No matter what or who you’re involved in, it’s tough to keep the fires of passion burning.
There’s no problem burning the midnight oil while you perfect your pitch, tinker with tools, or map out your future success.
What happens as days or weeks turn into months or years and that sought-after success remains elusive? It’s not easy to stay fired up. Not when you’ve been burning the candle from both ends. When will your passion turn into a success? What is your definition of success?
I am here to share that you can’t give up now. Not when you’ve lived and breathed your career for as long as you can remember. So how do you retain the passion, or reignite it when you’re tired, frustrated, and maybe even contemplating if this career is what you are meant to do? We all have been there.
If you are feeling like your fire is at a slowly burning out, don’t let your dreams go down in flames. Here are a few ways to spark your excitement and stay the course.
Take a Break! This may sound counter-intuitive, but it really can do you and your passion a world of good to step away from your desk, phone, email for a few days or maybe take some time to rejuvenate your mind, body, and soul. Your brain works in mysterious ways. It sometimes works better when you aren’t consciously trying to break through a plateau or obstacle. I go camping and only allow myself to take photos, but for me, being in nature with my family, allowing myself to be still, fish, sit by the fire and think about me is so important. So, you may not be one who likes nature, but you make like movies, laying by the pool, do something to nurture your mind and soul.
Hit the TedTalks! Do some research into how others have succeeded after encountering similar frustrations? Watch a few ted talks of others who’ve enjoyed, get inspired, take notes, make change happen within you instead of waiting for someone else to tell you. With a few inspirational talks, you’ll want to dive right back into your work.
Find a Mentor! Be a Mentor! This is a HUGE; it was for me. I knew that I had to find mentors within and outside of the workplace. I believe there are several kinds of mentors, professional and personal growth. It’s great having someone who is you can to turn to when things get rough, especially when that someone is a person who was once where you are now. Someone who learned the ends and outs and may have different perspectives– and is willing to share it with you! Don’t know where to turn? Try findamentor.org. It’s a free website with a database of mentors and a place to become a mentor as well.
Learn to Delegate and Trust! If you are a lead, manager, etc. You need to learn to trust and delegate to get things down; you don’t have to carry the weight; this is why we have teams. The term teams mean divvying up the duties among the members of the group. They’ll feel empowered and more critical – and you’ll be able to focus on big-picture matters rather than the daily grind. TRUST is the key.
Become More Present! Put down your smartphone. Step away from your computer. You’ll feel less stressed and more focused if you don’t try to answer all your emails or respond to all your texts immediately. Staying focused and present is a key when you are trying to succeed as a team. Constant starts and stops are stressful and can leave you feeling unfulfilled after a long day’s work. Having in-person conversations will have more active connections; it becomes more real to accomplish your team’s goals.
Surround Yourself of Encouragers! A super way to keep your passion alive is to hang out with fun, positive, and to encourage individuals. Stay away from those who tend to make everything a competition, or those who may even carry some jealousy. Just find those who will be your cheerleading “you can do it” crowd. Negative people are like energy vampires that can suck the life – and passion – out of you. In this industry, we need to change that, but that is a whole different article.
I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes from Maya Angelou. “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”