Ever felt dragging to do the things that you usually love to do? Wondering why the project, business or hobby that you were so passionate about last month now feels flat and tedious? Ever wondered if you should just quit? Change everything? If you have made a big mistake to put any time and energy in it in the first place?
Last week, I was struggling to feel any passion or motivation. I knew intellectually why I had committed to my business, but I couldn’t find the passion anymore. No inspiration. Nothing. Not even one bit to write a blog post! I could not remember why I had thought it was smart to put so much energy into it!
I bet you’ve already felt that, or you are feeling that right now. No matter how hard you push, how many reasons you make up in your mind, it’s just a drag. And the results are reflecting that lack of inspiration. So what do you do? My prescription is to UNPLUG.
Unplug from your phone, your computer, your spreadsheet, your thoughts. And plug into life, friends, laughter and adventure.
I left for a week of vacation with my family. And I decided that when on vacation, I was not working on my business, answering emails, returning phone calls, or even thinking about it. Bye-bye computer, hello walks on the beach, boardgames and theme parks. Some good old fun away from the screen.
And you know what happened? Within 48 hours, I surprisingly found myself having inspiration, writing down new ideas, and even feeling excited to implement them upon my return.
In this social media age, especially for those of us running a business, we feel like we always need to be ON. What if I don’t check my email for one day and I miss that opportunity? What if I don’t post on social media for a week and everybody forgets about me? What if I miss out? So we keep going and going, until there is no juice left inside and we wonder what the hell we’re doing here.
Most of the time there is nothing wrong with our business, our creative project or our hobby. And our passion is not gone. What happens is that we need to unplug, experience life, get recharged. We just need to let our mind, our heart and our body relax and then they will naturally go back to what we love most, to what is calling our soul.
And all of a sudden, here it is. You don't need to fix anything, you don't need to go see a therapist or a coach. First, try unplugging, try letting your heart, mind and body relax and go wherever they want to go. The most unproductive the better. And you will see where they naturally lead you back to. And if it is not to what you thought it would be, then it will give you a good indication that there might be some changes that are necessary. In your schedule and your priorities. But that's not for now. For now you're enjoying!
Some people say, do what you love and you will never have to work one day in your life. I say:
Do what you love and you will have a hard time keeping yourself from working one day in your life (and you'll have to do it anyway).
Turn off that phone. Go outside. Be Inspired.
Photos by Amelie Hubert.