Renewing the Passion

Passion is a critical component of any successful activity or venture. It gives you the energy, motivation and desire to achieve an end result that goes above and beyond even your own expectations. The question, though, is whether or not passion is a renewable resource.

When you’ve been doing something for so long — whether it’s web design, a job, school, and so forth — the passion you had when you started will no doubt wear thin. You begin to question if you’re achieving what you ultimately set out to do. You wonder if there’s something better to commit yourself to. The passion slowly drains from you and you find whatever you were engaged in more and more difficult to continue.

I’m a firm believer in staying the course. If you had the desire and passion to begin with, then you owe it to yourself to try to salvage it. We all hit bumps in the road, and many times they’re just temporary setbacks.

Some of the ways I try (or will try) to renew my passion include…

Break the routine

Routines are a double-edged sword. On the good side, they help you take a difficult or arduous activity and turn it into an easy set of motions that you can run through. On the bad side, it makes things boring and repetitive.

Every so often, break your routines. Even if they’re small routines. Do something different. Drive a different way to work. Run a different trail. Eat something different.

Talk to people

Sometimes the passion starts to drain because we make assumptions about what’s going on around us. Instead of making assumptions, go out and talk to people. See what they think. Get their ideas. This can be a huge motivator and even a potential source of new passion.

Turn it off

Just stop whatever it is you’re doing and go take a break. Go on a mini-vacation or do something else. Sometimes passion seems to erode because we’re working too hard.

Go to sleep

Nobody thinks straight on less than six hours of sleep. Go to sleep.

Watch a movie

Sometimes a movie can be a huge source temporary motivation. If you watch something inspiring, it rubs off. Use this temporary motivation to help reignite your passion. Same goes for a good book.

Increase your knowledge

Passion can start to run dry for some people because they don’t think they’re smart enough. If that’s the case, then increase your knowledge. Take steps to make yourself smarter, or at least feel smarter. Read up on a new field of research or exercise your current skills. This can serve as a great reinforcement for your passion.

Listen to music

Music is an excellent source of motivation because we can listen to it while we work (for most people). Try it.

Exercise

Stay in shape. Make your body happy. This is an obvious action item for renewing your passion. Exercises such as a running has even proven to activate a chemical in your brain that gives you a temporary "high." Use this as a temporary source of motivation.

Consider ending it

Finally, sometimes it just seems like you’ve hit the end of the road. You’ve tried everything to renew your passion but it isn’t there. You want to quit. To end it.

I would say you should consider it. Determine what your alternatives are. What else can you do? Develop a strategy and action plan. Sometimes this exercise can even renew your original passion if the alternatives are bleak.

Or, maybe it is a new path you should find.