Regaining Enthusiasm

How I Regained My Enthusiasm & How You Can Too3ddec2a4-3d0d-4742-98db-b639d2618a83

When I stopped writing my newsletter a year and a half ago, I needed a break! I had new things on my plate and rather than trying to do it all, I decided to back off on a few things. Besides that, I’d lost my enthusiasm for writing.

When our enthusiasm is gone, we feel stuck. I sure did! I spent some time down in the rut, but then, I took my first step. Being a coach, I knew that to move out of stuck, I needed to reassess where I was (overwhelmed) and then get clear about where I wanted to be. Since I was feeling overwhelmed, I backed off on things that were draining my energy. 

Taking a break is essential to being able to think clearly. Humans were designed to need rest and relaxation. Our brains need time think outside the confines of our daily grind. We also need to time to think about nothing!

Sometimes we only need a short break. Just a day away to REthink, REfocus and REmember why we are doing what we are doing.

      

I needed a longer break. Taking a break gave me time to refocus and get clarity. During my break I began working with Stronger Families as a Master Level Trainer. I was traveling all over the US doing presentations at military installations. Learning the ropes of traveling for work from making all the arrangements to being away from home, sometimes 10 days in a month – I was on over-load. Even though it was a great experience. It was too much to try to keep up with all I had been doing. I needed, and wanted to give up something. 

It sounds easy, ‘just take a break,’ but that first step can be really hard. Just knowing what to take a break from can be difficult! We get so bogged down with life and what we ‘have’ to do, that we have no brain space for what we ‘could’ do – or what we could ‘not’ do. We may have no idea why we’ve lost our enthusiasm, but it is gone – and we feel depleted. 

What I learned during my break from writing was that I needed to develop a team of  coaches to work with if I wanted to re-engage with writing and consider taking on more clients. I have done that and I have been inspired to write again! My colleagues are great! I will have (or will) introduce you to Kim Kompel and Ted Hackney in blog posts.

Though we may feel like we have no choice, isn’t being stuck just the result of making the same choice over and over again? I thought I “had” to write my newsletter. If I didn’t, I’d be throwing away everything I’d worked for. When we get stuck in a rut we begin to believe it’s the only way. We’re no longer going where we want to go but can’t see any other way.

Simply reframing our choices and realizing we are NOT stuck. We have chosen this path today. We must consciously recognize our freedom to make different decisions, whenever we are ready. Facing the reality of this freedom helps us feel much better! It can REnew our enthusiasm and bring life back our endeavors. 

Joe & Carri #7 – Going Deeper

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Joe was an adventurer who loved life and enjoyed travelling  the world. He loved freedom, she loved the security of home. Carri had become bitter because she felt as though she always acquiesced to his desires.

By continuing to dream together they cast of vision of what they wanted their future to look like. In the process, Carri realized that she still admired Joe’s adventuresome spirit and would probably enjoy sharing in Joe’s dreams of  “living in a distant land for a greater cause” if they maintained a place they considered “home.”  Finding common ground was very helpful!

After establishing some good will toward one another, Carri took a big leap. She decided to share her journals with both Joe and me. They told the story of her resentment about moving out of the country, the depths of her depression while away, and the beginning of her growth journey -which began after she left Joe. She was very hesitant, but knew that if they were ever going to reconnect there would be risk involved. There were many things Joe could have taken offense at, but he didn’t. He wanted to talk through it and hear her heart. He wanted to get to know the woman he’d been  married to for 28 years, and was willing to listen and try to understand without being defensive.

There were still some huge obstacles. Joe was happy Carri was getting stronger, but didn’t know how to handle the time apart. He was terribly lonely and needed to find a way to cope. He said he was committed to the process but worried that he would fall into old patterns.

Joe & Carri #6 – Leaping Forward

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Carri began by admitting she wanted to change the way she was thinking. For so long she had believed that she had to be a certain way in order for Joe to like her. It was hard for her to let go and just be herself. She wanted to have the confidence to be herself whether or not it was met with approval, but it made her feel rebellious. 

Carri was beginning to recognize her own behavior patterns. She’d always gone along with whatever Joe had wanted, denying herself the right to have an opinion and honestly believing she didn’t have one.  

Readdressing their individual dreams was great practice. Carri knew her dreams were just as valid as Joe’s, and she got to practice articulating why and how they could be good for their marriage. His dreams were still short term and that was fine, she was willing to accept his desire to dream about the here and now. 

Joe, did exactly what all coaches hope their clients will do. He began taking giant leaps towards making his dreams come true. He wanted so badly to be reunited with his wife, but two things were standing in the way. 1) He lived and worked on the other side of the world. 2) Carri wasn’t ready.

He couldn’t do a lot about changing Carri’s timing, but he could begin the process of seeking a job transfer. By the end of the week – he was doing just that!