What to do when you lose your passion for something
In the real world, it can be hard to find your passion and then choose to follow it. You may have found your dream job, started a great business, doing music, writing, sports, fitness, or anything else that’s a true calling. Life becomes fulfilling as you spend much time doing what brings you joy.
What we sometimes don’t imagine is losing that passion. Maybe you’re feeling tired, bored, frustrated, or uninspired. Or like me, you experience an injury and find yourself having a lack of passion for what you used to love.
If you’re in a place where you’re wondering What to do when you lose your passion for something you’re in the right place. These are the best things you can do to help you fan into flame your passion.
I once lost my passion for running
My personal experience with losing my passion came a few years ago. I don’t believe I’ve hit my peak in running just yet. I ran the Boston Marathon in 2016 and thought I was near my peak then. However, last fall I trained for another Boston Marathon bid and a personal best.
I ran the St. George Marathon in Utah, and I crushed my PR by 12 minutes! That’s almost 30 seconds faster per mile. If I am capable of that, I still don’t believe I’ve reached my peak performance.
I was already contemplating my next race and next huge goal, but then it happened. I was on a leisurely run with one of my running buddies, in mid-December a few years ago The weather had been abnormally warm, so we hadn’t been thinking of ice.
I truly despise the treadmill (or the dreadmill as l like to call it) so a light snowfall couldn’t keep us from getting in an outdoor run.
But the light snow covering did keep us from seeing the hidden ice that lay below our feet. It had cooled just enough the night before that the puddles on the trails pooled and iced over, and the light snow on the ground sneakily covered the danger below.
When I went down, it wasn’t pretty. It was fast and painful, and I knew right then that my running days were being ripped away from me.
Granted, I’m thankful that it was temporary, but even so, it tore me apart inside. Running was everything to me. It calmed me on stressful days; it was where I reflected on life, my goals and disciplines stemmed from my training and even my business is running focused at its core.
When the doctor let me in on the news that not only was my ankle broken, but I tore at least one ligament, and my ankle was completely out of alignment, I fell apart.
He said it would be a couple of months post-surgery before I could even attempt to try to run again, and at that time it would be a very slow process getting back to where I once was.
It was like something was trying to take away my passion for running. For the first time, I could no longer do what I love to do. However, this process of recovery taught me valuable lessons about how to get back that passionate life once you’ve lost it.
What to do when you lose your passion for something
It can be frustrating when you no longer feel excited about something you were passionate about for a long time. It may start small but as time passes you grow tired and are uninspired to even get up and start again.
You dread the moment when you need to engage in what you love. This can take you by surprise which is very normal.
How do you stay motivated and keep the fire burning in your heart? How do you renew your energy and experience new feelings of hope and excitement? These are the top tips on getting back your passion once you’ve lost it.
1. Take time off to rest
In today’s world, working ourselves to the bone seems normal. We are always on our phones and laptops checking emails, doing research, and just working, working, and working some more. This can cause burnout.
Even if you’re working on passion projects and feel like you need to eat, sleep, and live your dream, lack of rest can lead to a loss of enthusiasm.
Taking a break from your passion to rest, relax, and recharge are essential elements to your well-being. This will make you work efficiently and renew your energy.
It could be a day off or a few days off where you put your passion completely out of your mind. You’ll be able to regain a new perspective and be rejuvenated again. Make it a goal to take regular breaks from your passion.
2. Change Your Environment
Your environment plays a huge part in your level of enthusiasm for what you do. Making small changes in your environment like working in a cafe or park for a day or a few hours can be just what you need to give you a fresh outlook on your life.
You might have a great job but do you like the company culture? Analyze the environment and decide if you need to make major changes such as changing your job or moving to another department to reignite your passion. But this must come after serious reflection on the pros and cons of such a chance.
3. Take new responsibilities
Losing your passion can be caused by monotony. Doing the same thing over and over again can drain you. Instead of thinking you need a different career or start a new business, you may need new outlets to express your creativity.
If you’ve been in your current job for a long time, it may be time to learn a new skill or take online courses. Variety may be the best way to get your creative juices flowing again.
4. Don’t allow your passion to become an idol
Your passion is not your identity. If you make it an idol you can lose yourself in it. Anything can become an idol or an addiction in your life if you let it consume you. It’s important to evaluate our passions and see if any have become idols or addictions in our lives.
Does anything in your life take all your focus? If it were taken away, would your whole world collapse? If so, it means you’re in danger of creating an idol for yourself. Something that brings you much joy in the first place can become an idol.
It could be your work, a hobby, your spouse, or even your kids. I don’t believe running was an idol in my life, but, I have to admit, the runner’s high is slightly addicting.
