I got a really great question from a Twitter friend earlier this week via email that I thought would make a fantastic Monday Morning Wake-up Call. My friend has been working on a really awesome, audacious goal and was plugging away quite nicely, when all of a sudden she hit a wall. When I emailed her to check in on how she was doing she let me know she was feeling a bit stuck and asked this great question:
Have you ever been so pumped and excited about something and then suddenly lose steam somewhere along the way?
Image Credit: Ms. Mary Mack
So the short answer? Yes! This has totally happened to me. But what should you do when you’ve lost steam on the thing that means the most to you?
When this happens to me, it usually boils down to one of two things:
- Most of the time, I’ve just burned myself out so my body is screaming for a break. If this is the case, just take it easy. Don’t force yourself to do anything until you feel completely compelled to do so. Your body needs time to recharge and rejuvenate, especially if you’re taking on a juicy goal. Chances are you may need some time to just unwind and get back into your groove. Take a break and record your thoughts. If what you’re chasing after is truly for you, then the inspiration will be there when you get back from your break.
- But then there are those times when I lose steam for a project because my heart isn’t in it anymore. Either it’s taken a different shape than I originally anticipated or I’ve just lost interest. Take a step back and think about your why. Why are you working towards this big goal? What is your overall mission in life? If your why is still super compelling to you, then keep plugging along. If you’re not as stoked about it anymore, then think of how you can tweak it so that it’s serving your overall purpose again. Or drop it.
So my challenge for you on this lovely Monday morning is to take a good look at where you’re currently feeling stuck and evaluate what you need to do about it. Are you burnt out and simply need a quick break or is it time to alter – or hop off completely – the path that you’re on?
I’d love to hear about your stuckiness. Where do you need to re-evaluate? Meet me down in the comments and let’s chat about it! Feeling stumped by a question? Email me and I’ll take a stab at answering it for you:
nblades [@] gmail [dot] com
