Have you ever started a job, a career, or a business and felt that surge of energy and focus simply drive you forward? And then…did you one day realize that desire had slipped away?
In our quickly changing lives, staying energized in your career and in your business is imperative. Your ability to keep your services crisp, your skills in tune, or your product current will diminish if your passion disappears.
Without desire work falls into routine and then a rut, which in turn creates frustration and boredom.
There are signs you can watch for that indicate it’s time to re-engage.
Your Energy is Low
You realize you don’t want to get up for work or even struggle with getting there. You find you come home drained and depressed. Maybe feeling frustrated about the day.Outside Influences Drain Your Passion
Outside Influences Drain Your Passion
External forces outside your control influence your life every day. It can be competition, the social climate, legal changes, technological changes, or the economic and political environment. Depending on your work it might be the administration, peer pressure, or policy changes. When these affect your ability to do the work you once desired, you begin to question your motives and why you should continue.
Not Currently Meeting Your Needs
Personal and professional growth, assurance of financial certainty, or the freedom to do what you desire (autonomy) are some needs you might have that keep you motivated. Needs being met drive your passion. When what is important to you changes or is not being met you start to lose your spark for your career.
When you realize that your passion has diminished, there are steps you can take to get back your control and regain your desire.
Stop and take time to reflect on your business
Why are you feeling tired and unmotivated? If it’s unrealistic deadlines, a boss, or client then how you maneuver these issues can change. Ask questions, communicate, and become aware of specifically what is affecting you at the moment and how you can change your response to it. However, if you are burnt out, you must recharge! Let your boss, staff, clients know you are taking a sabbatical for a few days. Shut off your phone, turn off the computer, walk away from the TV and relax!
Outside influences impact your life and shift your previous reality
Outside forces can change your desire for your career but can be managed by how you react. It’s time to look for solutions you can live with. This may be simply changing your response or shifting your business model. It might mean that a project will need to stop or change, and it might mean your career will shift. Look inward and think of ways your passion might be re-claimed and re-energized in this new reality.
Needs change as you journey through life
Be sure you recognize what’s important to you now. When you start out in your career what you need in life is different than when you have children going to college and then when they leave home. Passage through the phases of your life also means you go through phases of what you need/want. It’s always a good time to do some self-reflecting. What do you want in your personal life, in your career, or in your business? Is this truly what you need or what you believe you should need? Why is this need important to you? How does this change your personal and professional life? Where does this take you?
Remembering why you chose this career or built this business is key to regaining your desire to keep moving forward. Re-ignite that flame, diligently ask yourself questions for focus, and check that you are on the right path to your goal frequently. Create your plan, stay focused, and continuously make conscious choices that move you forward. Take control, step into your own empowerment, and be aware that your actions are choices that belong to you alone. You know it’s time for even more.
If not now, when?
You don’t have to go it alone. Choose your guide to shine the light when you are lost and help you regain that passion you once enjoyed.
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