How to Maintain Enthusiasm for Your Work
We have all started a project or decided to dive deep into a passion, only to become burnt out on the subject a short time later. Whether your work is a 9 to 5 office job, a trades position, a non-profit community builder, or a farmer, we all feel discouraged at times, and we need to take a step back. We need to evaluate how we see our work and attempt to reignite our enthusiasm for our passions.
1. Give Priority to the 3 Necessaries.
We all know that we need sleep, to eat right, and to get some exercise. But, how many of us follow this advice. When we are stressed, overwhelmed, and overworked, the first things to go are typically the things that keep our bodies functioning.
Sleep
Chronic sleep loss or restricting your sleep to a few hours drains your energy and kills your enthusiasm. Being overly tired will actually contribute to insomnia. Lack of sleep could start you on the road to serious health problems such as cardiovascular issues, decrease immune function, learning and memory loss or restriction, and metabolism or weight issues.
Eating Right
Keeping your body at low nutrient levels by eating the standard American diet can affect how your brain functions. When you focus on keeping your nutrient levels high and your sugar intake an even low level, you can boost your memory, thinking functions, and overall mood.
Exercise
Finally, get up and move. Studies have shown that you can improve your attention span, creativity, cognitive processing and keep your muscles, organs, and bones healthy when you exercise regularly. Typically, when you feel less than enthusiastic and unmotivated, you want to sit on the couch and allow your brain to zone out for a bit. If you find an exercise that will enable you to let your brain coast, you get all the benefits of movement while still giving your brain a rest.
2. Watch Where Your Information Comes From
Where you get your information about the world around you can affect your enthusiasm for what you do. Suppose you are gaining information from news sources that consistently focus on the negative titles and headlines that basically state that there is little hope for the future. In that case, you will internalize this information, affecting your daily enthusiasm and decisions. Find information sources about your industry that focus on hope and the brightness of the future.
3. Find Something You Love
If your work is mildly soul-sucking, then find an area or hobby that you are passionate about. If you work in an industry that is your true passion, you might have to break from that work to focus on something else that you love. In either situation, take a few minutes every day to do something that you love; this could be as little as 15 minutes. Diverting your focus can help you feel enthusiastic about your daily work.
4. Write Down What is Going Well
It is effortless to focus on what is not going well; in fact, humans are wired to focus on the negative, so we learn for the future. Focusing on the negative may have helped us when we were hunters and gathers, but not so much in today’s day and age. Take some time to write down what is going well in your lift. Focusing on the positive will help you increase your enthusiasm overall.
