There are times in life when we lose track of who we are and why we get up in the morning.

Maybe we are stuck in a situation that we can do little or nothing about and that depletes us of all energy. Maybe we operate on autopilot, toiling on day after day without realizing that we are running on empty. Or, maybe we are juggling so many responsibilities that we feel consistently overwhelmed.

Whatever your situation, chances are you haven’t taken time off to recharge your batteries in weeks, months, or even years.

If you are in the habit of constantly exhausting yourself, I want to share a few steps that might help relieve some of the pressures you are feeling.

Use this as an opportunity to reconnect with what’s important to you, your mission, your passion, and your joy for life. 

Wake Up

The first step in making any change is to become aware of your circumstances. Check in with yourself: do you have the feeling that no matter what you do, it’s never enough? Have you worked at a job way past its due date? Are you losing confidence? Has your excitement for life waned?

If you answered yes to most of these questions, it’s time for an attitude change. 

Shift Your Attitude

Here’s the deal: the most effective way to instantly change your situation is to change your attitude toward it. If you feel that life is too much, that you lack energy, that you have low self-confidence, and that you lost your inspiration, it’s time to take a new approach.

You have to plug back into your sense of playfulness and realize that you are your own source of joy. Don’t let life bring you down, lift it up instead. Ask yourself, “What is one thing that I would like to add (back) into my life? What would be purely fun, not practical or useful, but truly enjoyable?”

Find ways to bring joy and passion to everything you do. Don’t entertain the thought that life sucks. Turn your life into a party and celebrate. Once you do, you’ll start to reconnect with your heart and soul. 

100 Questions

This is a power exercise inspired by author Michael Gelb’s fabulous book: “How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci. Seven Steps to Genius Every Day”. (Please check it out to dig deeper.)

Take a notebook and a good chunk of time and sit down to make a list of 100 questions. Write down anything that is important to you, from “What’s my life’s meaning?” to “How can I have more fun?” or “How can I stop procrastinating?”

Write the whole list in one sitting. Write quickly and don’t worry about repeating questions or misspelling words. Odds are that your list will flow easier at first and then get a little tougher later on. Fight the desire to walk away and stick with it until you are done.

When you have finished, read through your list and note any emerging themes. Did you discover anything that you didn’t expect?

Look at the themes without judging your answers. Are they about business? Relationships? Self-discovery? Money? The meaning of life?

Review your list and choose ten questions that you find most significant. Write them down on a new page.

During the next few days and weeks, look for answers to your questions in nature, in books, and in your conversations with friends. Don’t push yourself; let the clues emerge naturally, and, in da Vinci’s words, use curiosità: “An insatiably curious approach to life and an unrelenting quest for continuous learning.”

Now it’s your turn. Do you feel passionless at times? If yes, what step can you take right now to replenish your inner resources? Please share in the comment section below or simply write to me. I’d love to hear from you.

As always, thank you for reading,

Karin

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Photo Credit: Alex Van via Pixabay