What Does That Mean?A student from one of the business classes I teach, Stephanie Avery, recently asked if getting bored and being inconsistent in relation to working on your goals means that you haven't found your true passion yet. She also wondered how to determine your true passion when you have many interests and passions, and would rather diversify to prevent boredom or burnout.
Possible Causes of Boredom or Dissatisfaction with Work
Reasons for feeling bored and wanting change can vary considerably for each individual and depend on different factors... It’s hardly ever that simple, so it’s best to not get caught in generalizations.
I’ve worked (and I’m currently working) on several projects I’m passionate about or deeply enjoy, and I can tell you that this statement has never been true for me; not even with things that I love the most. From my personal experience and from dealing with many people in the capacity of holistic practitioner and teacher, I also find that, more often than not, this assumption is not really true. What frequently happens is that many people go into their new business, project, etc, believing or expecting to feel happy and passionate and enthusiastic about it all the time, because they're doing something they love.
Expectations: “Oh, if I'm not feeling this or that way [excited, enthusiastic, passionate, joyful, blissful, etc] all the time or most of the time, or achieving my goals within the time frame that I have in mind [or whatever the expectations are]; if that's not happening, then that's not for me. That has to mean I wasn’t really that passionate about it, so I need to change my job, profession, practice, business, goals, etc...”
However, when working with something you care about, there are countless reasons why you might be feeling bored or discouraged or even depressed, to one degree or another. There's always a lot of hard work that needs to get done (some of it quite boring), so that you can get to the good stuff. There are ups and downs. There are disappointments, things can go wrong.
Sometimes you're simply tired and burnt out because you're working hard for something you believe in. Sometimes things don't work the way that you wanted them to work. Sometimes mistakes happen. Sometimes you deal with failure, you have major setbacks. Sometimes you have to work with people that make things harder for you. Etc. I believe that’s also why a lot of people give up too soon.
So many things can go sideways when you pursue a dream or goal... but that doesn't mean you're not doing what you're meant to do or you’re not where you’re meant to be. If you’re feeling bored or dissatisfied often, rather than ignoring the feeling or quitting altogether, consider that:
- Maybe you need to focus more on the positive aspects of your work, practice or business. Are you serving others in meaningful ways, according to your values? Are you putting your gifts and talents to good use? Do you have more schedule flexibility? Are you making decisions and running things mostly on your own terms? Are you creating a legacy for your loved ones? Etc.
- Maybe you need to make a change. It may be time to look within, to reconnect with yourself, with your why, with the original idea or inspiration for your work, practice or business and assess what's working, what's not working. What could be done better?
- Maybe you need to restructure. You might benefit from automating your systems and using time block/management techniques such as the 50x50 Productivity Formula to free up your time for more creative endeavors.
5 50-Minute Habits Get You 30% More Productive (and Energized)
https://www.growthday.com/5x50video
50x50 Productivity Formula PDF
https://brendon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/BrendonBurchard-5x50ProductivityFormula.pdf
- Maybe you need to delegate. Perhaps you are at a point when you're ready to get some help. You can't do everything by yourself anymore, so it may be time to pay (or barter) for the services you need, such as a virtual assistant who can take a lot of that boring work off your shoulders.
- Maybe you have to reassess and redirect. You've may have been working with a certain niche or focus that's not inspiring you as much anymore. You might want to expand your niche or focus, or change it altogether. That doesn't mean that you have to change work or let go of your whole practice or business idea. Sometimes it's just about redirecting it, exploring a new audience, a new target market.
- Maybe you need more self-care, more work-life balance. According to Dan Thurmon, part of living a balanced live sometimes includes making the decision to be off balance on purpose or with a purpose, at least during certain periods in your life:
Off Balance On Purpose: The Future of Engagement and Work-Life Balance: Dan Thurmon:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OkzozrUEHY
- Maybe your work is not your passion; and that’s ok! As another student, Sonya House-Jenkins, shared during our discussion: “Sometimes passion does not need to be turned into a business. Your business could fund your passion or fund your purpose.” In other words, perhaps your work, practice or business is a means to an end, and your passion is something you dedicate yourself to when you're not working.
To use myself as an example, I really enjoy teaching, working with clients, offering presentations, facilitating workshops, etc. But there are other parts of me that need creative expression, so I'm currently involved in a few passion projects on the side. I recently co-wrote and co-published a book about guided imagery/hypnotherapy for healthcare with my mentor and former teacher. I’m also working on my poetry book, which I plan to publish in the Fall of 2024. I’m involved in cat rescue, enjoy blogging and have plans to create a support group (and eventually a nonprofit organization) for local holistic healers. I attend mediumship and psychic healing classes with the intention to get more involved with that kind of work. I practice time-blocking and manage my work and projects according to priority; that also allows me to work on my creative projects when I feel inspired or called to.
As you can see, this process is about continuously reassessing. That's one of the reasons why it’s important to create a development plan, a useful tool that can help you keep track of your ideas, roles, the phases of development that you foresee or guesstimate, etc. This is an organic process that you can change and adjust as you move forward, continuously adapting as the ideas evolve.
Which Passion To Pursue?
Now, how to determine your true passion if you have many interests and prefer to work on different things to prevent boredom or burnout, rather than sticking to one thing? Well, perhaps you are a multi-passionate entrepreneur, and that’s ok! Maybe you are at a point in your life where you can pursue more than one passion. Just keep in mind that you’d have to allocate enough time, energy and other resources to dedicate yourself to more than one project or business. In addition, it would be even more important to learn how to manage multiple goals by implementing time block/management techniques, getting help and delegating, practicing proper self-care, reassessing if things need to be changed or redirected, etc.
If you have many passions and you're not quite sure which one(s) to pursue, it's a good idea to connect with your inner and/or higher guidance. You can try the following exercises:
- One of the best times to get clarity is at night, during your sleep. Right before bedtime, ask your inner or higher guidance (God, angels, guides, higher self, or whichever higher power you identify the most with) which steps you should take towards pursuing your passions and goals as you serve others in personally fulfilling and financially sustainable ways. You can be specific about what you'd like to know. Then pay attention to what comes to mind in the morning, and what crosses your path during the next few days (people, signs, messages, ideas, information, etc).
- Try the morning pages exercise from The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron (this exercise also works well at bedtime):
https://www.buzzfeed.com/rachelwmiller/what-are-morning-pages-and-why-should-you-do-them-an
FINAL THOUGHT: It’s not just about passion; it’s also about a positive outlook and stick-to-it-ness...
© Gisele Marasca-Vargas; 07/25/24
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