5. Learn new things about your passion
Most passionate people start to wonder if they’re on the right path in life. If that’s you, consider learning new things about your passion.
Attend events, read books, and follow new people and experts in your field. This can inspire you to see things in a new way or even realize new outlets that you’ve never considered for yourself.
6. Teach Others About Your Passion
There are always newbies in every area or field. People who are starting out or are scared to start. Offer your service to mentor or coach others.
They’ll learn valuable skills from you and you’ll gain a renewed sense of purpose for your passion. It’s a great way to make a difference in other people’s lives and feed off their energy and enthusiasm too.
7. Consider a new daily routine
Do you have daily routines and disciplines that you practice? It could be meditating, drinking coffee, exercising, praying, or journaling. This can be just what you need to steer the day in the right direction and give you a renewed feeling of achievement, hope, and excitement.
8. Remember why you started
There is always a “Why” behind a true passion. But time passes and we get sucked into what we are doing and your passion can end up feeling like a job or career and not a true calling, vision, or dream.
That’s when you need to go back to the impact you wanted to make, the people you wanted to reach, and the value you bring. This makes you focus on the bigger picture and makes your passion meaningful again.
9. It could be time for a new passion
There are times when your passion has run its course. Maybe you started an online business when your kids were young and you were homeschooling and needed a flexible side project but now you’re an empty nester. Your “Why” has run its course resulting in a loss of enthusiasm for your business.
Or it could be that how you pictured your passion is ideal and now the reality doesn’t match up to that picture you had. This can drain you and leave you feeling demotivated. The only way out may be to consider taking up a new passion.
Don’t be stuck doing something you’ve clearly lost the inspiration for. Do some soul-searching and if everything points toward a new job, new career path or new challenges do the hard thing and let go.
10. Find Joy in the journey
Life is never going to be easy. There will be ups and downs, highs and lows. But, if we have joy, we can much better deal with the tests and hard times life brings our way. Happiness is temporary, but joy is everlasting. We can have joy in all circumstances.
Happiness is external, but joy flows from out of our hearts. Joy doesn’t mean we don’t get frustrated or have bad days, but joy gives us hope for tomorrow and throughout our injury.
Don’t wait until you’ve arrived or achieved the end result of the most important thing for you. Enjoy the journey.
There are probably plenty of people around you or even online who share your passion. Connect with them, learn from them, and understand how they find inspiration again when they lose it.
They can give you feedback about your passion, keep you accountable, and make you realize that you’re not alone.
12. Talk to a coach or therapist
Loss of passion can come in one area or many areas of your life at the same time. This could be caused by stress, depression, or other deeper issues you need to confront.
Consulting a mental health professional will help you explore the emotions you’re going through and work through them.
If you’re feeling stuck or lost in your career path you can hire a career coach. They can help you renew your passion or take the steps to go in a new direction and path.
13. Find other interests
This can seem counter-productive but it’s actually a great thing! You may be so consumed with your passion that you no longer have time or energy for other things in life.
We need to find other areas of interest and be well-rounded. These new experiences can help you fan the flame of your passion again.
I found that though injury is never easy, it is more doable when you can take your mind off it and pursue other things. If running were my everything, I would have easily sunk into a depressive state and isolated myself from the world.
Develop a few hobbies or interests so you don’t have all your eggs in one basket. I’m thankful I was able to focus on my writing through my recovery. The good news is the injury gave me some free time and became a nice outlet for me that I could use to heal.
“An injury is not just the process of recovery; it’s a process of discovery.” — Conor McGregor
14. Learn to celebrate your achievements
Sometimes we spend our whole lives going after our passions so hard that we don’t pause and take a look back at what we’ve achieved. Starting and maintaining a new passion is hard work.
While it’s enjoyable, it still takes effort.
It’s a good thing to take time to celebrate your journey and accomplishments. You’ll be surprised that could be what you need to stay motivated and push you to continue on your path.
Finding your passion is one sure way to experience joy and fulfillment in life. But the truth is you can get bored, uninspired, and tired of doing something you love. Or circumstances change like in my personal experience and an accident makes you unable to get back to your passion.
So What do you do when you lose your passion for something? It doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world. These are 14 Strategies you can take to allow yourself to get back to what you enjoy.
Give yourself enough time to reflect on what’s happening and take the right course of action that suits your own life.
Writing is one of the things I turned to when I couldn’t run. Through my recovery, I was able to finish my first book. I wrote “Mind Over Marathon: Overcoming Mental Barriers in the Race of Life” is on sale now!
It is about discovering your dreams and taking them from inception to a flourishing finish. If you’re looking to ignite passion and purpose in your life, clarify your unique game plan, and build confidence in who you are, this book will take you there!
