What If Your "Lack of Motivation" Is Actually a Gift?
The other day, a coaching client wanted to discuss her lack of motivation. She was increasingly concerned about her uncharacteristic lack of regard for output, business goals, or even responding to communication in a timely way. After decades of taking pride in her strong work ethic and career trajectory, this was puzzling.
As we talked, she revealed that she was facing some health concerns and will be embarking on a treatment journey in the new year. Could her health, she pondered, be usurping her career as the top priority in her life?
Almost instantly, her tone shifted. Her voice was lighter, her eyes brighter. This was the answer. When faced with a choice - her health or her career, her health was winning out.
Not only was she willing to risk setting larger boundaries with leadership to make space for her treatment, but already her energy was subconsciously being redirected.
Was this a bad thing? There hadn’t been any negative impacts on her work, but she had a persistent feeling of unease. Was it guilt or shame from not meeting expectations? Were these her expectations or those of others? Were they even relevant to her anymore?
I recall a similar process when I left an executive marketing role at the end of 2019. When the world shut down a few months later, I was still onboarding as a client services manager with an introductory set of clients - most of whom were pausing programs and not in need of much help.
The amount of freedom I found was so exhilarating that I sometimes felt guilty. I went from a toxic, high-powered office environment, managing a team and numerous contractors, to strong boundaries, a light workload, and autonomy over my calendar.
I became my priority for the first time in decades. I woke up slowly, reinvigorated my yoga practice, and journaled over coffee. I was still able to complete my work and assist my kids with homeschooling. With few social demands, most days I ended with a run or hike the trail near my home, communing with nature and the hills around me.
Most importantly, by reconnecting with myself, I began shedding the layers of armour, of ego, of expectations that had built up over the years of prioritizing my rather public career. Looking back, I’m so grateful, as that was the most profound growth period of my life.
When we are facing a lack of motivation or investment in our work, we should do two things: seek to understand it through curiosity and embrace the opportunity.
By exploring the root cause, we will learn about ourselves, our needs and desires, and how to meet them with boundaries and the thoughtful investment of our resources. If negative emotions or worry are being triggered, we can determine if there’s an internal misalignment or outdated stories about who we ‘should’ be still linger.
This context will help us embrace the slower pace and gentleness that “low motivation” is calling for. I know this embrace is not an easy choice or process. We abandoned the slowness of 2020 years ago, trading it for an excessive celebration of “busy” that coats us in an incessant feed of efficiency hacks, productivity mantras, and performance ‘ideals’.
We've been conditioned to fear the lulls, but what I learned, and what my client discovered, is that this is precisely where the most important growth happens. Here you can finally let go of the expectations that no longer work for you. Accept the call of calm, knowing that aligning life to your true self is the most productive thing you can ever do.
Seeking a guide for your own growth period? The path to living brilliantly, with boundaries, purpose, and self-trust, isn't one you have to walk alone. I help leaders and professionals re-align their lives and careers with their true priorities.
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