔹 Experiment with framing.
Try reframing your wins through the lens of business impact. Instead of saying “I helped with the project,” say, “I helped streamline the project, saving us two days of unnecessary rework.”
🔹 Experiment with boundaries.
Reclaim time and energy by saying no (or not right now) to one task that doesn’t align with your priorities.
These aren’t radical changes. But they’re intentional ones.
And they send a signal to others and to yourself that your value is real, present, and rising.
Reclaiming Your Energy
Motivation isn’t about pretending everything’s fine.
It’s about recognizing where your energy is being lost and plugging the leaks.
Here’s how to begin this week:
✅ Audit your energy flow
Notice what conversations, meetings, or people leave you feeling invisible or irritated. That’s data.
✅ Reframe your impact
Instead of asking, “Why don’t they see my value?”, ask “Where can I make my value undeniable?”
✅ Experiment with small visibility habits
Share wins. Document progress. Mentor others. Your influence may already be wider than you realize.
The Bottom Line
Your worth is not determined by who notices it. But your energy absolutely is.
📌 One More Thought Before You Go:
You don’t have to convince anyone of your value. You just have to protect it.
Every time you choose calm over chaos, clarity over confusion, and integrity over reaction, you’re proving that your motivation was never lost.
It’s right there, waiting for recognition, and you get to give it to yourself first.
