There are many reasons why leaders and entrepreneurs can lose passion for what they do. Whether you’ve been in your field a long time, sales have dropped or something just feels “off,” losing the drive to work toward the betterment of your business can be a complicated, but common, issue.
When your passion dips, your business’s profit and longevity may follow suit. The members of Forbes Coaches Council know that taking action is key when someone feels themselves losing passion for their business. If you are feeling this way, read below for tips to take back the drive you once had for your business and rediscover your passion once again.
1. Reflect On And Honor Your Core Values
Think of a time when you were thriving professionally and felt really passionate about what you were doing. Get really curious as to why you felt this way. Choose three words to describe it. These are your values. If you aren’t feeling fulfilled at work, it’s likely because you are out of alignment with your values. Add something into your workday to honor your values and your passion will return. – Andrea Janzen, Andrea Janzen Professional Coaching
2. Practice Self-Care
Loss of passion is associated with exhaustion, detachment, underperformance, low self-worth and hopelessness. Once acknowledged, leaders are able to renew their energy. Experiment to rekindle the fuel that affords vision, alignment, execution and influence: breathing exercises, meditation, exercise, journaling, a healthy diet, sleep and spending time with healthy relations. Gift yourself self-care. – Lori Harris, Harris Whitesell Consulting
3. Go Off The Grid
Change your daily routine and allow your mind to rest and rejuvenate. Whether going on a cruise, taking a drive to the coast, hiking in the mountains or simply reading a good book, it’s vital to give yourself breathing room to create the thinking space you need to release any tension and stress. You will find your way back to true enjoyment and passion if you take time to “just be.” – Debbie Ince, Executive Talent Finders, Inc
4. Connect With The Deeper Reason Why You Started
Connect with the deeper reason why you began your business. Ask if that reason or purpose is still relevant. If so, find new ways to revitalize your business to align with that reason. If your purpose has changed, consider how you need to evolve or how your business needs to change to honor this new purpose. Reconnecting to your business in this way is necessary to maintain or grow your business. – Rosie Guagliardo, InnerBrilliance Coaching
5. Ignite Your Purpose Beyond The Self
Purpose and passion are closely related. When you feel passion for your business dwindling, try to connect with a purpose beyond the self. You might start by considering all of the individuals, within or outside the business, who currently benefit from your efforts or who could benefit in the future. – Sarah Greenberg, BetterUp
6. Ask Yourself Two Powerful Questions
Ask yourself two powerful questions throughout the day: Am I doing what I should be doing? Am I enjoying who I’m being? For the first question, are you doing what most energizes you? If not, who else can do those things? For the second question, are you aligned with your deepest values? If not, what would have to change? Handle those questions well and you’ll have much more clarity. – Dr. Joel M. Rothaizer, MCC, Clear Impact Consulting Group
7. Take A Mini Vacation
When a business owner loses passion for their business, stepping away from work for a mini vacation, just to get away and “recharge” their batteries, may help. If time away doesn’t reignite their passion, a better self-care routine may be necessary. Proper eating, sleeping and exercise may do the trick. If this doesn’t help, hiring a professional coach may help navigate to the root of the issue. – Dr. Melissa Weathersby, 5-Star Empowerment
8. Uncover Your Why, When And What
In business, and in life in general, motivation is a fundamental way to be consistent and creative. Hence, it pays to consistently recall the three Ws: Why, When and What. Ask yourself: Why did I choose this project? When did I choose this project? What was it trying to accomplish? Answering these simple questions will jolt the mind into a fresh burst of motivation, overcoming your rut. – Kamyar Shah, World Consulting Group
9. Take A Step Back
Call for a timeout ASAP. This can be as simple as a weekend away from it all. No excuses. When you feel your spark diminishing, you must step back to figure out three things: why you are doing what you are doing, what you really want instead and how to reconnect with your longer-term dreams. Successful leaders know when to step back. You won’t regret it. – Mari Carmen Pizarro, Whole Leadership Systems
10. Reflect On What Is Truly Impacting You
Resilience is all about our capacity to reengage work and life. When leaders start to lose their passion, it is important to take the time to recharge in a way that speaks to them—physically, mentally, socially or spiritually—in order to reflect, understand and appreciate what is truly impacting them. Intentional recharge and reflection enable greater self-awareness and self-management. – Dennis Volpe, LRI
11. Make Appointments With Yourself
When you have a loss of passion, one step you can take immediately is to schedule consistent appointments with yourself each week to focus on your self-care and awareness of why you are losing passion. During this time, explore your why: Why did you start this business and what is it about the business you loved when you did? Then ask yourself how you can find your way back to that passion. – Galit Ventura-Rozen, Empowering U
12. Celebrate Your Accomplishments
When times get hard (and they will), take a deep breath and celebrate. Celebrate all that you’ve accomplished thus far—the risks you’ve taken, the lives you’ve changed, the goals you’ve reached. It’s normal for passion to ebb and flow (just ask anyone who has been married a long time!). The key is to keep working at it and celebrating along the way. – Amy Leneker, Compass Consulting, LLC
As Seen On Forbes Coaches Council –
Debbie Kassebaum-Ince
Founder & President of Executive Talent Finders
