Month: June 2021

Are you feeling burned out from the chronic stress that has been our lives over the past year? Perhaps you are run down or fed up of every day feeling the same as we are stuck indoors? Maybe you feel just generally overwhelmed with everything at the moment, as you juggle work and family life at home 24/7?

If you see yourself in any of the statements above, you are not alone. Many have said that they feel bogged down with everything at the moment and don’t really know how they feel. Conversely, many others have said that they feel too caught up in their feelings, whether good or bad, and have lost sight of the big picture.

It’s been an extremely taxing year, so it’s no surprise that many of us have strayed from our purpose. With that being said, however, it’s important that we don’t let this happen for too long.

We all need to feel a sense of purpose. It gets us out of bed in the morning, fills our days with meaning, gives us motivation and energy, and carries us through the difficult times. What many don’t know, however, is that often, purpose is built not found.

4 ways to find purpose in your work (and day) again

1.Connect your work to service

Finding your purpose again can be as simple as asking yourself ‘who do I serve?’ and then shifting your perspective. For example, think about who you actually serve and the benefits they get from the work that you do. Then, consciously and concretely, connect this result to your day-to-day jobs. You may just find that shifting your thinking makes your work more purposeful.

2. Pursue excellence

How can you adapt your job to provide your clients with exceptional service (whilst also making your days more meaningful)? For example, would devoting time to learning a new skill make you happy but also benefit your clients? Enhancing your assigned work to make it meaningful to you and to those you serve is a great way to nurture a sense of purpose.

3.  Focus on building positive relationships

Who we work with, who we live with, and who we have in our corner, is just as important as what we do. Therefore, to feel completely happy and fulfilled, we must develop and maintain these relationships. Take some time every week to reflect on your relationships. Whether it’s a colleague or a family member or a friend, try to understand him or her and why you’re grateful to be working with them or to have them in your life. Think of ways that you can help them.

4. Reflect on what matters to you most

You can only find your purpose again if you know yourself, what you want, and what matters to you. If you don’t know this, then this may be why you feel aimless or demotivated. To help you delve deep into what ‘purpose’ means for you, try the following tasks:

• Remember your ‘why’ – why do you do what you do? Why did you want to pursue this direction in the first place? Who are you working for if it’s not yourself?
• Review your values – if you have role models, what are the qualities/values that you most admire? Do you exhibit these qualities/values or try to in your daily life? Does your work satisfy these values?
• Keep a ‘purpose’ diary – for one week, whenever you feel most purposeful or energised or passionate, write down what you were doing at the time and why you felt that way. Review your notes after the week is over and you’ll identify exactly what aspects of your work you find most rewarding.

Purpose is built, not found

Contrary to what many people might think, purpose is something that is built or pursued, it’s not just going to get dropped in your lap one day. If you want to find meaning in your work and find your purpose again, reflect on what matters most to you and work on shifting your perspective. If you think about the people you serve and spend your time improving your skills to provide an even better service, your days will be filled with a lot more purpose.

Imagine yourself when you are in the zone. For example, when are you most confident about what you are doing, you’re efficient and effective in doing it, and most importantly, you’re happy and full of energy to get it done? Can you picture these situations clearly?

When you are in this state, the feeling that is driving you is your ‘mojo.’ It might be a different feeling for everybody, but the result remains the same. When you are in the zone and you have your mojo, you will drive yourself forward and ensure your own success.

Now, we all have our good days and bad days, but what many people are experiencing as a direct result of the pandemic, is a severe loss in mojo. As you can imagine, this is a serious issue as we all need our mojo to run our business, lead our teams, serve our clients, and take care of our family and ourselves.

Now you know what your mojo is, the question is, “how can you get it back if you lose it?”

How can you get your mojo back?

1. Start with one small win – try focusing on doing small things well and you’ll restore your confidence and motivation.
2. Focus on your mission and values, not your obligations – why are you doing what you do? Link your tasks to what drives you and you’ll find your purpose again.
3. Surround yourself with positivity and support – stay away from negative thinking, negative people, and negative circumstances (e.g. social media or the news) as much as possible.
4. Quiet that inner voice – if you judge yourself harshly and doubt yourself often, start to notice when this is happening and shut it down with a positive thought instead.
5. Ask for help and support if you need it – you don’t have to do everything alone, so don’t be afraid to ask for help or support if you need it. Often, just sharing your burdens can be the biggest boost in getting your mojo back.
6. Engage in activities that you enjoy – make time for the things that you are most passionate about. They will bring a smile to your face in the immediate and will help build you back up.
7. Do something you are good at – to regain your self-confidence, do something you are good at. Whether this is supporting your clients or making your children laugh, it will give you the strength and motivation to move on to the next task.
8. Exercise often – even if you don’t feel like it, engage in some sort of physical activity that you enjoy. Lack of movement will just make you feel sluggish and depleted.
9. Acknowledge the progress you’ve made – spend some time looking at your accomplishments, you might just realise that you’ve achieved more than you realise.
10. Reflect on the big picture –  are you doing what you really want to do? If you aren’t, what would you want to do instead? If you are, has your direction or vision changed?
11. Be curious – a great way to get your mojo back is to stimulate your curiosity and creativity. Learn something new or find a new hobby – it might just reset you and give you a new dose of energy.
12. Practice gratitude – if you’re feeling down, focus on what you have instead of focusing on what you lack. Think of a couple of things that you are thankful for every day.
13. Get some sun – a little sun can do a lot for your state of mind and your body, not to mention your energy levels. Open the windows, get outside or take Vitamin D every day.
14. Help others – focusing on generosity and kindness can really create a strong and positive sense of being. Connect with your family more and find ways you can help others.
15. Put your needs first – sleep for long enough every night, eat and drink healthily, move your body, and take time to recharge and switch off from work. You might have lost your mojo simply because you are burnt out.