The other day a client told me she has lost her passion for life. How does she get it back? Maybe you can relate to that.
Have you lost your zest for life? Your passion? Your joie de vivre?
It’s a slump. I’m tempted to say it’s a phase but sometimes we lose our passion and never get it back for various reasons. Sometimes it can come back on its own, other times we have to work at it.
Be Present
The answer that came up for this lady applies to all of us. To get your mojo back, be in the present. That sounds easy enough, but it can be a challenge.
When we aren’t present, where are we? In our head. Worrying about the future, fretting over the past, concerned over present dilemmas. How can any magic happen in our life if we are caught up in worry? How can we get our mojo back if we’re not even “here?”
Remember this phrase? “Yesterday is history [that’s why we no longer need to worry about it!]. Tomorrow is a mystery [that’s why we don’t need to be concerned about it]. Today is a gift; that’s why it’s called the present.“
The Magic Happens in the Now
The magic only happens in the present because we are aligned with it. When we are in the present we are attuned to our five senses – the chair we are sitting in, the food we are eating, the smells in the air etc. Whatever is going on in this very moment we are focused on. Nothing else. We are in our body, not our head.
Have you ever noticed how food tastes so much better when you stop and eat slowly rather than woof it down? That’s because you stopped to savor it. That’s what I’m talking about. Enjoy what’s going on around you with your senses.
When we get in our head we get into trouble. That’s when we get analysis paralysis, anxiety, fear, perfectionism, you name it. Every single one of those states of mind takes us away from the present. The present is so powerful for that very reason – it takes us out of our head and into life.
When we get out of our head and let go is when the magic, the “miracles” can happen. It’s amazing what can occur when we don’t continually try to predict or worry about life. Your passion can now creep back in because of just that – you let go of the fear, the worries, the predictions. By doing this you have opened up space for something good to happen, for the passion to return.
Let Go
There are so many expressions to encapsulate this because of its importance: “Be in the now,” “Go with the flow,” “Live in the moment,” etc etc etc. Whoever coined those phrases, assuming they were actually living it, knew what they were talking about. Even if you’ve only experienced it for brief glimpses, you can testify how powerful it can be. How freeing it can feel. Hopefully after you noticed that feeling you witnessed a “miracle” or magic or an answer to your questions. Phrase it however you like, it’s all one in the same.
It’s easy to lose your passion for life or mojo if you’re stressed, burned out, worried about the future. We all do it at some point. When it goes on for a long period of time is when we start to notice it. “Hey, I don’t feel like myself anymore,” or “I noticed I no longer feel like doing something that used to excite me or fill me up.”
Get Mindful
It takes practice to get out of your head. That’s when a practice of mindfulness is called for. That means start paying attention to your thoughts. What are you thinking right now? Are you drifting off as you read this? Did you space out for a few seconds? Did you comprehend that TV show or video you just watched or do you have to replay it?
It’s normal to space out for a few seconds but when we’re constantly doing it is when it creates the problem. Because now we are in our heads worrying, fretting, even planning. Planning is good but there’s no need to do it constantly. Set aside some time for it, then go back to living in the now.
Visualizing is excellent but again, we don’t need to do it all the time. Make time for that, then get back to the present. I had a client who told me she developed a visualization practice. Great idea! Every day she would block out time just to visualize so that she could manifest what she wanted. And it worked! She was able to manifest. Take 10 minutes or an hour if you can afford the time. After that, back in the present.
When we are at work doing our job, we have to focus on the task at hand. Our work day is time allotted for that. That’s how we get paid. That’s why breaks are so important. Take the time to get up and stretch, get some water. Get back into your body and out of your head for a while. Not only is it refreshing, a novel solution or creative idea may appear.
Planning and visualizing are useful tools but don’t need to be done every waking moment. Worrying and fretting are never useful and definitely aren’t productive. Basically, they are a waste of time!
Notice Your Cues…and Be Grateful
You may think this sounds all too easy to just let go, live in the now, and your passion will come back. Trust me, it works. Been there, experienced it. I’m sure you have too even if in limited doses.
Maybe you were doing something that you normally enjoy but didn’t today. You weren’t in the right head space and had enough sense to stop doing it. Later when you felt better you came back to it and bingo! You enjoyed it. That happens to all of us.
Note the reason for stopping – you weren’t in the mood. That translates to being in your head. There’s your cue. When you don’t feel like doing something – don’t. When you do is when you reignited your passion, your interest, your mojo. Then you will be in the flow, back to enjoyment, not stuck.
What I’m talking about is the longer periods of time. The stuck in a rut period, the slump, call it what you will. How can you assess your life accurately if you’re too caught up in worry? You can’t. How can you move forward if you’re afraid of your next move? You can’t. How can you enjoy life if you’re too busy complaining about it? You can’t. See what I mean?
If you’re not in a rut catch yourself before you get there. Practice mindfulness if you aren’t already. If you are in a slump, now is the time to incorporate this practice in your life. The easiest way to start is when you catch yourself drifting off. You don’t have to identify what you were thinking necessarily, just notice the drift. Bring yourself back to the now.
Even if your life isn’t going so great right now or your situation isn’t optimal there’s always something to be grateful for. Your health, the roof over your head, the food on your plate – something. Add gratitude in with mindfulness so that you can stop noticing what you don’t like in your life and focus on what you have. Taking the focus off of what you don’t have gets you out of your head.
Snap!
One technique I’ve often heard used to facilitate getting back into the now is a rubber band around your wrist. Every time you catch the drift, snap the rubber band. Yes, it hurts, but that’s the point. It got your attention! While I don’t necessarily recommend it because it’s painful, it can work.
Almost any technique can work. Snap your fingers every time you drift. Even a dog will start reacting to a finger snap. When my dog gets to licking his paws, I snap my fingers. His head pops up and he knows to stop – until he does it again! Then I snap my fingers again until he stops. The same approach can be used for our drifting minds.
Passion gets depleted over a period of time when we aren’t focused on life. Before your passion dips, catch it now. Your new mantra is, “Get out of my head and into my body.” Notice the world around you and it will start talking to you. You will find your mojo. I promise, it works!
Have you noticed your passion is gone? Your mojo is depleted?
Do you believe the solution above? If you aren’t sure, then ask YOURSELF, your inner knowing, your intuition.
Do you have intuition? YES! You do!
Do you want to learn to develop it? CLICK HERE to find out more.
Many of my clients have said that they want to learn how to develop their intuition. Because of that, I developed this easy-to-follow do it at your own pace, online course. It’s packed with tips, hacks and how-to exercises.
If you want to confirm that you have it, learn how to listen to it, how to talk to it and how to trust it start by CLICKING HERE.
Once you start listening to your intuition, you’ll be amazed how much your life clicks into place. Then you can truly start enjoying yourself and get what you want out of life!
CLICK HERE to find out more
