There is a place beyond exhaustion, called the “second wind.” People not only wish for it, they rely on it to get their stuff done.
It’s a fickle monster though. It doesn’t always come when we call it. Yet there are things we can do to coax it out of hiding…
Don’t keep pushing so hard
The second wind doesn’t always come after your first wind is gone. Sometimes it comes before; and sometimes not at all. Pushing yourself to exhaustion just results in exhaustion, so don’t force it.
Don’t stop either
Don’t do the opposite and just give up. You’ll end up losing momentum, and if the second wind comes, you’ll expend much of your energy just getting going again.
Relax
This goes with not pushing so hard, but it also involves some rest. By “taking it easy” for a little while, you actually give your second wind a chance to catch up to you.
Do something stimulating
It could be that you’ve been stuck in one place for too long; so go do something different for a little bit. Get outside, go for a walk; move around… just something else to break up the monotony.
Get help
Maybe someone else can pitch in, to add to your strength… or at least give you a chance to rest some.
Believe you can make it
People drift towards what their mind is thinking. Picture yourself exhausted and you’ll end up there; visualize yourself reaching your goal and you’ll keep going.
One… more… step…
And sometimes you just have to micromanage yourself. Think the next step… just the next one… then the next. Narrow your focus to the task at hand, pass it, and keep going.
You can get much further than you think you can; just keeping keep catching the winds.