Ever find yourself crossing the line between doing what you have to, and doing what you actually enjoy doing?
You feel like you’re already doing so much. You’re already burned out with what you’re obligated to do before you can even begin to think about setting aside time for what you enjoy. Even though you know in the back of your mind that you need it, joy is the furthest thing in your mind from a priority.
Joy doesn’t pay the bills. Or… does it? In a roundabout way, the answer is a resounding YES, and I’ll explain below.
You think you’re burned out now, but all of those free webinars you’ve attended and the various e-mail lists you’re on keep demonstrating just how much MORE you could be doing to promote, network, and elevate your business that you’re still not doing. You might even begin to compare yourself to other people who are further along. You can’t help but just start feeling overwhelmed… to say the least.
Losing sight of your purpose in all of the overwhelm is easy to do. With your mind clouded by the fog of everything that needs to be done, it’s possible that you’re more occupied with being ‘busy’ than actually productive. To find out, ask yourself this…
Are you doing enough of the things that you believe in and can actually enjoy, or is your day just chock full of ‘shoulds’ that suck the time and passion out of everything?
If you’re not, it’s time to back away for some much-needed soul-searching. As I’ve discussed before, a lot of the outer work can’t begin without some inner work first. When your time is taken up by all the wrong things, room can’t be made for joy.
Grab a notepad. You need to know:
- What your intended FEELING is every day that you go to work – and what activities bring that to you?
- What OUTCOME is in mind whenever you put forth any effort – are you working with the intention to provide value?
- Are you doing money-making activities, or just staying busy?
Why do you need to know these things?
#1 is important to know so that you can weed out anything that should just be outsourced.
#2 is a necessity because any activities that are done without purpose just simply fall flat and can’t give out a message that touches hearts and sways minds.
#3 is crucial because being ‘busy’ so much takes away energy for what will actually build the business that provides you the freedom you wanted in the first place.
Any effort you take to elevate your business that is CONSISTENT and ENJOYABLE will be the most powerful kind! People will be able to tell if you’re feeling good about your message and how you’re putting it out there.
They will see if you’re speaking from a place of passion instead of obligation. And they will be drawn to you for it. Because nobody will be drawn to a person who is practicing business from a place of obligation and creating content for the sake of creating content.
Not only that – but burnout will happen much faster if all you’re doing is spinning your wheels.
When your business becomes a ‘job’… that’s where dreams can die.
In the infancy of my business, I found myself writing blog articles as often as I possibly could. I loved writing. I loved speaking my message… until SEO came into the picture. All of the “rules” and restrictions I had to write with in order to appease the Google spiders and attract traffic stole away my passion.
Some people don’t mind this, and they have my respect, but writing became a drag for me. That’s no good way to pour your heart and soul into your message.
Be sure that you’re never straying away from why you started this business in the first place: to help people. For yourself to create a business around your dream lifestyle… not the other way around.
You rock! Be sure to check your e-mail for a confirmation.
Aside from finding all of the tasks you dread, you have to find a way to make the ‘MUST’ tasks more enjoyable. Can you add your own spin to how you do it?
Hate recording videos for your courses? You can still make a great course, all without doing a video just because your successful friend Mary is doing it. Use powerpoint and audio instead. Heck, throw in some stock photography and video to keep it interesting for the shorter attention spans out there (AKA… people like me.) Do it your way, and do it well because you’re enjoying the process.
Want blogging to be your biggest source of income, but everyone is making it big on Facebook? Social media is taking the world by storm, and from what I’ve seen and experienced first-hand… you’re far from the first person to wish it wasn’t so!
Be resourceful. Get some affiliates on your blog, create some products, and a little help with social media management so that you can go back to doing what you love.
Social media does play a huge role in online success nowadays, so you will need to play the game a little bit here and there. A virtual assistant can help you with all of the presence-building and trust-building posts in between the ones that you use to speak your heart and your message. I hire mine to gather ‘Friday Funnies’ and great head-scratching questions to fill in the gaps.
Back away from continuing to “do” blindly. Stop working just to keep working or because I “must”. Be still and be present to recollect your thoughts. Then, get it all down on paper and start making a plan of action to restore the joy in your business. This business is yours at its core and you deserve to love it!
What can you change in your business to start loving it again? Have you already found something that works? Let’s spread the love! In the comments, feel free to share some of the ways that you’ve prevented burnout!
I am feeling this now. I don’t know if blogging is what I want or if it is what I want and now I have strayed? This was a good and challenging (mentally) read.
Your heart really needs to be into it. When it is everything else comes together. I think even if you don’t love what you are doing then you at least need to have a source of pride in what you are doing.
this is a nice article with mental challenging question,i think i will need to make solemn resolution on doing what i enjoy doing instead of what i need to do, thanks a lot for the informative,information.
I fell into a trap with my blog where I was ready to start earning some real money and it was lists this and aff link here and all that jazz… I forgot how much I love playing with beauty products and writing about it.
Ooh! This is such a convicting post. I definitely need to incorporate more of what I love! 🙂
That is true. No employer will ever consider promoting someone who is just there to collect a check. Not that there is anything wrong with that mindset, but one must strive for more, in order to get more. Great post.
I am currently at the burned out stage. I don’t blog for money but it’s like I am not getting what I really want from it. You’re right. I should stop and take a step back and re-think everything about what I’m doing.
I used to feel like this in work life, totally lost in limbo, which can be bad for your health. Now I work for myself and only take jobs that I want to do.
I do believe that life should be fulfilling and the only way to live that way is to work on your passion(s). Great thought provoking post to reflect on ones life and maybe change a few things to make it better!
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Words of wisdom. You have to love what your doing otherwise what’s the real point. You actions show your dedication and people outside can see it.
I know, I’m doing what I love and that’s why despising being still working on friday night at 20.20, while my man is going out, I’m still the happiest girl in the world 🙂 But it’s good for everyone to ask this question every now and then
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Yeah, I am currently doing what I love! But it is surely hard for all of us to go after our dreams and our calling.
Sometimes you end up doing things that you don’t like to do and you’re stuck. I used to hate my job but I had to continue doing it as I had so many responsibilities but now I am doing what I love to do. Life is beautiful and content when you do what you enjoy the most.
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